I Admitted Plagiarism To Escape Family

At the Grand Jewelry Design Awards, I stood before the judges and did the unthinkable. I admitted to plagiarism, withdrew from the competition, and resigned from my position as Design Director at the Frost Group.

My fianc, Caleb Frost, glared at me with pure rage. If you quit now, our engagement is over! he barked.

My father didn't hesitate. He backhanded me across the face. "You stole from your own sister, and now you're throwing away the Frost family alliance? Do you want to destroy us?"

I just shrugged, wiping the blood from my lip. "I'm not just ending the engagement, Caleb. I'm ending my relationship with this entire family."

I could do this because I was reborn.

In my previous life, my half-sister Zoe and I entered this competition together. The winner would be crowned the nation's top designer and walk away with a fifty-million-dollar prize from the Frost Group.

But round after round, Zoe's sketches were identical to mine. Even worse, she always submitted them minutes before I did.

The judges only let me into the finals because of Caleb's influence. They warned me not to copy her again.

I didn't believe in ghosts, so I bought a new laptop and locked myself in a room. I worked until my fingers bled to create a masterpiece for the finale.

But when the curtains rose and the designs hit the big screen, it happened again. Zoe had my work, and she had it first.

My reputation was shredded. I was doxxed and harassed by millions online.

My parents, ashamed of the "thief" in the family, drugged me and sold me to a deranged old man in the countryside. I died under his hands, screaming for mercy that never came.

When I opened my eyes, I was back at the semi-finals. Everyone was pointing at two identical sketches, whispering about the fraud on stage.

"Jade Sterling, explain yourself!" The judge's voice boomed in my ears.

I snapped awake, my heart hammering against my ribs. I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest, the phantom pain of that old man's abuse still lingering in my skin.

Caleb's voice sliced through the air. "Say something! Why are you standing like that? Are you scared? You're supposed to be my lead designer, and you're humiliating me!"

I finally found my voice. I was back. I was alive.

Zoe stepped forward, her face a mask of sweet concern as she grabbed my hand. "Jade, I know it's hard for you to admit I'm better than you. It's my fault for outshining my big sister."

"How about this? We both explain our design concepts. If yours is better than mine, I'll admit I copied you. Okay?"

Before I could even breathe, she grabbed the microphone. She stood center stage, basking in the spotlight.

"This necklace was inspired by an ancient starlight legend," she began. "They say the stars in the Milky Way are fragments of longing scattered by the Goddess of Love..."

My blood turned to ice. Her words were exactly what I was thinking. Every single syllable matched the concept in my head.

The crowd erupted in applause. Caleb stepped up, tenderly kissing her hand. My father and stepmother looked at her with tears of pride.

I stood there like a clown, frozen and speechless.

The whispers grew into a roar. "She definitely stole it. All those famous designs she did before? She probably forced her sister to do them and took the credit. What a bitch."

But I didn't care about the insults. I was drowning in shock.

Stoling a drawing is one thing. But how could she steal the thoughts inside my brain? How could she repeat my inner monologue word for word?

I grabbed the mic, my voice trembling. "Fine. Even if I admit to copying, how can you prove she didn't steal this from someone else? Maybe she used a ghostwriter."

Caleb pointed a finger at me, his face twisted in disgust. "You think everyone is as filthy as you are?"

I let out a cold laugh. "You've been dating this 'filthy' woman for three years. That says a lot about your own character, Caleb."

"You!"

The audience started to murmur. "Wait, if Jade is really that bad, wouldn't Caleb have noticed after three years? Something feels off."

"Yeah, maybe she's right. What if they both used the same ghostwriter and got the same draft?"

I saw the flicker of doubt in the crowd and smirked. Zoe's smile twitched for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure.

"If you're still not convinced, Jade, let's settle this right here," Zoe said, her voice dripping with fake kindness. "I don't want your reputation ruined. That would be my burden to bear."

My father sighed dramatically. "Zoe, you're too good for her. You're always too kind."

I caught sight of Caleb's grandmother, Evelyn, sitting in the front row. She looked devastated. That look gave me the strength I needed.

"Alright, Zoe. Three rounds. You pick the themes, and I'll pick the rules."

This time, I was going to find out exactly how she was cheating.

"That sounds fair, Jade," Zoe chirped. "Let's go with the classics: Family, Friendship, and Love."

I didn't smile. "Fine. Round one: Family. We each get a laptop, and we sketch simultaneously in front of everyone."

"I have no problem with that," she replied confidently.

Two desks were brought out. We sat facing each other.

I closed my eyes, visualizing my design, and began to draw with lightning speed.

I figured if someone was spying on my screen, they'd have to follow my movements. She would always be one step behind. Her lie would fall apart in real-time.

Thirty minutes in, I was almost done. Suddenly, Zoe stood up with a triumphant smile.

"Judges, I'm finished."

My heart skipped a beat as her design appeared on the massive screen. It was my work.

But I wasn't even done yet. How had she finished my uncompleted drawing perfectly?

"Let me explain the concept," Zoe told the captivated audience. "This platinum arc with a central diamond represents a story about my mother."

"When she was in labor with me, the doctors said I was stubborn and wouldn't come out. My dad called me a 'rock in a tailpipe,' but my mom told him I'd grow up to be as resilient as a diamond."

I felt like I was being suffocated. That was my story. That was my mother's story.

Was she a psychic? Was this some kind of black magic?

Zoe glanced at me, her eyes gleaming with a silent taunt: "What are you going to do about it?"

