Someone whispered, "Honestly, with the way she carries herself and how


    articte she is, there''s no way she only went to high school, right? Could there be some kind of mistake?"


    "I don''t think so. From what I''ve heard, Ms. Cameron is Haynes''s ex-wife-no connections, no family background, not even much of an education."


    "But you can''t fake ss. Ms. Cameron doesn''t seem at all like someone who''s never seen the world."


    "She''s probably just putting on an act."


    A quiet murmur rippled through the crowd, everyone specting in hushed tones.


    Franco''s eyes shed with a cold, ruthless gleam. "So, you''re refusing to admit you cheated?"


    Ste stood tall on stage, meeting every gaze head-on without flinching.


    "That''s right. I did not cheat."


    Down in the audience, Rachel noticed Jasper fiddling with his phone again, her right eyelid twitching with a sudden sense of unease.


    She whispered, "Jasper, what are you doing?"


    Without looking up, Jasper replied, "Streaming, of course. I want all of Ste''s fans to see just how embarrassing she really is."


    Rachel tried to dissuade him. "Jasper, let it go. When Haynie gets off the phone and sees you doing this, you know he''ll have a word with you."


    This time, her warning was genuine, not just for show.


    Every time Jasper started a livestream, it inevitably backfired.


    He never managed to catch Ste making a fool of herself; instead, she always ended up looking even better.


    Jasper grinned with confidence. "Don''t worry. Dad and Haynie always tell me to help promote Ste. This is just another way to get her name out there. The judges all gave her perfect scores who would''ve thought she''d cheat? If she''s embarrassed, that''s on her, not me."


    Rachel was about to press the issue, but Franco''s voice boomed through the hall, amplified by the microphone.


    Heunched into a long string of French.


    Several people in the crowd who understood French paused for a moment, then burst outughing.


    Deanna, who didn''t understand French, looked around at theughter, curiosity getting the better of her.


    "What did that judge just say? Why is everyoneughing?"


    Rachel, struggling to keep a straight face, leaned over to trante for her.


    "Franco just said, ''Frankly, I doubt anyone here has a lower level of education than Ms. Cameron-unless you count the kindergarteners in the front row.""


    Deanna couldn''t help but smile at that, the corners of her mouth lifting in amusement.


    She nced at Rachel, her opinion of her shifting ever so slightly.


    "Didn''t know you spoke French, Rachel. Impressive."


    Rachel noticed the subtle change in Deanna''s attitude and lowered her longshes, hiding the excitement in her eyes.


    She murmured softly, "You''re too kind, Deanna.”


    Jasper chimed in from the side, "Mrs. O''Brien, Rachel doesn''t just speak French. She''s fluent in Spanish, German, Korean, and Japanese, too. Pretty much every majornguage, she knows. Even the obscure ones, she has at least a basic grasp."


    Deanna''s eyes narrowed thoughtfully at that.


    She''d always hoped Haynes would marry for business, to help the O''Brien Group climb even higher.


    But in the end, Haynes married someone who couldn''t evenpare to Rachel.


    Now, with the O''Brien Group''s current strength, they didn''t really need a business marriage to secure their position.


    A man like Haynes, even if this was his second marriage, had no shortage of wealthy young women eager to marry him.


    Still, whether those women would actually care for Keen—or whether Keen would even ept them-was another matter entirely.


    Keen was obviously fond of Rachel, and Rachel treated him well in return.


    Maybe, just maybe, letting Haynie marry Rachel wouldn''t be such a bad idea after


    all.