Chapter 722:

Elyse noticed Fiona’s dilemma but remained silent. She wasn’t going to help; Fiona owed her an apology first. Fiona’s eyes met Elyse’s several times, her lips trembling, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Suddenly, a tall male contestant approached Elyse, asking to borrow her violin. Fiona’s heart pounded as she listened, desperately hoping Elyse would refuse. But Fiona couldn’t voice her hopes.

Elyse, unaware of Fiona’s turmoil, couldn’t refuse help. Helping others was simply her nature. Fiona’s body tensed as she watched Elyse hand over her violin. Unable to hide her bitterness, she spat, “How typical, sucking up to any man. How many men have you flirted with behind your husband’s back?”

Elyse’s face turned cold. Locking eyes with Fiona, she said, “Your mind is so corrupt, seeing dirt everywhere. If you have time to insult me, why not focus on finding a violin to borrow? Or do you plan to forfeit again?” Her voice dripped with contempt.

Fiona’s hands balled into fists, her jaw clenched in barely restrained fury.

Elyse ignored Fiona and headed backstage. Seeing Elyse’s refusal to help, Fiona vowed revenge and set off to find another violin.

As the round ended, the judges surprised the audience. Instead of a random extra performance, they revealed the rankings. Elyse made the top five, as did Edward, who ranked higher. As the results were announced, Elyse smirked at Edward. “Well, well, Edward, showing off has its perks. Look how high you are.”

Edward winked playfully. “I’ll keep my ranking, but yours isn’t set in stone.”

Elyse scoffed. “I don’t need any guarantees from you. I can hold my own.” She turned back to the judges.

As the announcements neared the end, Elyse heard Fiona’s name. Her eyes widened in shock at Fiona’s low rank. Subconsciously, Elyse looked for Fiona.

Fiona sensed Elyse’s gaze and met it boldly. She found Elyse’s stare annoying. She had played an unfamiliar violin, leading to a mistake. She believed her skills were perfect, attributing any errors solely to the violin.

Unaware of Fiona’s thoughts, Elyse checked if Fiona was upset. Seeing she wasn’t, and since Fiona was no longer her practice partner, Elyse looked away. Her priority was securing her ranking; the top ten scores were tightly packed.

Elyse shifted her focus. Sitting at the top of the leaderboard, she felt the quiet pressure of the competition energize her.

Afterward, Elyse bid Edward farewell and climbed into Gavin’s vehicle. She recounted the day’s events to Gavin in the lounge. Gavin then went to the auditorium. Absorbing Elyse’s story, he furrowed his brow. “Did you find out who was responsible?”

Elyse shook her head. “I’m not sure. There are no cameras in the lounge corridor. Also, the contestants affected by the violin sabotage are all lower-ranked. The staff is still looking into it.”

Gavin said, “Don’t let this bother you. Keep performing as you do, and you’ll surely secure a spot in the top three.”