chapter759

Fred and his buddies were clearly picking on Luke. The security footage made that obvious.

Honey, I'm just telling it like it is. Look at Freddie's face. Didn't they do that to him? Christie pleaded, her voice rising.

"Just shut up," Stephen snapped.

He was done talking to Christie. She was making a fool of herself right in front of the police.

Officers, please just handle this by the book. I'm not really his stepdad anyway. The kid was given to his dad after the divorce, but his dad can't handle him. I was nice enough to pay for his school. Who knew he'd turn out like this?" Stephen finished, sounding as if he was washing his hands of them.

Christie and Fred stared at him, stunned.

"Honey!" Christie cried.

"Stephen!" Fred called after him.

"Don't call me," Stephen shot back. "I have to get back to work. You two go with the officers to the station and admit what you did wrong. It's not the end of the world, alright?"

He didn't wait for a reply. He turned on his heel, heading for the door.

Lydia, who had been quiet through all this, finally spoke up. Hold on.

Stephen paused for a second, but then kept going.

Honey, you can't just leave us here! Christie ran after him, tears in her eyes. She blocked his way, her voice trembling. "Don't just abandon us. We don't want to go to the police station."

Stephen looked fed up. "If you didn't want to go, why'd you call the police in the first place? Seriously, are you trying to get yourself in trouble?"

Lydia came over and looked at Christie. "Does your husband own a clothing factory?"

Christie was already fuming and snapped, Yeah, he owns a factory. So what? You looking for a job at the sewing machines? Want my husband to give you a position?"

"Not exactly. Is that dress you're wearing made in your own factory?" Lydia asked, calm as ever.

Christie's chin lifted with pride. "Of course! We only make designer clothes. You couldn't even dream of affording them."

Lydia nodded. "Good, then I'm not mistaken. Officers, I'd like to report this man for copying designs from my company without permission."

Stephen's heart skipped a beat. He almost bolted.

But before he could say a word, Christie blew up. "Wow, really? You're accusing us of stealing your designs? Where's your proof? Who do you think you are some big shot CEO or top designer? Give me a break. You must be crazy

Stephen, who was already feeling uneasy, now just wanted to disappear. He'd had a

bad feeling about coming here, and now it was clear why. Trouble had landed right in his lap.

Lydia smiled, just a little. That dress you're wearing is a rip-off of 'Embroidered Shadow, a new design by denny at Greenward Power Since your husband's the manufacturer, he should help sort this out."

Stephen shook his head. I have no idea what you're talking about. 'Embroidered Shadow'? She bought that dress somewhere else. We didn't make it at our factory."

Lydia's smile didn't fade. "That's easy enough to check, isn't it?

That pushed Stephen over the edge. "You bitch! That's some bullshit. Who do you think you are? I'll sue you for slander."

Christie was still trying to catch up. She didn't really get how things had turned into a plagiarism accusation, but when she heard Stephen threaten a lawsuit, she jumped right in. "Yeah, that's right. You're slandering us!"

Lydia just looked at her. "You're both facing two lawsuits now. Enough talking. Let's

finish this at the station."