Chapter 196 Offering More Than Just Her Body
And then there were all the things she had already done to the Jensons. If Alfie knew about those, even he would have been floored and blurted out, "Damn!" At this point, she was really no different from Jude: living like she did not care about life or death, never backing down from a fight, and on top of that, she had the strength to knock every enemy flat.
"I don’t know if you’ve planned things out already,” Alfie said, “but I talked with some of the people under me. At least half of them won’t bow to power—they’ll actually vote for whichever painting they think deserves it. The only thing is, there is also an online voting round. I didn’t make any moves there, so you’ll have to handle that yourself.”
It was, after all, a good chance to see how capable Tilda really was, so Alfie did not interfere too much.
"No need,” Tilda replied calmly.
“You sure? Preston’s definitely here to target you. His best shot at rigging things is through online voting. This was a national-level competition. The judges on site were not just from the Bells and Woodwards, the big-name sponsors, they were also some of the most famous old painters in the country. Guys like that had pride and backbone. Even if Preston tried to win them over, it would not come cheaply. The easiest way to cheat was through the newly added online voting. Even if those votes did not count as much, numbers had power, and they would add up. With the Bells and Woodwards sponsoring, this competition’s publicity had blown up more than ever before. Tons of people were already waiting by their computers, ready to watch the livestream.
“As long as the audience isn’t blind, they won’t make the wrong choice,” Tilda said. “Fake votes? So what. Real strength can’t be hidden by fake numbers.”
Her lips curved into a confident smile. If anyone said talent could not beat money, it only meant their talent was not dazzling enough—not that money was too strong.
Seeing that calm certainty in her, Alfie’s eyes lit up with interest. “Then I’ll wait and see, Tilda. Let’s find out where your confidence comes from."
The judging began.
The five paintings that had made it through all the rounds from across the country were displayed on stage, each tagged with a number–1, 2, 3, 4, and 5–for voting. Tilda’s painting was number 5.
“It’s starting, it’s starting!” Simon said excitedly, eager to see the moment Tilda was crowned champion and announced as the one qualified to enter the world-class competition. He had already studied the other four paintings. They were solid works, the best of ordinary students, and deserved to be here. Yet, compared to a true genius, compared to Tilda, the gap was so obvious it was almost cruel.
Sure enough, when the judges turned their eyes to Tilda’s painting, they froze. For a long while, nobody said a word. The guests in the audience, and even the online viewers watching the stream, all fell silent the moment they saw it.
Up in the second-floor VIP box, Kyla clenched her teeth so hard she nearly cracked them. She wanted to lash out, but with Preston sitting right next to her, she could not. Truthfully, if Tilda had not joined, Kyla’s skills were more than enough to make the finals. As for winning the national title, maybe not–but with luck, she could have gotten the champion or runner-up title. Yet, compared to Tilda’s work, her painting looked pitiful. The other four pieces were not even in the same league. This had to be the biggest gap in skill any national college art competition had ever seen. How could ants ever challenge the sky?
And Kyla knew it. She knew exactly how breathtaking, how real, and how soul-shaking Tilda’s art was. That was why the jealousy was eating her alive. It was Tilda! The real daughter of the Jensons! And she was stomping on the one thing Kyla was most proud of—her talent.
If it had been anyone else, Kyla might have swallowed the loss. Yet, to lose to Tilda, the girl she had once kicked out of the Jensons? Now even the family’s love and favor, which used to be hers, were shifting to Tilda.
Unforgivable.
Preston narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in them. He had not expected Tilda’s painting to be actually pretty good. For a moment, even he had gotten lost in it.
Looks like Tilda was offering more than just her body.