My Great Escape Led Me to You novel Chapter 351

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Everyone else in the room fell silent.

Mr. Adams spoke again, his tone earnest, almost pleading. “Ms. George, there’s really nothing else we can do about this. I’m pretty sure Mr. Lane has already sent word up to the board. The execs have made it clear: they want Emily Blair to apologize. If she does, this whole thing can be resolved easily. But if she refuses…”

He hesitated, then added, “Mr. Lane’s made it clear—this isn’t over.”

Emily Blair felt her heart plummet.

It was one thing to suspect it, but actually hearing it out loud was something else entirely.

She’d already guessed that Andrew Lane was stirring things up behind the scenes, and she thought she was prepared for this moment. But hearing the words spoken aloud still made her chest tighten, her throat dry and constricted.

Arianna George gave a cold, derisive laugh. “And just how exactly does Andrew Lane expect Emily Blair to apologize?”

Mr. Adams paused, choosing his words. “He didn’t specify, but upper management said she needs to show real sincerity. The best thing would be for Emily to record a video admitting she failed to see right from wrong, that she was impulsive and made baseless accusations, wrongly accusing Isabella Austin of plagiarism. She should state that Isabella did nothing wrong and is completely innocent. They want a heartfelt apology. As long as Emily apologizes, Mr. Lane and Isabella will let this go. You know how it is, Mr. Lane is one of our main sponsors—what leverage do we really have…”

“This is absolutely outrageous!” Arianna snapped, slamming her hand down on the table. “If Isabella Austin is innocent, then nobody in the world is guilty of anything! According to that logic, every pianist ever banned for plagiarism should be welcomed back with open arms.”

Mr. Adams, now clearly impatient, retorted, “Ms. George, you’re missing the point. It doesn’t matter who’s really at fault. The problem was caused by Emily Blair and Isabella Austin, so they need to fix it. The best thing we can do is smooth things over and shift the blame away from ourselves and onto Emily.”

Arianna shot back without hesitation, “Mr. Adams, you know as well as I do—after more than a decade in this industry, what I despise most is plagiarism. Isabella Austin plagiarized right under my nose, and I let it slide. But now you want Emily Blair to apologize? Sorry, but as a human being, I can’t do that.”