?<strong>Chapter 436:</strong>


    Elyse, concerned for Fiona, turned to Darren and said, “I’m going to check on her.”


    “Go ahead,” Darren replied, exhaling heavily but making no move to stop her.


    Quickly, Elyse followed Fiona, who was just ahead, disappearing into a dimly lit corridor. The sparse light cast a ghostly glow on Fiona’s pale face. Approaching cautiously, Elyse tried to offerfort. “Fiona, please, don’t be upset.”


    “Get lost! Just stop bothering me!” Fiona snapped back, her hands covering her face as she doubled over in pain. Her voice, sharp and cutting, reverberated through the empty corridor.


    Elyse, rooted to the spot, struggled to find the right words. After a pause, she ventured, “Try not to look on the dark side. Perhaps you’ll move on to the next round.”


    “Get the hell out of my face! I don’t want to see you. You’re just making it worse!” Fiona’s voice was thick with irritation, her agitation growing at the mere sight of Elyse.


    Fiona pointed toward the corridor’s exit door and shouted, “Just go! I can’t stand to look at you.”


    Elyse quietly exited the corridor, realizing Fiona’s distress was deeper than she’d anticipated. She sighed and turned to head back, but as she passed the restroom, someone emerged and collided with her.


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    Elyse nearly lost her bnce but caught herself in time. “Sorry, I was lost in thought and didn’t see you.” Noticing a piece of paper on the floor, Elyse picked it up and handed it back to the man.


    He smiled in gratitude. “Thanks.”


    Elyse shrugged off the incident and continued backstage to find Darren already there, seated and rxed. He casually inquired about Fiona’s condition, though he didn’t delve too deep. After all, they werepetitors, and his concern didn’t run as deep as Elyse’s.


    They exchanged a few words, and as thepetition drew to a close, they both waited anxiously for the results. Suddenly, a scandal erupted. A contestant was used of conspiring with a judge to obtain their predetermined music piece ahead of time.


    The rumor quickly spread among the contestants, sparking curiosity and whispers about who could be involved in such deceit.


    From the crowd, Mariana’s voice rose sharply. “Who else could it be but Rebekah Bentley? She was in my group during the first round. She messed up twice in one piece yet still scored higher than me. Who else but she could have cheated?”


    Rebekah clenched her jaw and fired back, “Don’t throw usations without proof. I can sue you for defamation!”


    Mariana just smirked, undeterred. “Then exin how else you could have done better than me?”


    Caught in the middle, Rebekah shot a nce at Elyse, who stood bewildered by the exchange.


    Elyse was baffled, catching Rebekah’s stare. Was she being used of cheating? Had Rebekah gone insane?


    Backstage was bustling, yet the judges seemed unaffected as they continued scoring. Eventually, the results were in. The host summoned ten contestants to the stage for the final round, vying for thest eight spots for an internationalpetition.


    From below the stage, Elyse watched as Vicky, Darren, and Rebekah, along with Fiona, who had slipped up earlier, were called. Her name, however, was conspicuously absent. She stood, dumbfounded.


    Onstage, Darren noticed Elyse was missing and saw Rebekah smirking. He was well aware of Rebekah’s usual performance level. Rebekah had never even passed the internalpetition at the Celestial Sounds Symphony, so how could she have outperformed Elyse?


    Puzzled, Darren stepped forward and challenged, “Is this ranking truly reflective of our skills?”


    Vicky rolled her eyes. “What else would it be based on?”


    Darren, undeterred, gestured toward Rebekah and pressed, “If skill is the criterion, does Rebekah Bentley’s presence here seem justified to you?”


    Vicky nced at Rebekah. Though she found it odd, it didn’t personally affect her standings.


    Rebekah defensively retorted, “What are you implying? That I don’t deserve to be here? My performance was wless!”


    Darren scowled. “But there were rumors of a contestant bribing judges to obtain the piece name early. Knowing your usual level, it’s usible you’re involved.”


    Rebekah, indignant, countered, “That’s absurd! I earned my ce here honestly.”


    Darren shot back, “Then how did you manage to outdo Elyse? You’re the least skilled among us in our orchestral group.”


    The argument escted until a judge finally mmed his hand down on the table, demanding, “Silence!”


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