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.

money and giving specific instructions to sabotage

The evidence was undeniable,

as she turned to look at the screen, her bravado crumbling in an instant. The room erupted 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

the opportunity to throw the score that had been replaced with the

I said, my voice

aware of what had transpired, erupted into applause, admiration

minutes without the score.

head judge, after reviewing the footage and questioning the bribed staff member, stood up and addressed the

that we must disqualify Aria from

the first time in the history of this competition that such a penalty has been necessary. We uphold the integrity

a mask of shock

capturing every moment

to cover her face, but there was no escaping the scandal that had now marred her

shook her head incredulously, "No, it wasn't me, I was

15:35

World, the

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Chapter #1

evidence,

back to me, the golden

anew, this time louder and more fervent than

A

took the trophy, its weight solid and reassuring in my hands,

cheers were deafening as I held the trophy aloft, the gold medal hanging from

eyes found Orlando in the crowd, who was

knowing that this moment, this victory, was

the Serevia International Piano