?Chapter 332:


    She looked at the opposing team again—they were calm, almost smug, like they’d known this would happen all along.


    Her brows knitted together. She leaned close to Elbert and murmured, “Something’s off about this.”


    Elbert gave a slight nod. “Yeah. I noticed too. You think they’re up to something?” The idea didn’t sit right with them. This was a globally respectedpetition, held only once every three years. If shady tactics weremon, wouldn’t its credibility have crumbled long ago?


    “I’m not sure,” Ste said softly. “Let’s just see how things y out.” She did her best to stay calm and collected.


    Ten long minutes passed before one of the judges finally picked up the microphone. “After reviewing both submissions, we’ve found a significant ovep between your two topics.”


    Ste turned to look at the other team, disbelief written all over her face. The topic had been her idea from the start—original, forward-thinking, even praised within her team as something only she could’vee up with. And now, the judges were saying there was a significant ovep between the two topics?


    Swallowing her disbelief, Ste forced herself to remainposed. “Gentlemen, may I ask—how much ovep are we talking about?”


    “Ny percent,” came the blunt reply.


    The number hit her like a p. Ny percent? How could that be possible?


    Before she could gather her thoughts, the rival team spoke up. “Judges, ovep in topics isn’t a big deal—it’s happened before. We’re fine with moving on to the defense as nned.”


    The unexpected turn of events rattled Ste’s team just enough to dull their edge. Their responses to the first two questionscked the rity and confidence they’d rehearsed. And with each fumble, their anxiety only grew worse.


    Sensing that things were starting to spiral, Ste felt a surge of urgency. Then, her eyesnded on William in the audience—his brows slightly furrowed, his expression tense. That one look was enough. Determination welled up inside her, and without hesitation, she raised her hand to ask for a five-minute break. Thankfully, the organizers allowed brief breaks between segments.


    Seizing the moment, Ste headed to the restroom alone.


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    At the sink, she sshed cold water on her face again and again, silently urging herself to stay calm. She couldn’t let this topic fiasco shake her. She had made a promise—to win the trophy back for Paul, and that mattered more than any distraction. A loss now might bury Paul permanently under the weight of past failures, and she couldn’t let that guilt settle on her shoulders too.


    Just then, Sandra walked in, her face pale and eyes brimming with tears.


    “What do we do, Sylvia?” Sandra asked shakily. “We’re not going to lose… are we?”


    Ste steadied herself and spoke softly, trying to calm Sandra. “Don’t let them rattle you. They’re trying to throw us off. Do you still remember the answers to the two questions the judges just asked?”


    Sandra wiped her nose and nodded. “I remember… I just got nervous. That whole ovep thing kept messing with my head.”


    She hadn’t intended to fumble her answers. It was just that the distraction from the other team had thrown her offpletely.


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