The monitors switched to my screen, and the room erupted in laughter.

"Holy crap, she really is a thief! Her drawing is exactly the same, and she couldn't even finish it. How pathetic!"

I looked at Grandma Evelyn. She let out a long, disappointed sigh.

Ever since my mother died, I hadn't known the warmth of a family. Only Evelyn treated me like her own blood.

She had even promised to give me her company shares after the wedding so Caleb couldn't mistreat me. Now, even she was turning away.

I couldn't let this happen. I forced my brain to work.

Maybe my father told her about my mother's story. But that didn't explain the identical sketches.

"I'll take the loss for this round," I said, my voice cold. "Next round: Friendship. This time, we use paper and pencils. Hand-drawn."

If she was using some high-tech AI to predict my digital strokes, she couldn't do that with a physical pencil.

Two easels were set up. We faced each other again.

I moved my pencil slowly, intentionally making mistakes. I drew a few lines, then paused to watch her face.

Zoe didn't hesitate. She stood up and handed in her paper.

"Done."

The hand-drawn sketch was slightly different in style, but the content was exactly what was in my mind.

"This piece is a lighthouse," she explained. "Topped with a brilliant diamond. It's a tribute to my best friend."

"I was once stranded at a pier in a strange city during a storm. My phone was dead. Then, a lighthouse beam cut through the rain to guide me."

"I found out later my best friend had stayed up all night, using satellite tracking to find me and calling the harbor master to light the way."

My knees went weak. That happened to me and my best friend, Lyra. Only the two of us knew that story.

I felt like I was disappearing. The world was spinning.

My half-finished, messy drawing was projected onto the screen. The mockery was deafening.

"She can't even copy correctly! Look at those mistakes. This is embarrassing!"

"Get off the stage! Fraud!"

I looked at Evelyn again. She was shaking her head now.

Caleb leaned over to her. "See? I told you she was a fake. She isn't the woman you think she is."

"She's a liar, Grandma. You finally see that Zoe was the one who saved me that day, not Jade, right?"

Three years ago, Caleb had fainted from low blood sugar and fallen into a lake. I was the one who pulled him out.

He was barely conscious, but he remembered the emerald pendant around my neckDa gift from my late mother. He used that memory to find me, and we fell in love.

Or so I thought. We were supposed to be married in a month. But then I had that horrific car accident.

I was in a coma for two months. Since I woke up, everything changed. He dragged me to this competition just to humiliate me.

He wanted his grandmother to hate me so he could marry Zoe instead.

"Get lost!" Caleb shouted, joining the crowd's chants.

Suddenly, a sharp *slap* echoed through the hall.

Everyone froze as Caleb stumbled back, clutching his face. He looked at the woman who had just hit him in total shock.

"Stop acting like a goddamn parrot and shut up!" she screamed.

It was Lyra. She ran onto the stage and grabbed my arm. "Jade, get it together. I'm right here. Finish this!"

Her presence was the anchor I needed.

Zoe's eyes flickered with something like panic. Suddenly, she clutched her ear and cried out.

"Oh! What's this in my earring? There's something hard in here. I don't remember this being here when I bought it!"

The judges rushed over. Their faces turned pale. "It's a micro-camera!"

Caleb's eyes widened. He lunged at me and ripped the glasses off my face. The frame cut into my temple, and a thin line of blood ran down my cheek.

"Unbelievable! I gave you those high-tech glasses because your vision was blurry after the accident. I was trying to help you, and you used them to spy on your sister?"

Lyra whispered in my ear, "Is that how she's doing it? Is she seeing through your eyes?"

I shook my head, uncertain. "I don't think so."

In my last life, I didn't wear glasses in the final round, yet she still produced my exact work.

The crowd went feral. They started throwing half-empty lattes and water bottles at the stage. I stood there, drenched and bleeding, a complete mess.

But my eyes were fixed on a man sitting in the back corner of the room. He looked familiar.

I wiped the coffee from my face and grabbed the mic one last time. "One more round. Love. Hand-drawn."

I sat down and closed my eyes.

My only experience with love was Caleb. Or what I thought was love.

I remembered when I scraped my knee once, and he carried me to the hospital like I was dying. He threatened the doctors, saying he'd burn the place down if I had a scar.

I remembered the night he proposed. A city full of fireworks. He screamed into the night that he wanted to be with me for a thousand lifetimes.

Tears streamed down my face as I thought of those memories.

Time was up. I opened my eyes.

As expected, Zoe handed in a blank sheet of paper.

"I've never been in love," Zoe said softly into the mic. "To me, love is a mystery. It has no shape or form. So, I'm leaving it blank. You can't draw the infinite."

I stood up and laughed. The puzzle pieces were finally clicking into place.

I grabbed the mic. "I admit it. I copied Zoe Sterling. I am withdrawing from the finals and resigning from the Frost Group immediately!"

The room went silent. Zoe and my father looked stunned. This wasn't the script they expected.

"If you quit, it's over!" Caleb yelled. "Our engagement is dead!"

My father stormed up and slapped me again. "You copied your sister, and now you're throwing away the Frost family? Are you trying to ruin us?"

I looked at him with dead eyes. "I'm not just done with him. I'm done with all of you. We are no longer family."

Lyra grabbed my sleeve. "Jade, are you crazy? You're just letting them win?"

I smiled at her.

I finally knew why Zoe always knew what I was thinking.

It wasn't a camera. It wasn't AI.

And it definitely wasn't magic.