Then suddenly... She laughed.
The sound was abrupt, almost jarring in the tense silence.
"You're joking, right?" she said, her tone laced with disbelief. "This design… was stolen from me."
The words stunned everyone.
"I didn't plagiarize anyone," she continued, her voice rising slightly, desperation hidden beneath forced confidence. "If anything, she is the one who copied me."
The moment those words left her lips, it was as if she had crossed a line she could no longer step back from.
'As long as I stick to this… my supporters will believe me,' she reassured herself desperately. 'They won't abandon me so easily.'
Sure enough, some people in the audience began murmuring again, uncertainty creeping into their expressions.
Lana watched her quietly before letting out a small chuckle. "Alright," she said calmly. "Then you're claiming this design is yours?"
