Grandma Hazel noticed the anxious look on Rosita''s face and said gently, "Ms. Lockwood, if you''re feeling unsure, how about we do a little sound check first?"


    A sound check?


    The thought alone made Rosita''s heart race. There was no way she could agree to that!


    Briony caught the flicker of panic in Rosita''s eyes and nearly had to bite back augh.


    After just three days of lessons, Gwendolyn White had discovered that Rosita''s struggles weren''t just about her poor attitude-she had a fatal w: she waspletely tone-deaf.


    Some people just want too much, Briony thought. Rosita was never content, always hungry for more. The higher she was lifted, the more she craved, until her ambition became both her greatest strength and her inevitable downfall.


    Still, Briony wasn''t nning to expose her today. Yesterday and today were just warm-ups. The real showdown would be on the day Ottilie took the crown.


    "How about this," Briony turned to Grandma Hazel. "Ma''am, Ms. Lockwood seems a bit nervous. Why don''t we all sing the piece together, as a group?"


    Rosita shot Briony a wary nce.


    Briony met her gaze with a faint, knowing smile. "Ms. Lockwood, what do you think?"


    Of course, Rosita knew Briony wasn''t offering help out of kindness. But with the cameras rolling and the show recording, she had no choice but to force a smile and reply, "I think Ms. Kensington has a good idea. I''m not the best singer, and if I perform solo, I''ll probably hold everyone back. Singing together sounds much better."


    Grandma Hazel nodded. "Even for group singing, I''ll need to hear each of your voices individually so I can assign parts."


    A true professional-Rosita realized there was no way she could bluff her way through this.


    "Maybe the others could go first," she suggested quickly. "I''m a bit thirsty, I''ll just grab some water."


    The rest of the group exchanged puzzled nces. They didn''t know Rosita well enough to judge, assuming perhaps she was just shy or used to keeping a low profile.


    Only Briony understood what was really happening: if Rosita could have swallowed poison and lost her voice right then, she would have. This slow, drawn- out humiliation would sting for days.


    Rosita lingered over her ss of water for as long as she could. By the time she returned, the rest of her team had already finished their sound checks.


    She took her seat quietly.


    Grandma Hazel looked to her. "Shall we begin?"


    Rosita nodded. "Alright."


    Grandma Hazel struck a chord on the piano.


    While she''d been sipping water, Rosita had kept a close ear on everyone else''s sound checks. She tried to recall what she''d heard and, stumbling over a few notes, made it through her turn. Twice her voice wobbled off-key, and she even


    cracked on one note.


    Pressing a hand to her chest, she


    apologized, "I''m sorry, I haven''t been sleeping welltely, and I''m a bit nervous meeting a teacher as aplished as you, Grandma Hazel. I''m afraid I didn''t do my best. Please forgive me."


    Driscoll, embarrassed himself, tried to lighten the mood. "We''re all a bit nervous,


    to be honest. But Ms. Lockwood, you still sang better than I did I couldn''t even find the key!"


    Rosita gave him a gentle, grateful smile. "You''re always too kind, Driscoll."


    Grandma Hazel surveyed them. "In my opinion, Briony has the best tone and ear for music, followed by Ferdinand. Driscoll and Ms.


    Lockwood-perhaps it''s ne


    or


    maybe the unfamiliarnguage-but your singing wasn''t quite as strong."


    Rosita dropped her gaze, shame burning in her cheeks.


    After a moment''s thought, Grandma Hazel announced, "Here''s what we''ll do: Briony will take the lead, Ferdinand will handle the harmonies, and Driscoll and Ms. Lockwood can join in for the group chorus midway through."


    With the roles assigned for both performance and singing, the team finally moved on to rehearsal.