Revenge is best served cold

On the way home, I remained silent and gazed quietly out the window. I could feel Eric's eyes on me. But for some reason, I wasn't in the mood to respond. I didn't want to admit it, but seeing Elsa blocking Eric in the hallway earlier had irritated

me.

Sensing my shift in mood, Eric asked softly, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

But he wasn't letting it slide. He turned me to face him, his expression serious. "You've been acting off ever since we left. You were fine during dinner."

He paused for a second as if piecing things together. "Wait. This started right after

I ran into Elsa in the hallway and you came looking for me."

Then, as if hit by a sudden realization, his eyes widened in surprise. "Are you jealous?"

I immediately denied it, saying, "Of course not! No way! Don't overthink it!"

His gaze remained skeptical.

I scrambled for an explanation. "I just don't understand why she acts that way. That's all."

For a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of disappointment in his expression.

He exhaled lightly and said, "Everyone has their own way of seeing the world. The only thing you can do is not let her affect you."

I turned to face him fully, locking eyes with him.

"And you?" I asked.

"Would you ever let her affect you?"

Even though I already knew the answer, I couldn't help but seek confirmation.

Eric looked at me seriously, his dark eyes reflecting my face. "No."

He said something else after that, his voice low and soft. But just then, a truck roared past, drowning out his words.

Eric's expression stiffened slightly as he turned away. He seemed to realize I hadn't heard him.

I tried to get him to repeat it, but he refused.

I caught a clear glimpse of his ears in the dimly lit car. They were as red as a tomato.

...

The moment we stepped into the house, my phone rang. Upon seeing Levi's name flash on the screen, Eric instantly grew alert. He had been about to head upstairs but stopped dead in his tracks.

I sat on the couch and answered the call with a sigh.noveldrama

Levi's excited voice burst through the speaker. "Jane! The list for the finals is out! You have to check it out!"

Upon hearing that, I immediately went to my study, powered on my computer, and logged into the competition website. Just as Levi said, the semifinal results had been released, and all the entries by both finalists and eliminated contestants were displayed.

I scrolled through the designs one by one. As expected, Elsa had made it to the finals. But her entry this time looked completely different from her previous style.

I kept scrolling and eventually reached the last entry-a blank design submission.

The designer's name caught my eye. It was someone I had noticed before.

I asked, "What's going on with this contestant named Rosalind?"

I heard shuffling noises on the other end. Levi was probably booting up his own computer. After a few moments, his voice came through again. "Oh, this designer... Right after the semifinals began, she voluntarily withdrew from the competition. She didn't even submit a new design.

"The organizers were actually really impressed with her previous work and

wanted to check if she was facing any difficulties. But after she withdrew, she just vanished. Even the address she provided on her application turned out to be fake."

With just a few sentences, I knew for sure this was the designer Elsa had plagiarized. And judging from the circumstances, it seemed like this wasn't just a simple case of plagiarism.