Chapter 117: She Has Been Sued

Before Stella could explain, the call ended abruptly. Frustration clenched her fists. That rascal Felix had tattled to his family.

After careful consideration, Stella connected her fall to the children. How could the hallway have been so slippery? And why, just after her fall, did Felix and another child appear carrying a bucket of mop water, somehow managing to spill it all over her? She hadn't expected to be outsmarted by a child. She vowed to give him a hard time next time they met.

Just as anger flared, her manager called. "Stella, there's trouble. Your song, 'Ray of Light in the Dark,' has been sued. The internet is in an uproar."

"Hasn't everything been resolved?" Stella asked, bewildered.

"Resolved? Go see for yourself! The song belongs to Ms. Cecille, released four years ago. Yours is ninety-nine percent similar," her manager exclaimed, frantic. "They're accusing you of plagiarism and abusing your power by having Ms. Cecille's lawyer detained. The chat logs between our assistant and Ms. Cecille's studio were exposed. Everyone says we stole the composition because we couldn't afford to buy one."

A throbbing headache pulsed. "Let me look," she said, forcing calm. Her phone displayed the plagiarism scandal trending. Before she could process it, she saw the latest post on her Twitter: "A clear conscience fears no accusation"—almost buried under angry comments.

Oh, so the tables have turned? Those fans who denied plagiarism, do you see it now?

Really, a clear conscience fears no accusation? Stella, won't you explain why a remarkably similar song was released four years earlier? Why is yours ninety-nine percent similar? Isn't that plagiarism? You didn't even bother to edit—it's a copy-paste!

I agree. The only difference is the lyrics. The words felt odd; they didn't match the melody. Even her lyric writing was subpar.

Stella meticulously read each message, hesitant to respond hastily. She called her manager. "Contact the PR team, immediately."

"If we'd sought Ms. Cecille's studio for negotiation when first accused, we could have resolved this. But now… You were so adamant about not plagiarizing, declaring your innocence boldly. Even suppressing the trending topics wouldn't help now."

"We have two options: ask Mr. Rainsworth for help again, or find Ms. Cecille and apologize," the manager suggested.

Stella frowned. I just offended that little tyrant, Felix. How can I ask Nathaniel for help? She feared further requests would extinguish his remaining affection. The only person I can turn to is Ms. Cecille.

Cecilia's image surfaced in her mind. Vivian was Ms. Cecille's lawyer. Could Ms. Cecille be Cecilia? No!

She dismissed it. Cecille was famous abroad, with many fans. How could Cecilia become a renowned composer after a few years abroad? Wasn't she running the company with Calvin's support?

Convinced it was a coincidence, she told her assistant, "Get me Ms. Cecille's contact information. I need to find her."