At thepetition venue.


    Abby and Antoney scanned the room anxiously, their faces tight with worry.


    "What''s going on? Why isn''t Star here yet?"


    Antoney''s expression darkened. "I''ve called both Star and Joshua, but no one''s picking up."


    Abby''s concern deepened. "Star''s supposed to be on stage any minute now. If she doesn''t show... we could be looking at a forfeit."


    "That''s not even the worst of it," Antoney replied. "Today''s the team event. If Star doesn''t show, she drags her partner down with her."


    Abby''s face nched at the realization.


    Ste''s poprity online was sky-high—on par with any A-list celebrity.


    If she missed thepetition without an exnation, the trolls would have a field day tearing her apart.


    But whether Ste would get roasted online was the least of their worries right now.


    What mattered most was-


    What if something had happened to her?


    Abby hadn''te to the venue with Ste today because she''d been busy coordinating with the concert organizers. Antoney had left from the studio. Ste, meanwhile, was supposed toe with Joshua, setting out from her apartmentplex.


    None of them had met up beforehand, so they had no clue what could have gone wrong.


    Minutes ticked by, each one heavier than thest.


    After the previous group finished, it was time for Ste''s team.


    But when the spotlight hit the stage, only Felipa walked out.


    At first, everyone assumed Ste was just making a grand entrance. With her star power and talent, it made sense-maybe the organizers wanted to milk the moment, drum up some drama.


    But several awkward minutes passed. Ste still didn''t appear. The lights and music never kicked in. Felipa just stood there, visibly ufortable, as the anticipation curdled into confusion.


    Gradually, it dawned on the audience that something was wrong.


    "What''s going on? Did Ste not show up?"


    "She''s not sick, is she? If she''s missing because of illness, that''s a real shame."


    "No way it''s an illness. If Ste was sick, the organizers would have announced it by now."


    "Poor Felipa. She''s getting dragged down by Ste''s absence."


    As the crowd murmured and spected, the host strode out, looking grim.


    "Sorry,


    One. Since contestant


    Ste failed to arrive on time, afteret


    discussion with the judges, this round is considered a forfeit."


    Felipa broke down in tears the moment she heard the verdict.


    A wave of outrage rippled through the audience.


    "So Ste didn''t show up and they lost, fine-but this is a team


    so Felipa gets penalized


    going to make up her score?


    "It''s not fair. Felipa doesn''t deserve this!"


    “These rules are messed up! If someone wanted to sabotage their partner, all they''d have to do is bai at thest minute, and the other


    f.n''


    Anyone aiming for a high score could bribe their teammate and throw the whole thing!"


    person goes down with all


    "... You''re right! I never thought about that."


    "But seriously, why didn''t Ste show up? There''s got to be a reason."


    The venue buzzed with spection-everyone had an opinion.


    Backstage, Rachel watched the chaos unfold, unable to hide the glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes.


    Lately, Joshua had been the one driving Ste to everypetition.


    It was obvious-he''d won her trust.


    And now, at the most critical moment, he''d done her a huge favor.


    If Ste lost this round, Rachel would tie with her for first ce.


    And next time? All Rachel needed was for Joshua to help her out one more time,


    and Ste''s reign at the top woulde crashing down.