Chapter 154: Of Course I Want To, But…

Garry forced a tight, bitter smile, his eyes clouded with disappointment. He had been drawing for years, pouring his heart into every sketch, yet it barely kept him afloat. Fame had become a distant dream, one he’d long since stopped chasing.

Allison, however, cut through his hesitation. "I can guide you; I'll make your work even more famous than Onyx's."

Garry blinked, taken aback. Surely she was joking? Onyx wasn't just any artist; he was a global sensation, recently dominating the comic world with an almost cult-like following. Surpassing someone like that seemed absurd.

But seeing the calm, steady look in Allison's eyes, Garry was somewhat convinced. His mind flickered back to the times she had critiqued his drawings, always with an eye for detail he could never quite match. Could it be… was she some kind of hidden genius? He swallowed nervously.

"Well… you don't have to do this…"

Allison didn't bother with pretense. "I have my reasons. There's something I need your help with." Her words were blunt, leaving no room for negotiation. She pulled a sleek pair of earphones from her purse, holding them out to him. "Once the deed's done, I'll help you connect with the best publishers in town. I can elevate your work to heights you've only dreamed of."

Garry hesitated, disbelief and doubt etched on his face. It sounded too good to be true, and deep down, he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Besides, doing something sketchy for personal gain didn't sit right with him. "Even though I want my comic to succeed, I can't bring myself to do something… unethical."

"It won't be unethical," Allison replied smoothly, easing his worries. "I only need you to expose a plagiarist."

She could have handled this quietly, behind closed doors. After all, as manager of Charisma Company, she had the power to pull strings in the shadows. But confronting Onyx openly was risky; it could cause irreparable damage to her company's reputation. That's why she needed someone like Garry.

Seeing that Garry seemed willing to listen, she explained the situation in detail. "You've seen Onyx's comic, right?" she continued, her eyes locking onto his. "In the later volumes, you must have noticed the details are sloppy, the style feels off, almost like a bad copy." After a deliberate pause, she lowered her voice and whispered, "The truth is, they weren't his work. He stole my discarded drafts and passed them off as his own."

Garry's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible?" he muttered, shaking his head. At first, it was too hard to accept. Onyx was a legend, known for his mastery. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. There had been an unmistakable drop in quality in Onyx's later works—rougher lines, lack of detail, and so on. And then there was Allison. The woman's skill with a pen was undeniable, capturing the essence of a scene with just a few deliberate strokes.

The more Garry compared her work with Onyx's, the more something gnawed at him. Her style, though different, carried a unique edge he couldn't quite place at first. But then it clicked. No wonder her style was so familiar! Allison's brushwork and style were strikingly similar to scenes in Onyx's earlier comics! Onyx had never been able to recreate that level of consistency in his more recent work.

As he connected the dots, Garry said slowly, "If that's really the case, I'm willing to help. But… is there any proof he stole your work? No physical evidence?"

"He kept my discarded drafts and passed them off as his own," Allison said, her expression hardening as she held out the earphones. "But I have a plan to expose him. I know his weaknesses, and I understand how his mind works; he's not as stable as people think." She leaned in slightly, her gaze steady. "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours. Fame and money—it's all within reach. But I'm not forcing you to do anything. The decision is yours."

Garry's mind raced. He knew the risks. Stepping up for Allison without solid proof could mean professional suicide. If they failed, he'd be humiliated and possibly blacklisted. The stakes were high.

But as he replayed the precision of her drawing in his mind, the doubt faded. It was clear to him now: it was her hand that had shaped those iconic scenes, not Onyx's. No imitation could match the original without telltale signs of clumsiness. Allison's work, on the other hand, was flawless.

After a moment of tense hesitation, he made up his mind. "I accept." He took the earphones, his hand trembling for a second before his grip tightened. His expression grew determined. "I don't have much reputation to lose anyway. Even if this backfires, at least I'll know I did the right thing. No regrets."

With that resolve, he felt a strange sense of peace. He was stepping into the unknown, but somehow, it felt like the right path.