The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Chapter 688

The crowd buzzed with speculation, everyone whispering their own theories and opinions.

The hotter Stella's fame burned, the more controversy swirled around her.

Not that any of it touched her. Stella remained unbothered.

Soon, the day of the finals arrived.

To prevent the strongest competitors from knocking each other out early-letting a lucky underdog slip through to second or third place the competition wasn't set up as a simple elimination. Instead, they used a points system.

The ten finalists would each face a gauntlet: solo performances, ensemble work, and a round-robin of head-to-head duels. Every match and performance earned points, and in the end, the three highest scorers would be crowned champion, runner-up, and third place.

This format demanded not only skill, but also stamina and steady nerves. For every contestant, it was a true test of endurance and mentality.

Stella had made it to the finals. Abby, Candida Fletcher, Antoney, Neville, and Marvin Connolly all showed up to support her.

was packed-every seat taken. Scanning the crowd, Stella even spotted quite a

been

encouragement. Up on stage, most of the contestants-everyone except Stella and Rachel-looked visibly moved,

idolized Mr. Walden. These days, the pedestal she'd placed him on had long

protégé is competing today, and she's the odds-on favorite to

legendary. He responded with a few

openly before the competition even starts is bound to

in this world actually fair? The fact that Mr. Walden was invited to give

the industry- three

the organizers were inviting special guests, they'd want big names. And among those qualified to judge or mentor, at least half were linked to Mr. Walden. Of not his direct students, then they'd been mentored by him, or

students of his students.

Mr. Walden's influence in the field was

to trip Stella up? Or maybe

his head. "With so many eyes on them, I doubt they'd be that blatant. But... whether they'll make things difficult for Stella, that's another