Chapter 555
The final results appeared on the screen.
Elodie’s name stood out, her detailed scores displayed for all to see.
Sylvie’s face instantly drained of color.
She stared at the numbers in disbelief.
Elodie was the top scorer…?
That outcome was completely unexpected. A chill of sweat prickled along Sylvie’s spine.
She couldn’t fathom how Elodie had managed to outperform everyone, but the data was right there-almost flawless.
Even most of the other contestants were stunned.
All eyes began searching the crowd for the girl herself.
“What level is this supposed to be?” Maurice muttered, unable to make sense of the specific figures, but it was clear-Elodie was ranked first, with Watts just
behind her. The gap between them was almost negligible.
Jarrod glanced at the two names, stacked at the top of the list.
“There’s a huge drop-off after them,” he observed calmly.
Maurice felt a rush of shock.
Was this really the Elodie he thought he knew?
This competition had brought together the brightest young talents from across the country-every contestant under thirty, every one of them a specialist in their field. And Elodie had left them all in the dust?
Even Grady Mercer, standing nearby, was speechless for a long moment before blurting out, “No way. How could she have a higher overall score than Sylvie? I saw her go talk to the judges before it started-there’s got to be something going on behind the scenes.”
He simply couldn’t see any other explanation.
Jarrod shot him a cool glance but didn’t bother to reply.
On the other side of the room, Esmeralda, caught up in the celebration, overheard everything.
She shot Grady a scathing look. “Idiot. Now you’re accusing the judges, too? Can’t admit it was just a better performance?”
Grady’s expression darkened. “Esmeralda, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Stay out of it.”
Esmeralda crossed her arms and gave a cold laugh. “I may not know the technical side, but I sure know a sycophant when I see one.”
“Esmeralda!” Grady snapped, his face flushed with anger.
She ignored him, turning on her heel and walking away.
Maurice, watching the exchange, instinctively glanced at Jarrod. But Jarrod seemed unmoved by Esmeralda’s jab at Grady, Grady’s motives didn’t matter to himan the slightest.
Just then, Sylvie walked offstage toward them.
Her complexion was even paler than before, and she struggled to mask her distress.
Even she felt how absurd and unacceptable this was. Yesterday, maybe she could blame it on being carried by her team, but today…
Sylvie’s limbs began to tingle, her footing felt uncertain, as if she might suddenly step into a void and plummet into an endless abyss.
“Are you alright?” Grady approached, concern etched on his face. He lifted a
hand, almost instinctively, as if to comfort her.
Sylvie noticed and, with a slight frown, deftly sidestepped his gesture.
Grady’s hand froze midair.
She didn’t respond to his question, her forehead glistening with cold sweat.
Because suddenly, Sylvie realized something.
Elodie… was nothing like she had imagined.
“Go get some rest,” Jarrod said, rising to his feet. His gaze was cool, devoid of
sympathy, and it left Sylvie feeling strangely hollow inside.
At the mention of tomorrow, a chill shot down Sylvie’s spine.
Suddenly, she couldn’t be sure of anything.
What if something went wrong tomorrow? If she slipped up, she’d be out of the running-she’d lose her
shot at the sixth-generation tgtt
machine, her one chance to turn
things around… all of it could vanish.
Besides Elodie, there were other strong contenders-Watts, Lily. The others didn’t
matter.
But Elodie…
Sylvie couldn’t accept it. She wouldn’t.
Drawing a shaky breath, she forced
her chaotic thoughts aside. “…] know. Don’t worry. Tomorrow’s what really matters-nothing’s decided yet. Today’s results aren’t worth my attention.”