Chapter 3

Jade's POV

I watched Lucas through the rearview mirror.

His fingers rested on the steering wheel, long and defined.

I looked down at my own hands.

These hands had once held his in that sunless chamber, leading him out of despair.

Now, those hands eagerly turned the steering wheel, rushing toward another woman.

This was the last time I'd ride in his car.

Once I got the Quinn family's money, he would belong entirely to Vivian.

Whether the man himself or that lie about salvation-I'd package it all up and send it to her.

The car stopped at the gala hotel entrance.

Media crowded both sides of the red carpet, flashbulbs creating a continuous white daylight. Lucas quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.

He didn't come around to open my door. Instead, he stood by the car, his gaze urgently searching behind us.

That car held Vivian.

I pushed open the car door myself. The altered black gown wrapped around my body, my heels clicking on the ground.

Vivian arrived.

She wore that white haute couture gown, linking her arm through mine, smiling sweetly, posing for the cameras in a display of sisterly affection.

I pulled my hand back in disgust, avoiding her touch. "Don't dirty my clothes."

Vivian's movements stiffened. She immediately turned to Lucas, her eyes reddening. "Lucas, is Jade still blaming me for borrowing her inspiration? I just thought that style was beautiful..."

Lucas stepped forward in one stride, shielding her behind him, removing his sunglasses to look at me coldly.

"Inspiration is just inspiration. Someone has to realize it to give it value." He spoke matter-of-factly. "Vivian gave it soul. You should feel honored."

Vivian broke into a smile, pulling a miniature model of the Holy Infant Cathedral from her clutch.

She held it up to Lucas like a treasure. "Look, the light and shadow design here-this is the divine light I imagined."

Lucas looked down at the model, his eyes instantly softening with a trace of devotion. "This is the world I saw in the darkness. Vivian, only you understand."

I laughed inwardly.

Who was it that described that scene to him bit by bit through the wall in the detention cell?

Vivian seemed to remember something and turned to look at me with concern. "Jade, are you still having trouble with your designs lately? You should rest more."

I looked at the design in her hands that belonged to me and said flatly, "My discarded drafts can win you major awards. What troubles could I possibly have?"

A giant in the architecture world happened to walk by. He stopped, pointed at a support structure on the model, and asked Vivian curiously, "That load-bearing point is quite bold. How did you calculate it?"

Vivian froze, unable to answer for a long time.

Her eyes darted around evasively. "Well... by feel. For aesthetics, I thought this looked good."

The old professor frowned. "Architecture is rigorous science. Going by feel alone will make buildings collapse."

The atmosphere grew awkward. Just as Lucas was about to intervene, I spoke first.

"It uses a hyperbolic tension structure." I looked at the model. "It disperses thirty percent of the vertical load, which is why it appears lightweight."

The professor looked at me in surprise, nodded approvingly, and walked away.

Vivian bit her lip, looking at Lucas with grievance.

Lucas glanced at me with displeasure. "What good is memorizing textbooks? Vivian has an artist's intuition."

The curator walked over, holding the final confirmation list. "Excuse me, we need to confirm the design attribution. Currently it's registered under Reynolds Design Department."

I spoke up firmly. "Change it to Jade Reynolds."

Vivian panicked. "Jade, Dad and the sponsors' intention is to promote new talent..."

"New talent?" I sneered. "Show me your draft sketches! What are the core parameters? What are the light angles? Can you even answer?"

Vivian opened her mouth, looking to Lucas for help.

Lucas pulled a black card from his suit pocket and handed it to the curator.

"I'm adding a hundred million in sponsorship for the Holy Infant Cathedral project's startup fund." Lucas's voice wasn't loud, but loud enough for those nearby to hear clearly. "The condition is that the lead designer's name must be-Vivian Reynolds."

Vivian covered her mouth in excitement, looking at him with deep affection.

I looked at Lucas in disbelief. "That's my heart and soul!"

He looked down at me from his height, his eyes cold as ice. "Jade, only Vivian deserves it. This hundred million is to buy your silence."

The big screen flickered.

The host's voice rang out loudly. "Now announcing this year's Gold Award winner-Vivian Reynolds!"

That name appeared huge and blood-red.

I stood in the shadows, clutching the useless draft in my hand, crumpling it into a ball of garbage.

That black card was a symbol of power, and the final straw that crushed me.

In the face of capital, talent was so fragile.

Three years of my work couldn't match his one card.