Chapter 93 - 93

PA Jack had come to meet Kelly today because Kelly decided to participate in a photography competition.

"Come on, let's go and submit your photos," PA Jack said.

"Yeah, let me get my pen drive," Kelly said and went to her dorm room to get the pen drive.

Kelly had a photography hobby. She always had a camera with her and took a lot of photos. She wanted to participate in a National level photography contest. The prize was a huge sum, and the winner will get a lot of exposure.

Kelly and PA Jack went to the venue to submit her photos.

"Please fill the details online and then upload your photos," the assistant said.

Kelly filled the details, but while uploading the photo, an error came out saying it was a duplicate. She did not know what the issue was and asked the assistant what was happening. The assistant said someone had already uploaded the same photo.

"What? How can they have the same photo? This is mine? I took the picture." She was confused.

"Can you check and tell me who uploaded her photo," Jack asked. The assistant checked and said, "Sir someone named Paige had uploaded the photos first."

"Jack, what should I do? These photos are mine?" Kelly said, agitated.

"Kelly, relax, and remember what happened in the last few weeks. Did you ever leave your camera unattended or have you shown your photos to anyone," PA Jack said?

"No, I was very careful with my camera," Kelly was panicking.

"Okay, let's do this. Try to relax and remember," Jack put his hands on her shoulder.

Kelly tried to do what Jack suggested, she thought very hard, and something flashed in her mind.

"Jack, I remember now, I left the camera in the café one night. I checked it, and all the photos were still there so I didn't think anything of it," Kelly said.

"What if someone copied your photos," Jack asked.

"Yes…There was a girl named Paige who worked there for a month. She was kicked out of her job since she was very rude to customers. I remember talking about the upcoming photography contest to my friends in the kitchen that time Paige was there," Kelly said.

She was very angry at Paige for stealing her work. She worked so hard for this.

"I think she took advantage of you when she saw how much the prize was," PA Jack said.

"That girl! How can she do this to me ....," Kelly's face was red, she was fuming.

"Isn't there anything else I can do?" Kelly held Jack's arm feeling helpless.

"Do not worry, upload the photo. We will see what will happen. They said the next round will be an interview with the judge," Jack said.

"But the image says it's a duplicate," Kelly complained.

"I will talk to the committee, don't worry," Jack reassured her.

Jack went to the committee and showed them his business card. It showed that he works for Tristan Ambrosio. Everybody knows him, and they wouldn't want to upset him or anybody that works for him. 

He explained the situation to the committee. They said they understood what he was trying to say, and they said they'd take Kelly's photos when it was time for judging. 

They have seen a lot of people stealing other people's works and produced them as their own. So they believed PA Jack. They'll take the pictures when Mr. Madison is ready to do the final check.

Kelly was biting her nails and was waiting for Jack outside the room. "What happened? Were you able to talk to the committee?" Kelly asked as soon as she saw Jack.

"They have accepted your entry. Mr. Madison will judge the last portion," Jack assured her.

"Oh, you are so awesome. Thank goodness!" Kelly was relieved. She gave Jack a hug.

"Come now, let's have lunch. The contest is going to start in the evening," Jack held her hand.

"Yes, let's eat," Kelly smiled. Food always lifts up her spirit.

She had been independent since she was a child because of her painful experiences, but now seeing Jack doing everything for her, she felt good. She thought, "It feels good to have someone else to depend on for once. This is not a bad idea."

Jack always thought that partners should be able to rely on each other. Kelly was stubborn and independent, so he felt useless when Kelly disregarded him and did things on her own.

It was nice that for once, she relied on him to help. He wanted to show her how much love he can give. For the first time, he can show her his caliber, and hopefully, he can impress her.

With that problem behind them, they were able to relax and go to a nearby restaurant and enjoy their lunch.

It was now time for the final judging of the competition. Everyone's photo was enlarged, and the contestants stood in front of their photos.

The judge will come and talk to the contestants and then declare the winner.

