The audience was lost in thought, especially the contestants who had not qualified.


    Murmurs spread as doubt began to take hold.


    Perhaps the contest was not as fair as they thought.


    “Mny is right.


    Scarlet Snake came out of nowhere years ago, making waves in the perfume world.


    How could someone who has been absent for so long be just a young woman?” one person murmured.


    "After losing that year, I did everything I could to track down the finalists.


    I hired private investigators, spent a fortune, and still found nothing.


    "


    “Wasn’t the first contest supposed to be confidential? How could a judge recognize a contestant unless there was a breach of rules or, worse, intentional cheating?” another voice added.


    It was moments like this that revealed the darkest side of human nature.


    They found it easier to believe in conspiracies in a supposedly rigid and fairpetition than to admit their own ws.


    Mny knew exactly how to stoke those feelings, how to twist people''s insecurities.


    And now, Allison was caught in the middle, tainted by association, facing hostility no matter what she did.


    Especially since she had no hard evidence to clear her name.


    Reba, hearing these unfounded usations, threw her wine ss to the floor, breaking it into pieces.


    “Spreading lies without any proof? Let’s see how bold you are when you are pped in the face with awyer’s letter,” she shouted.


    How could Mny still have the nerve to argue after such impudence? Reba had seen a lot of nonsense in her life, but facing such audacity lit a fire in her chest.


    At her side, Mack, visibly bristling at Mny''s usations, clenched his fists, his face red with anger.


    “I am too old to protect someone who does not deserve it.


    If someone has talent, I myself would ept him as a direct apprentice.


    Does anyone dare to question my integrity?”


    It was rare to see Mack so irritated.


    “I met this girl by chance.


    After the contest, I gave her a lower score than the others.


    ording to the rules, judges are not supposed to know anything about the contestants.


    But she came up to me, eager to learn.


    ”


    Mack had noticed Scarlet Snake for her relentless curiosity and thirst for knowledge.


    She was one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime talents who only needed a little push to fully understand something.


    Such brilliance was hard to find, and when he saw Allison…


    This year''s game had been exciting, but who could have predicted that a minor incident would turn into such a mess? Mack''s words struck a chord with the crowd.


    Surely a man of his stature wouldn''t risk his reputation with a lie, especially when there were other, more honorable ways to guide a budding star.


    With both sides standing firm, the audience wavered, caught between the conflicting narratives.


    Allison gently calmed Reba’s anger before turning to Mack, offering him a slight bow.


    “I’m sorry, sir, that you were dragged into this because of me.


    ”


    Then he straightened up, his gaze locking on Mny with an intensity that sent a chill down everyone’s spine.


    “Whether or not I am Scarlet Snake doesn’t change the fact that your perfume isn’t a tribute, it’s a tant copy.


    And conveniently, I have proof.


    ”


    Mny scoffed, her voice stubborn.


    “That’s impossible…”


    However, Allison''s unwavering gaze made her instinctively recoil.


    It may have been her imagination, but for the first time, Mny saw Allison in a different light.


    No longer a simple housewife, Allison seemed like someone far more dangerous, someone who had faced life-or-death situations.


    That gaze, sharp as a dagger, seemed ready to cut her into pieces.


    Ken’s voice cut through the tension, cold andmanding.


    “using the Lloyd family of lying and deceit? Who do you think you are?” His dark eyes glittered with cold fury, and his presence was suffocating.


    “Mny, you have a lot of nerve, dragging my family name through the mud.


    Did you really think the Lloyds wouldn’t defend their honor?”


    The coldness of his voice,bined with Allison''s piercing gaze, left Mny trembling.


    That look… they both had it.


    In that moment, Ken and Allison looked incredibly alike.


    Their cold, predatory eyes made it impossible for Mny to look at them.