?<strong>Chapter 1408:</strong>


    Elyse met her gaze, unflinching and sharp as a de. “I hate to disappoint you, but I don’t n on stepping down anytime soon. Once I take the throne, I keep it. If you and your protégé Nick are scheming to drag me down, you’re in for a rude awakening.”


    Celeste’s lips curled in a sneer, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. “What did Cody fill your head with? You’re shameless! A blight on the music industry.”


    Elyse shrugged, her tone calm yet cutting. “You’re entitled to your opinion, but opinions aren’t facts. Call me what you like; it won’t change who I am.”


    She turned away, her voiceced with a subtle challenge. “By the way, let’s hope today’s scoring is fair—unlikest time when you conveniently chose not to cast your vote.”


    Celeste let out a derisiveugh, the sound echoing like nails on a chalkboard. “Fair? You think someone like you deserves fairness?”


    “Fairness isn’t about me,” Elyse countered smoothly. “It’s about you doing your job without bias. If you can’t manage that, it’s not me who’s the disgrace here.”


    For a moment, Celeste seemed at a loss, her scorn momentarily eclipsed by shock. But then sheughed again, this time with an edge of incredulity. “You’ve got your father’s gall, I’ll give you that. Infuriating runs in the family.”


    Elyse smirked. “Well, I didn’t get it from nowhere. Like father, like daughter, as they say.”


    Celeste’s sneer deepened. “Fine. Then I’ll make sure to highlight every single w in your performance.”


    “Feel free,” Elyse replied, her calm demeanor striking like a cold p.


    Celeste huffed and stalked off, her frustration palpable. Elyse watched her retreat, unshaken. Celeste’s animosity was as tant as a billboard, but Elyse refused to let it rattle her. No one would push her around.


    Half an hourter, the moment arrived. Elyse stepped onto the stage, her confidence radiating as she exchanged a charged nce with Nick.


    The host, ever dramatic, addressed the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife! This promises to be a showdown to remember. The rules remain the same as thest round. Who will press the button to select thepetition piece?”


    Elyse turned to Nick, her tone neutral but firm. “You go ahead.”


    Without hesitation, Nick approached the machine and hit the button. The screen spun like a roulette wheel before settling on the chosen piece.


    The host announced with gusto, “The selection is ‘The Second Waltz’! Get ready for an electrifying duel!”


    Elyse raised an eyebrow at Nick. “Do you want to go first, or shall I?”


    “Let’s settle it with rock-paper-scissors,” Nick proposed.


    A quick gameter, Elyse emerged the winner and stepped forward to perform first.


    To Elyse, the piece was no mere waltz; it was a masquerade of emotions, a raucous celebration teetering on the edge of chaos. Beneath its lively surfacey an undercurrent of mncholy, a forewarning of joy’s fleeting nature.


    This duality became the heartbeat of her interpretation.


    As she yed, the audience was swept away by the ebb and flow of her music, except for Celeste, whose hawk-like gaze scanned for ws. But try as she might, she found nothing to criticize.


    The piece Elyse was performing presented a variety of technical challenges that only a truly skilled musician could navigate effectively. When the final note faded, Celeste’s search proved fruitless. Elyse’s performance had been wless, leaving Celeste simmering with frustration.


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