Leonel didn’t bat an eye. “You must’ve forgotten, I broke all ties with your family ten days ago. I’m no longer your son, and I have no obligation to do your bidding.”

Gia was left trembling with fury. She had always relied on Leonel’s loyalty to get her way, but now that he’d walked away, she was powerless.

Without sparing Gia another glance, Adah fixed her cold eyes on Rowena. “Let’s see who’s left laughing after the competition. I’ll see you on stage.”

Finishing her words, Adah spun around and made her way toward the opera house, with Leonel and Melanie falling in step right behind her, completely ignoring Rowena and her entourage.

Rowena watched Adah leave with a forced sneer, her jealousy barely hidden beneath the surface. “Look at her, acting all high and mighty. That bumpkin actually thinks she has a shot? I can’t wait to see what kind of disaster her score will be.”

Kimberly rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with scorn. “Please. She grew up in the sticks with no formal training, and now she’s performing on a stage this big? She’s going to embarrass herself in front of the entire internet. The livestream will make sure everyone sees her fall apart, and we won’t even have to say a word.”

“Right,” Westley agreed. “Adah’s completely out of her league here. The only reason she made it in is that Elliana pulled a few strings. As soon as she flops, people online will rip her to shreds for sneaking in through her connections.”

Gia let out a cold laugh. “Rowena, just outperform her on stage. Once the public starts piling on, we’ll add fuel to the fire. When her reputation crashes, Allan will drop her like she’s nothing. That’ll clear your way to the Shaw family, just like we planned.”

Rowena nodded with confidence. “Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ve got this.”

Because there were so many contestants, the backstage area was packed. To keep things moving, the organizers seated those performing last in the front row of the audience.

Since Adah was scheduled as the final act, she checked in and then quietly found her seat in the audience with Leonel and Melanie on either side.

Coincidentally, Rowena was second to last. After checking in, she spotted Adah sitting in the front and made her way over, a wicked grin tugging at her lips as she dropped into the seat beside Adah.

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“I checked the lineup, Adah. You’re the last one on stage?” Rowena’s words oozed sarcasm. “Figures. The organizers must have thought it’d be entertaining to save the biggest flop for last.”

Adah met her with a cold stare. “We’ll find out soon enough who the real punchline is. Maybe you should worry about your own messes. You’ve done a lot of underhanded things, Rowena. If the truth comes out, you’ll be the one finished.”

A shiver of panic darted through Rowena. Did Adah know about the bribes? She glanced at Adah, searching for any hint that she’d been exposed.

But Rowena quickly forced herself to relax. She was sure she’d covered every track. There was no way Adah had proof. Adah must be trying to intimidate her.

Recovering her smug composure, Rowena shot back, “Nice try, Adah. I’m looking forward to watching you fall apart.”

Adah coolly grabbed a stack of tissues from the table and pressed them into Rowena’s hand. “You’ll need these when the tears start.” Then she turned her attention to the stage, shutting Rowena out completely.

Scowling, Rowena threw the tissues onto the table and glared daggers at Adah.

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