After I Amazed the World the Cold Alpha Regretted

Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Aria's voice rang out, sharp and clear, cutting through the celebratory atmosphere like a knife.

The room fell into a stunned silence as all eyes turned to her.

"This competition was rigged!" she declared, her tone accusatory.

"Orlando Martin, one of the judges and Elizabeth's father, couldn't possibly be unbiased. She only won because of her connections! This entire competition is a sham!"

Murmurs rippled through the audience, disbelief and shock on every face.

The judges exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to proceed.

The atmosphere that had been jubilant just moments before was now thick with tension.

But at this point I was the only one standing very calmly on the stage, as if I had known this was going to happen.

Before anyone could respond, a member of the competition's staff stepped forward, microphone in hand.

"In this connection, please allow me to introduce the rules of the competition," he began calmly, "in cases where a participant has a close relationship with a judge, that judge is required to abstain from scoring that participant. In this instance, Mr. Orlando Martin did not participate in the scoring of Miss Elizabeth Martin's performance. He recused himself to maintain fairness and transparency."

The staff member's explanation seemed to quell some of the murmurs, but Aria wasn't done.

She opened her mouth to argue further when suddenly, the large screen behind the stage flickered to life.

The audience gasped as security footage began to play.

There, on the screen, was Aria, instructing a staff member to swap out my sheet music.

images were damning, showing her handing over money and giving

The evidence was undeniable,

into chaos, with gasps and whispers filling the space as the truth came to light. The judges were quick to react, calling for an immediate review

score that had been replaced with the

to play from," I said, my voice steady despite the

had transpired, erupted into applause, admiration for my ability to play flawlessly from memory for

minutes without the score.

footage and questioning the

with deep regret that we must disqualify Aria from the competition," he

in the history of this competition that such a penalty has been necessary. We uphold the integrity of our event and cannot allow such conduct to

uproar as Aria, her face a mask of

relentlessly, capturing every moment of

there was no escaping the scandal that had now marred

incredulously, "No, it wasn't me, I was

15:35

I Amazed the World, the

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Chapter #1

face of evidence, no

the host turned back to me,

anew, this time

A

solid and reassuring in my

trophy aloft, the gold medal hanging from

found Orlando in the crowd, who was leading the applause with a proud, almost tearful

this moment, this victory, was mine and

Piano Competition was one I would never