Adrian stopped in his tracks. He had wanted to ask how Wendy had suddenly revealed the truth to Gianna.


    But seeing Gianna so deeply shaken, and hearing Pepper exin that she had topete soon, he sighed and decided not to press further.


    Instead, he patted Gianna''s shoulder andforted her. "Gianna, no matter what, you are still the heiress of the Malone family. Focus on thepetition."


    Gianna''s pupils trembled, and the tears she had been holding back rolled down instantly. She quickly lowered her head to wipe them away. When she looked up again, she was sniffling, smiling with a mix of emotion and joy.


    "Dad, do you still want me as your daughter?" Her eyes were full of hope.


    Adrian nodded and patted her shoulder again. Only then did Gianna break fully into a smile, wiping away thest of her tears. "Dad, I''ll do my best in thepetition. I''ll make you and the Malone family proud! Can I go get ready now?"


    "Go ahead. I believe in you." Seeing her both crying andughing, with the p mark on her face still faintly visible, Adrian pitied her.


    Gianna stepped forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Dad."


    She said it quickly, then turned and walked into the corridor.


    Pepper brushed at the corner of her eye, watching Gianna''s figure disappear, then looked at Adrian with a faint, grateful smile.


    "Adrian, you told the media that you''re Gianna''s family member. Could youe with me and cheer for Gianna from the stands?"


    Adrian frowned slightly, but Pepper continued, "I''ve something to tell you about my sister, and about Gianna and my sister revealing their rtionship....."


    Hearing that it involved Wendy, and wanting to understand why Wendy insisted Gianna was now her niece instead, he paused before nodding.


    "Let''s go."


    Inside the stadium, Anneliese stood at the individualpetition station assigned to her, with less than five minutes remaining before the start.


    She quickly checked all the equipment at station 45, making sure everything was functioning properly. Only then did she take a deep breath.


    Raising her eyes, she saw Wendy in the front row of the stands directly in front of her, holding Ellie. They were impossibly conspicuous.


    Seeing her nce their way, Ellie excitedly clenched her tiny fists and waved.


    Anneliese''s eyes curved in a gentle smile before she looked away, lowering her gaze to focus.


    As the giant electronic screen began the one-minute countdown, the massive stadium instantly fell silent.


    The air in the arena was filled with the low hum of processors, the rapid vibrations of drones, and an almost tangible tension.


    ex


    After the host delivered a fluent opening speech, the huge screen disyed high-definition footage thepetitors. Whether it was intentionaf or not the cameras lingered unusually long on Gianna and Anneliese-and, notably, their shots were shown side by side.


    Gianna''s face was freshly made up, a thickyer of foundation carefully covering the p mark from earlier.


    She faced the camera, confidently lifting the corners of her lips into a perfectly sweet, practiced smile.


    "Wow, contestant #37 is truly a sight to behold! A perfectbination of beauty and talent."


    A ripple of praise went through the crowd. Most of thepetitors shown so far had been boys, and though a few girls had appeared, none had stood out like this.


    Gianna seemed to radiate her own aura, and she appeared younger than her years. She clearly enjoyed this moment in the spotlight, smiling gracefully at the host with effortless poise.


    At that moment, the camera shifted to Anneliese. The host seemed slightly taken aback for a moment before exaggerating. "Contestant #45, are you sure you didn''t wander here from some celebrity reality show?" he asked teasingly


    The camera, almost as if favoring her, gave Anneliese a close-up shot, holding her wless face on screen.


    Unlike Gianna''s meticulously sculpted beauty, Anneliese''s long hair was casually tied, her makeup minimal, her features crisp and clear. She stood quietly, like a mountain stream formed from freshly melted snow.


    At first nce, her presence seemed to exist on a different ne than the other contestants. Yet, the calmness she exuded felt so natural that, upon


    a second look it blended perfectly with the scene around her


    After a brief moment of silence, the crowd''s reaction grew even louder. Gianna clenched her fists while lowering her gaze, her eyes full of jealousy. How dare Anneliese steal her spotlight!