?<strong>Chapter 809:</strong>


    Geraldine took Elyse’s spot beside Fiona, casting a cold nce in Fiona’s direction.


    Feeling Geraldine’s intimidating presence, Fiona immediately mmed up, too scared to throw any more insults.


    Noticing Fiona’s sudden silence, Geraldine crossed her arms, leaned close to Elyse, and whispered, “Fiona only has the guts to pick on you because you’re an easy target. Around me, she wouldn’t dare make a sound.”


    Elyse gave Fiona a nce and whispered back, “She can’t push me around anyway.”


    Geraldine rolled her eyes silently. She thought Elyse must have a very loose definition of what counts as “pushing around.”


    The host continued with the announcements. “Fourth ce, Geraldine Lawson. Third ce, Edward McCoy. Second ce, Elyse Lloyd. And in first ce, Darren Reynolds.”


    Elyse was taken aback when she heard the rankings. She quickly leaned forward to catch a glimpse of Darren.


    Darren, meanwhile, was utterly stunned, his mouth slightly open, and his eyes wide with disbelief.


    Standing beside Darren, Vicky noticed his dazed expression. Unable to resist, she nudged him and whispered, “Hey, stop standing there like a statue. Go forward and take your bow.”


    Darren snapped back to reality, stumbled forward, bowed awkwardly, and returned with a dazed look on his face.


    Elyse, seeing Darren’s state of shock, knew he was utterly floored by the oue.


    But at that moment, the person Elyse was most eager to confront was Edward.


    She gave Edward a yful smirk and said, “So, how did the top dog slip to third ce? Is it because the first ce isn’t your thing anymore?”


    Edward rubbed his nose and stubbornly replied, “I can exin, but I’m not spilling the details.”


    Elyse chuckled. “No need for excuses. I get it. A little too much swagger, and this is what you get. But I have to remind you, the nextpetition is thest round. No more slip-ups.”


    Edward nced at Elyse’s teasing grin and raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, I hear you. You’re always right, after all.”


    After thepetition ended, emotions ran high among the eliminated contestants. Some were in tears, others couldn’t ept the oue, but Vicky remained unfazed. Losing didn’t seem as dreadful to her as it did to the others.


    Elyse approached her, concern etched on her face. “You came in sixth, just 0.1 points shy of fifth ce. Such a close call.”


    Vicky nodded. “Yeah, if it weren’t for that tiny 0.1-point difference, I might’ve tied for fifth and made it to thest round. Or maybe I would’ve faced Darren head-to-head for the win.”


    She paused, reflecting. “It’s a pity, just 0.1 points.”


    Noticing the flicker of disappointment in Vicky’s eyes, Elyse struggled to find the right words, unsure of how to console her.


    But Vicky, seeing Elyse’s concern, gave a light shrug. “Hey, don’t worry about me. I knew thepetition would be cutthroat, so I was ready for whatever happened, even losing.”


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