The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Mr. Walden said, "Competitions are ruthless. No matter what happens, it should never sway the judges' scoring. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to the other contestants."

He'd served on the panel of many major events and had witnessed more than his share of unexpected accidents. Even if a performer collapsed halfway through and had to be rushed to the hospital, the rules were clear-there would be no second chance. If everyone fainted during their turn and demanded a do-over, the entire competition would descend into chaos.

Rena chimed in, "If someone's truly talented, that brilliance will always shine through. Our youngest contestant is more than capable; missing one round isn't the end of the world. I checked the schedule-she's up last in the second round of the tournament. She'll still have the chance to face Stella and could even take the championship."

Learning that Rachel hadn't shown her full potential, everyone in the room seemed to breathe easier.

Meanwhile, online viewers, many of whom had been ready to click away, found themselves glued to the broadcast as the drama unfolded.

"My god, Rachel's not only sick, but her hand is injured too. If she were at her best, I can't even imagine how incredible she'd be," someone commented.

"She's dealing with all these setbacks and still faces it all with a smile-not a single tear. That's real strength!"

the victim. We watch these shows to relax, not to get dragged

inspiring! I'm voting

lucky, walking away with

fair and square-it wasn't just luck! What, you think if Rachel was at her best, she'd automatically beat

game. And if Rachel is as tough as everyone says, she wouldn't have brought up her illness at all.

The comments section exploded

Before long, people were digging up dirt and airing each other's dirty laundry. The whole place was in an

sharp breath. "Director Shaw, we've got a massive

the stats. In just a few minutes, the livestream had shot up to 1.5 million viewers.

team. “Lacy, didn't I tell you to make sure the server was stable?

looked utterly baffled. "The system's designed to handle millions of viewers at once. We're only at

join all at once, it can cause bottlenecks. But Lacy and already