?<strong>Chapter 849:</strong>


    “Great,” Kaelyn replied casually.


    She viewed Fiona as a cowardly, greedy, selfish, and useless individual. Yet, she mused, if Fiona hadn’t been so morally corrupt, how would she have ever connected with her?


    Kaelyn warned, “I expect you to keep our agreement. Otherwise, you’ll see the consequences.”


    Fiona missed the ominous tone in Kaelyn’s voice and said impatiently, “Don’t worry. I remember everything. I’m ending the call now.”


    Fiona hung up the phone, leaned back in her chair, and let out a sigh of relief. “Perfect. Elyse won’t be returning now.” She would still be the onepeting.


    After about thirty minutes, Fiona finally received confirmation that thepetition was set to begin. Due to the hour-long dy, the organizers had arranged a special performance to entertain the audience while they waited for thepetition tomence. Each contestant was to perform their signature piece, and Elyse had registered Paganini’s Caprice No. 24.


    When Fiona heard that Elyse had chosen this piece as her signature piece, she nearly passed out. Was Elyse out of her mind? How could she choose this piece as her performance piece?


    Darren, noticing that Fiona hadn’t departed yet, questioned, “Why are you still here? You’re not supposed to be backstage for thepetition, are you?”


    As he spoke, he looked at Fiona’s face with a puzzled expression. “And why have you applied makeup? What are you nning?”


    Fiona, aware that other contestants were observing her, disyed an embarrassed look and rified, “I just applied some makeup. Don’t read too much into it.”


    Darren continued, “By the way, where’s Elyse? It’s been quite a while. Where did she go?”


    Just as Fiona was about to respond, Edward chimed in, “She went to the restroom. I saw her.”


    Fiona rolled her eyes. Edward was obviously making it up. Elyse was definitely noting.


    Geraldine, who was close by, scowled at Fiona and dered, “Hey, you’ve been eliminated, so please leave quickly. Don’t disrupt ourpetition.”


    Her voice was notably stern, almost driving Fiona away. Reflecting on her potential victory, Fiona decided to withstand the hostility and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I didn’t intend to. I was just overly curious and wanted to stay to watch.”


    Geraldine copied Fiona’s earlier gesture and rolled her eyes as well. “Who would believe that? Have you forgotten how you advanced to the final?”


    Fiona feigned innocence, saying, “I was just fortunate enough to reach the final. It’s unfortunate for the contestant who had the car ident, but that’s beyond my control. Luck is a kind of strength, isn’t it?” She raised her chin slightly and strutted off.


    Geraldine, filled with anger, spat in the direction Fiona had gone before sharply turning away. Darren and Edward shared a look but said nothing.


    Once Fiona had departed, she kept her strategy in mind. In the lounge, she swiftly changed into a dress and approached a staff member, posing as Elyse.


    She inquired about the requirements for the performance. The staff member, deceived into thinking Fiona was the actual contestant, carefully outlined the critical aspects of the performance.


    With this knowledge, Fiona confidently headed to the backstage area.


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