Mr. Burton nced at Ste, a spark of curiosity in his eyes. "Confident, aren''t you? I''ve heard rumors about that Rachel-she''s no slouch in the education department."


    Abby shot Mr. Burton a mischievous wink. "Just wait, you''ll see Star wipe the floor with Rachel. She''s going to put her in her ce!"


    Mr. Burton''s interest only grew, his grin wide. "Now that''s what I like to see-l never get tired of a good showdown!"


    While the two of them whispered excitedly, already picturing the scene where Rachel gets put to shame, Ste could only give a helpless, amused smile.


    Despite his age, Mr. Burton had the heart of a mischievous kid.


    A short whileter, a teacher came over and told Ste and Marvin it was time to get ready.


    This time, there was no sign of Jasper, Haynes, or any of the others trying to stir up trouble. Everything went so smoothly, it was almost unsettling-like the eerie calm before a storm.


    Even Marvin seemed a bit thrown off by how easy things were going.


    As they waited backstage before their turn, Marvin couldn''t help but nce


    around, whispering, "Ste, howe those awful people aren''t here to bother us today?"


    Ste shrugged. "Maybe they think the win''s already in the bag."


    Rachel and her crowd probably didn''t see Ste as a threat, considering herck of a fancy degree.


    Soon enough, it was their turn on stage.


    The moment the lights came up, Deanna, sitting in the audience, let out a disdainful snort.


    "Look at her, pretending to be something she''s not. That woman barely graduated high school and only managed to marry into our family thanks to her kid. Now she''s using our name as a stepping stone to cozy up to other rich families. Shameless, honestly."


    Callie O''Brien leaned in, whispering, "Mom, Keen''s right here. Can you not?"


    Deanna was unmoved. "Am I wrong? If she had a shred of ability, would Keen need to bring in an outsider for thepetition? Ste is nothing but a stain on the O''Brien name."


    Callie shot Keen a worried nce, trying to signal her mother with frantic blinks. "Mom!"


    Rachel, sensing the tension, quickly cut in, "Deanna, the show''s starting. Let''s just watch, shall we?"


    Grudgingly, Deanna let the matter drop.


    Onstage, Ste and Marvin''s performance began.


    Ste was beautiful, her voice melodious and clear, her movements graceful and confident. She lit up the stage, sweeping away the fatigue and monotony in the room with a fresh energy that made everyone sit up and take notice.


    Her pronunciation was wless, her diction crisp—she was in top form.


    Marvin didn''t miss a beat either, his tone lively and emotional, bringing his character to life. The judges even exchanged knowing smiles during his performance.


    As the final note faded, the audience erupted into enthusiastic apuse.


    Jasper scoffed from his seat, still unimpressed. "She probably just memorized it. I bet she doesn''t even understand half of what she''s saying."


    Deanna added with a sneer, "The standards for thispetition must be rock- bottom. People who rely on shortcuts instead of real talent shouldn''t be allowed on stage-they just drag everyone else down."


    Meanwhile, the judges began to reveal their scores for Ste and Marvin.


    For once, every judge gave them a perfect score-except for one, who suddenly held up a zero.