Afterwards, the remaining nine contestants posted a joint letter announcing their withdrawal from the
Their message was clear: if Ste didn''t back down, they would quit, leaving her topete alone—making
her the uncontested winner by default.
When Abby saw the news, she was livid.
"Star, can you believe this? They''re ganging up on the organizers, trying to force you out. Their schemes are
so obvious, it''s practically written all over their faces!"
All of them were seasoned professionals—they knew exactly where everyone''s true abilitiesy.
They were well aware of Ste''s genuine talent, yet they still went out of their way to smear her name.
It was as if, by dragging Ste down, they could somehow gain an advantage for themselves.
But Ste just brushed it off. "What''s the organizers'' stance?"
Abby replied, "So far, they haven''t caved in. They''re talking to each contestant one by one, trying to calm
everyone down, and they''ve asked us to stand our ground, too.
They said this mess isn''t our fault, and we shouldn''t take the me for it."
Ste was quietly touched by this.
"I honestly thought the organizers would fold under all the pressure and ask me to withdraw."
Abby rolled her eyes. "Thispetition used to have some serious corruption going on, and back then, none
of the contestants ever protested like this.
Now that you''re dominating—even beating the internationalpetitors—they''re acting like the world is
ending, desperate to kick you out.
They''re just picking on someone they think is easy to push around.
The organizers are starting to suspect we might actually have a mole—someone bribed by the foreigners.
Usually, when things turn so one-sided, it''s either real public outrage, or someone''s stirring the pot for their
own gain.
The general audience might not know who''s really talented, but you can bet the showrunners do.
Star, the organizers have a n. For now, let''s just tune out the noise."
Ste asked, "Any luck collecting evidence against Felipa and her rumors?"
Abby grinned. "We''ve got everything we need. Just waiting for the right moment to take her down."
Ste nodded. "Alright. Let''s do that."
Just then, Joshua spoke up. "Ms. Cameron, didn''t you say before that it wasn''t the end of the world if you
skipped thispetition?
With all this pressure from the media and other contestants, why keep pushing through?"
Ste answered, "As long as the organizers haven''t given up on me, I have no reason to give up on the
Joshua studied her. "So, this contest does mean a lot to you—doesn''t it?"
Ste replied, "No matter how
important it is, nothing matters more
than life itself. You just focus on
getting better. Don''t let this stress
you out."
She then turned to Abby. "Abby, when''s the next round?"
Abby said "Next week. But it''s not
the ensemble round—those rules
changed, so contestants are getting
extra time to find new partners.
The following rounds have been moved up a bit.
By the way, Star, how''s your hand? Will it be healed in time?"
Ste said, "A full recovery isn''t likely, but I should be able topete."
She allowed herself a faint smile.
"The ointment Keen sent is working wonders. My wound''s healing surprisingly fast."
Abby chuckled. "Ever since your divorce, your Keen''s really matured. He dropped off another jar of ointment
for you yesterday."
Something seemed to ur to
Ste. She took the ointment from
her bag and turned to Joshua.
"Joshua, this stuff really helps. Want
to give it a try?"
Joshua nced at the ointment in her hand. "Sure."
The worst of Joshua''s injuries were on his arm—the rest would just take time to heal.
As for the internal injuries, that would need time and careful recovery.
Ste had learned a bit about herbal remedies from Mr. Burton, so she could make some nourishing dishes to
help Joshua regain his strength.