Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, CEO novel Chapter 295

Chapter 295

Despite everything, hearing Astrid’s fierce, protective voice made me smile inside. The scandals hadn’t broken her spirit. She was still my fierce, loyal friend.

“Mrs. Knox.”

I jumped, not realizing Blake had approached. He stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, studying me with that penetrating. gaze I knew too well.

“You heard what was said on that call,” he stated rather than asked.

“Pretty hard not to,” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

With Astrid’s volume, pretending otherwise would’ve been ridiculous.

Blake narrowed his eyes. “The similarities between your designs and my late wife’s work are striking. Care to explain?”

“Explain what, exactly?” I countered.

The similarities had shocked me too when I first saw Evelyn’s designs. What she created mirrored my own style in so many ways, yet with distinct differences in the details. It was as though we’d shared the same creative instincts despite never meeting.

Twin connection, perhaps? We’d both independently fallen in love with jewelry design, both developed similar aesthetic principles. To an outsider, it might look like plagiarism, but I knew better. Neither of us had copied the other.

Adrian stepped between us before I could say more. “You show up here talking collaboration, then accuse my wife of plagiarism? Is this how Parker Group conducts business?”

The hostility between the men was palpable. “If you question my wife’s integrity, perhaps we should end this discussion now.”

Blake looked past Adrian to me. “I’m interested in your work, Mrs. Knox. But you can’t deny the resemblance to Audrey Sinclair’s designs. All I’m asking for is your design philosophy. If your work is original, you should have no problem explaining it.”

I met his stare head-on. “I can absolutely explain my process. But here’s my question for you, Mr. Parker – your ex-wife is dead. Even if I explain everything, how would you know if I’ve plagiarized her work or not?”

“How well did you understand your wife’s design process? Do you know what inspired her? Her techniques? Her creative philosophy? Because if you don’t, you have no basis for comparison.”

The color drained from Blake’s face. His arrogance shattered in an instant.

His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. No words came out.

I’d struck a nerve.

As my husband for three years, he never once noticed how much I loved designing jewelry. Never asked about my process or what inspired me. He’d lived with me but hadn’t seen me at all.

“Wow,” I said, the word sharp with disbelief. “You supposedly loved your ex-wife enough to try killing yourself after she died.”

I shook my head, not bothering to hide my disgust. “But you can’t even tell me what she was passionate about. You don’t know the first thing about her designs.”

“You’re accusing me of stealing from someone you never bothered to understand. That’s rich, Mr. Parker.”

1/2

Blake’s POV

I closed my eyes.

Normally, any woman who spoke to me this way would be out of my life before she finished her sentence.

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