The room was dead silent.
The accusation had come so suddenly that no one had time to react.
Sebastian frowned and asked in a low voice, "Maddie, what's going on? Is that your protégé, Autumn?"
Madeline pressed her lips together, helpless. "Yes. I don't know why he suddenly showed up..."
Autumn walked through the crowd and onto the stage, his eyes fixed on Charlotte's stunned face.
"Last September, the draft I submitted to a competition was rejected because the style didn't fit the theme. I have the design process and timeline to prove it."
He looked up at the big screen.
The image changed.
It was Autumn's folder of rejected drafts, containing the sketches for all three pieces. Apart from the coloring and a few minor changes, they were nearly identical.
"You take my draft, tweak a
