Sienna hesitated for a moment, casting a nce back at M.
M pushed Sienna toward the door. "Quick. Go on."
"All right. I''ll leave now," Sienna said, picking up her pace to catch up with Daniel.
They stepped outside and got into the car. Later, Sienna gave Daniel the address.
During the drive, Sienna kept her gaze fixed out of the window. The atmosphere in the car was heavy with tension.
Daniel sneakily looked at her several times, seeing how distant she seemed throughout the journey.
"Is there something urgent?" Daniel couldn''t help but ask, his concern evident in his voice.
Sienna responded with a hum.
"Do you need any help?" he asked again.
"No, thank you."
Silence settled between them once more. Eventually, the car pulled up before arge building. Sienna unfastened her seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
Before closing the door, she turned to Daniel and expressed her gratitude. "Thank you. You don''t have to wait for me. You can head back."
She closed the door and hurried toward the building.
Daniel stepped out of the car and closed the door behind him. A heavy weight settled in his heart as he watched Sienna''s fading figure. Concern flooded him as he nced up at the imposing building again. If Sienna hadn''t been right before him, he could''ve ignored her affairs and refrained from asking about her. But now, with her so close, he couldn''t bring himself to look away.
Inside the editor''s office, Sienna and her editor sat on the couch, examining the two books in their hands.
Harvey Yelden''s expression was particrly unpleasant. He angrily jabbed at the books in his hands.
"What''s the meaning of this? This is tant giarism. If you''re going to giarize, couldn''t you at least change the main characters'' names?"
Sienna closed the books and took a deep breath to suppress her anger. "When was the author''s book published?"
"A year ago," Harvey replied, leaning back on the couch. "Three months before yours."
Sienna tossed the books onto the couch. "It''s indeed giarism, but the author is the one giarizing from me. The story is my original creation."
"The problem is, the author''s book was published three months before yours. you use the author of giarism, do you think readers will believe you? Will a judge believe you?"
"You''re my editor. You know I''ve been working on this story for a long time. I saved my drafts for six months before I started publishing."
Feeling helpless, Harvey softened his tone a bit. "Sienna, no one will believe you if you can''t provide evidence."
"What should we do now?" Sienna asked.
She wasn''t going topromise. She despised giarists and refused to tolerate their actions.
Harvey sighed deeply. "They''re demanding 300 thousand dors inpensation. They also want ourpany to recall all your published books and for you to post a public apology on social media."
"Let''s take this to court," Sienna said firmly.
Harvey looked confused. "They''re just negotiating with us right now. They haven''t sued you yet. Why do you want to go to court?"
"I want to sue the author for giarism."
Harvey reacted as if he had heard the biggest joke ever. He felt both exasperated and amused. "Sienna, you need to face reality. All the current evidence points to you giarizing their work.
"They''re giving you a way out by not suing you. If this goes to court, you''ll lose. You''ll be branded as a giarist. Readers will abandon you, and your reputation will be ruined."
"Let me repeat," Sienna said, emphasizing her words. "This book is my original work. There''s no giarism or borrowing."
"No one believes that."
"That doesn''t mean I can tolerate such hical behavior from giarists."
"You''re being stubborn. Are you risking your career for this?"From N?velDrama.Org.
"I would rather never write again than bow down to a giarist." Sienna''s determination was unwavering.
Frustrated, Harvey said, "Let''s put your book signing event next month on hold. Resolve this issue first, then we''ll decide whether to proceed with the event."