Chapter 83 It said:

Elizabeth is a bitch.

My hands trembled slightly as I realized the sheet music had been swapped.

The familiar notes I had prepared were gone, replaced by something far more sinister.

I looked up at the staff member responsible for turning the pages, but he refused to meet my gaze, his eyes deliberately averted.

A cold wave of realization washed over me as I scanned the audience, searching for answers.

My eyes landed on Aria, who had just finished her performance.

e sat confidently in her seat, her lips curled into a smirk that radiated endless provocation.

Beside her, Sorcia was laughing, her face twisted into a mockery of what I imagined my own expression might have been.

The two of them had clearly orchestrated this, bribing the staff to sabotage me, and now they were sitting there, waiting for me to fail.

A murmur rippled through the audience as the delay in my performance became apparent.

The restless chatter grew louder, and I could feel the weight of hundreds of eyes on me.

Panic threatened to rise, but I caught sight of my father, Orlando, seated at the judges' table.

He was watching me closely, a slight frown creasing his brow, as though he could sense something was wrong.

But as a judge, he couldn't intervene.

I had signaled that I was ready, and now I had to prove it.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed aside the overwhelming urge to give in to the fear.

I sat down at the piano, letting the familiar feel of the keys ground me.

Without the sheet music to guide me, I had no choice but to rely entirely on my memory and the music ingrained in my heart.

The room fell into an uneasy silence as I pressed the first note.

sound echoed through the hall, and with it, the murmur of

00

Chapter 83

Chapter 83

shouldn't have said that, you're just you, my

buried his face in the crook of

you, thank you for making me realise

that moment, something shifted

shared, the one that had been arranged by

3

a connection that went beyond

was as though our souls had aligned, and I knew that

close, and I could sense

informing me that I needed to wait in the lounge area while they tallied the

Leo's embrace, but

we parted, a matter for him that only he

mine as he

many of whom came over to express their

the way Aria stood to the side, her

failed but had also left her isolated, the other competitors giving

slowly as I waited, the

that the results were in and the awards ceremony was about to

stood, the weight of

I walked toward the stage, the other competitors following

on the sense of

the outcome, I knew I had given it

all.

couldn't help but glance over at Leo, who had taken a seat in the audience... His

love and pride that made

moment, nothing else mattered. Not the competition, not the sabotage, not

the bond we shared and the knowledge that, no matter what happened, we

in the auditorium was

was on the verge of announcing the

special prizes in addition to the gold, silver, and

each prize was announced, I watched as fellow competitors, some with smiles of victory and others with bittersweet acceptance, ascended

medal remained, and it was down to just

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255