If you plagiarize, I refund the network - Chapter 2

Even Olivia’s management team and her agency released statements denying any plagiarism, claiming the entire project was their original creation. I was just a small–time influencer, working alone, with no one to corroborate my story.

Then my boyfriend, Ethan, publicly dumped me, claiming I’d stolen content from other creators before, that I was a serial plagiarist. That was the final nail in the coffin.

The hate comments intensified, the DMs became unbearable. My creativity dried up, brands dropped me, and I was broke. I started self–harming. The diagnosis came quickly: severe depression. One sunny afternoon, I ended it all in my tiny apartment.

Now, I was back. It hadn’t happened yet. I had to figure out how to stop it. Clutching at straws, I checked Olivia’s other social media accounts, hoping to find something, anything. No luck. She wasn’t one for sharing her creative process.

Then, buried deep in a photo dump, I saw it. A familiar flash of metal. I zoomed in. On her left hand, a distinctive ring. Ethan’s ring. The custom–designed ring I had given him for our anniversary. There wasn’t another one like it.

So, Ethan and Olivia were together. That explained his swift betrayal. Forget heartbreak. This was about survival. I often vented to Ethan about work, sharing my ideas, my struggles. Had he been feeding Olivia my concepts?

It was possible. He’d been “out of town on business” for weeks. And he’d never let me near his phone. I had no concrete proof. But this was a start. I sent Ethan the picture, told him we were over, and blocked him. I changed my locks, just in case.

Then, I sat down to brainstorm a new video idea. This time, I’d be more careful. To be safe, I went in a completely different direction. The “dark fantasy queen” look had been a departure from my usual soft, girly aesthetic. If that resonated, maybe something bolder would work even better.

Hours later, I had a script. Something truly unique. This couldn’t be copied. Just to be extra cautious, I filmed and edited the entire thing at home, telling no one. The finished product was amazing. I was a genius!

Before posting, I commented on Olivia’s viral video from a burner account: “Can’t wait for your next video! Need more of this!”

Olivia replied quickly: “That video took a lot out of me, so it might be a while before my next one!”

I replied with a crying cat emoji and breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t planning anything new. Clearly, she’d gotten the idea from Ethan and rushed to produce it. Two minds couldn’t possibly come up with the same intricate concept independently. Right?

I uploaded the video, wrote the caption, and was about to hit “Share.” Then, a notification popped up on my burner account. My blood ran cold.

Olivia had posted. She retweeted my comment, adding: “I was going to surprise you guys, but I heard someone might be copying this look, so I wanted to get it out there to protect myself. Wouldn’t want anyone stealing my ideas.”

I clicked on the video. And there it was. Identical to mine. Down to the second. How? How was this possible?! I clutched my head. Even after being reborn, was I doomed to relive this nightmare? Was I going to be harassed and bullied into oblivion again?

Predictably, Olivia’s video blew up. Hitting the Explore page, trending on Twitter. Her follower count skyrocketed, almost hitting a million.

And thanks to her preemptive “victim” narrative, the comments were filled with both praise and suspicion.