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.

handing over money and giving specific instructions

The evidence was undeniable,

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 of the

score that had been

from," I said, my voice steady despite the emotions

fully aware of what had transpired, erupted into applause,

minutes without the score.

questioning the bribed staff member,

regret that we must disqualify Aria from

that such a penalty has been necessary. We uphold the integrity of our event and cannot allow such conduct

as Aria, her face a mask

capturing every

was no escaping the scandal

shook her head incredulously, "No, it

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the World,

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Chapter #1

evidence, no one

the stage, the host turned back to me, the golden trophy

applause began anew, this time louder and more fervent than

A

and reassuring

as I held the trophy aloft, the gold medal hanging

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

knowing that this moment, this victory, was mine

of the Serevia International Piano Competition was one I would