The moment Kieran’s statement dropped, every negative comment about Roschelle vanished online. Public discourse drowned in discussions about Kieran and Roschelle.

Netizens quickly dug up Kieran’s appearance. After seeing his looks, more fell head over heels, hailing him as the nation’s heartthrob.

Then they uncovered high school photos of Kieran and Roschelle. Their youthful faces still held traces of immaturity, yet radiated breathtaking future promise. Both wore the standard blue-and-white school uniform nationwide. The notoriously ill-fitting outfit looked tailor-made on them—fresh, crisp, so stunning it seemed like theirs wasn’t the same uniform others wore.

They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, the boy holding the girl’s pale-yellow backpack. Their proper posture couldn’t hide their intimacy. Smiling at the camera, they looked picture-perfect, straight out of a Youth Romance Drama.

“Finally! Someone’s standing up for Rose! Kieran, look—our Rose has endured so much. Remember to comfort her properly, take good care of her. Don’t let her stay heartbroken. You’re the only one who can be with Rose now.”

“Damn, this world’s literally a romance novel! I’m that chaotic netizen character! Someone tell me why Kieran and Roschelle look this gorgeous—like actual novel leads… Nuwa, come out! We need to talk…”

“What even is this? Some domineering CEO and his delicate wife trope?”

“He rushed to defend her the second she got hurt. Low-key kinda adorable.”

“Upstairs, she’s no delicate wife! Media calls Roschelle a genius pianist—she’s legit talented! Graduated from Siana Conservatory, the world’s top music school. Her credentials match Kieran’s perfectly.”

“Fainting. Why’d I have to see them? Do I exist just to highlight how perfect they are?”

“Male lead: chairman of a listed company. Female lead: genius pianist. Both twenty-six. Could any couple be more perfectly matched?”

“Rose’s boyfriend is so loyal. I fully support Kieran Argent as Rose’s husband. I’m calling him brother-in-law now.”

“Has everyone forgotten the other girl who likes Kieran Argent? Am I the only one remembering how she tried to break up Kieran and Roschelle Whitaker, only to get slapped hard?”

“Upstairs, we all remember. I was genuinely worried our brother-in-law might cross the line and hurt Rose. Turns out he’s devoted to her. That clown must have gotten her face thoroughly slapped.”

“Stop saying ‘someone.’ We all know who it is. Alarieka Huston, come out if you’re not sick. First you tried stealing her boyfriend, now you stole her trophy. Are you the only person on your family tree?”

After Kieran Argent’s statement went viral, the controversy exploded beyond imagination. Countless netizens flooded the hashtag with heated discussions, generating more buzz than any celebrity scandal.

Within thirty minutes, the Mcintosh Piano Competition’s page got flooded with hate comments from random users, drowning out even Roschelle Whitaker’s supporters’ voices.

For the first time, the Mcintosh Piano Competition faced massive backlash. Its authority and fairness were teetering.

Alarieka Huston finally felt guilty. Throughout this mess, the competition hadn’t wronged her or Roschelle Whitaker in any way, yet it bore undeserved malice and abuse.

Online vitriol might slightly affect Alarieka’s mood, but not much. What she couldn’t bear was seeing the Mcintosh Piano Competition besieged by cyberbullying.

This whole disaster started because of her. The competition was taking the heat meant for her. Paloma Wyatt and other judges never blamed her. Paloma even told her to stay offline, assuring her the competition would handle everything.

As head judge, Paloma Wyatt would inevitably face consequences from higher-ups for the competition’s damaged reputation. Given the scandal’s scale, the punishment would be severe.

Kind people shielding her from deserved hatred? Alarieka couldn’t accept that.

She texted Paloma: “Ms. Wyatt, are you okay?”

Nearly an hour passed with no reply or returned call.