Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Chapter 14 She Has the Upper Hand “Are you among the judges later?” Melanie asked.

Stephen grinned mischievously. “Although I won’t be there, my uncle is here today. He’ll be handing you your pass. Does that make it more prestigious?”

Melanie took a step back, not appreciating Stephen’s tone.

Stephen did not linger further. He said, “I should get going!”

Stephen was the second young master of the Morgan Group, and his words must carry some weight when it came to selecting the contestants. Melanie’s open interaction with him made others envious.

As Stephen left, mocking voices began to fill the air.

“A cripple aiming for the socialite gathering? She must be deeply affected by her fiancé’s affair. It’s that or she’s lost her mind!”

“I heard that Melanie used her charms to promote Lena in the past. Now, she’s gone all out for her own sake. Maybe there’s something between her and Stephen...”

“Come on! Stephen wouldn’t even glance at her!”

Melanie could not stand the ridicule any longer. She turned around and spilled her coffee all over that person.

“Argh! What are you doing? I’m performing on stage later!”

As the person was about to retaliate, Lena pretended to support Melanie and said, “It’s all because you started with the rude comments!”

Lena turned to Melanie and said sweetly, “Mel, if you wanted to participate in the selection, you should have told me in advance.

Why hide it from me? We’re as close as sisters. I would never snatch something you like. How about I withdraw from this competition?“

The fakeness of Lena’s act filled the air.

“Is this worth it, Miss Lena?” said Lena’s assistant in a regretful tone, cleverly following her lead.

“Our relationship has always been good. I wouldn’t want to ruin it over a mere contest. Besides, Mel is beautiful and wealthy.

She’s a much more suitable candidate than me.”

Lena skillfully played the role of boosting Melanie’s confidence while subtly emphasizing her beauty and wealth. That further fanned the flames of jealousy among the crowd.

Melanie grew impatient. She frowned and said, “Great! You’d better do what you said!”

Lena was at a loss for words, realizing that Melanie still doubted her.

As the people around them observed Melanie’s straightforward demeanor and Lena’s evasive attitude, they could not help but feel that Lena’s words were insincere.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Lena knew better than to push things further, so she found a quiet spot and sat down. She glanced at the number on Melanie’s card. It seemed like there were quite a few digits on it. Lena could not help but smirk in secret.

Even if Melanie knew Stephen, what did it matter? Stephen’s favor was based on the relationship with Bryan’s company. Melanie was likely just a token gesture, and she would be placed at the end of the list.

Just then, Lena’s assistant emerged from the venue, handing her the contestant number. As the onlookers glanced over, it was evident that Lena was indeed a hot favorite for today. Others had waited for two hours and were handed contestant numbers toward the back of the line. However, as soon as Lena arrived, she was placed as contestant number two.

However, Lena was not satisfied. She frowned and said, “Why am I not the first contestant?”

Bryan had made all the necessary arrangements for her over the past few days. She was practically guaranteed a spot as long as there were no objections from the Morgan Group.

+15 BONUS Her assistant snook ner nead, equally confused by the situation.

At that moment, the doors to the exhibition hall swung open. The organizer’s voice echoed through the room, announcing, “Contestant number one, please enter!”

That caused a commotion among the celebrities and socialites seated in rows. They looked around, wondering why they had not heard anything about who was assigned to be contestant number one. Even Lena, who was the center of attention a moment ago, only held contestant number two.

Amid the sea of doubt and whispers, Melanie gracefully rose from her seat with her cane and confidently walked toward the stage. Her entry was met with visible surprise on everyone’s faces, especially Lena’s.

“M–Melanie... She’s contestant number one?!”

Melanie paid no attention to the chatter outside and calmly walked into the exhibition hall. She took the stage and greeted the judges.

The reaction from the judges was far from welcoming.

“Who is this? A lame person participating in a talent show? Are they mocking our organizing committee?”

Several judges in the audience were clearly unhappy, their sarcastic remarks audible even on stage.

“Thank goodness Mr. Moore isn’t here,” one judge remarked, casting a worried glance at the empty seat at the center. “If Mr.

Morgan’s assistant had been present, they would think we’re not taking this seriously for allowing a cripple to participate!”