"Good Luck! I know you'll do well. I'll be sitting with the audience," Jack squeezed Kelly's hand and went to sit in the crowd.

Kelly noticed Paige, and Paige smirked at her.

Kelly got angry and clenched her fist. She had to control her anger, she does not want to make a scene in front of everyone.

"Hey Kelly, nice to meet you," Paige said as she came to stand beside Kelly.

"I cannot say I feel the same," Kelly bluntly replied.

"Aww C'mon Kelly, we used to be colleagues. How can you talk to me like that?" Paige asked, with her fake sentiment.

"You stole my photos, and now you have the guts to stand in front of me?" Kelly snapped.

"Well, what can I say, money makes you do terrible things," Paige said.

"You are going to lose," Kelly said.

"No way, I uploaded the photos first. It's your mistake, you left your camera so carelessly in the café," Paige replied.

"I don't want to waste my time talking with unnecessary people," Kelly replied.

"Kelly, back off the competition. You cannot prove anything," Paige warned.

Paige had no knowledge of photography. She had overheard Kelly's conversation with someone and came here because of the money.

"I should be saying that to you. Back off before you lose your reputation in front of everyone," Kelly said.

Paige knew she wasn't going to win this argument, so she went back to her place.

"Now I welcome Mr. Madison, the most famous photographer in the world to come on the stage and share his thoughts.

Mr. Madison came on stage and told them that as an added bonus, today's winner will get a chance to work with him.

Kelly was very excited. It was her dream come true. She always wanted to make her mark in photography. 

Now her hopes were dashed. She cannot be famous if she is labeled as a plagiarist.

Kelly looked at Jack, who was sitting down. He nodded at her, cheering her on. Kelly relaxed a little, seeing somebody in the audience, supporting her, and giving her strength. 'He really is awesome, I'm glad I have him in my life,' she thought.

She thought if she did not win this competition. She will just try harder next time.

Mr. Madison started looking at all the photos, and while he was standing in front of each photo he asked the contestants to explain a little bit about it.

Hearing this, Paige was a little bit shaken. She doesn't know how to explain anything the photo. But a few minutes later, she decided what was so hard about describing a photo anyway. It's just looking at it and describing it.

Mr. Madison came to Paige first. The photo was a five-year-old boy wearing a red jacket and playing with snow. The photo was simple, but it captured the true emotions of a young boy. It was priceless.

Paige saw the photo, and didn't really bother to expand on her explanation beyond what was already on the photo.

Mr. Madison wasn't showing any expression as he went about the photos, so it was hard to know what he was thinking.

When he came to Kelly he said, "You both have the same photo. Who took the original picture?" he asked.

"Me!" Both Kell and Paige replied at the same time.

Mr. Madison chuckled. He's encountered a lot of similar situations in his long career.

"Well Ms. Kelly, tell me something about your photograph," he said.

"This is a photo of a poor guy who was playing with smoke, thinking it was something magical. He found happiness in small things," Kelly said.

"This is completely different from what Paige said," He said sternly.

"How can you prove your point Ms. Kelly," Mr. Madison asked.

"Well, you can see the boys' clothes are torn here and here. The boy is a rat picker. You can see there are few empty bottles in a bag near him.

You see that tree behind him, this tree only grows in the desert. There is no chance of snowfall in the desert. What you see here is not snow, but smoke. This photo was taken from far away, and it makes the smoke look like snow," Kelly said. 

Paige was shocked. She never expected there would be so much depth in the pictures.

"Very good. That's why I talk with the contestants before judging their work. Minor details are very important for a photographer," he said.

Kelly visited this place last year. It was some backward place. She took this photo to show that people can find happiness even in small things.

Mr. Madison went through the other remaining photos. 

"I want to announce the winner of this competition, it's Kelly. I will eagerly wait to work with such a young talent," Mr. Madison said.

Kelly was emotional and happy. Jack was clapping from the audience.

"Thank you, Sir. It will be my privilege to work with you," Kelly said as she took the award.