Lucas and Liana were frantic. Although their father had told them to go straight to the venue, they were too worried. They had the driver circle the area several times, but they couldn’t find Natalie.
With time running out, they rushed to the competition hall, hoping she was already there. They were disappointed.
Natalie still hadn’t arrived. The driver blamed himself. “It’s all my fault. I should have just run those two red lights. I can’t believe I lost her.”
Just then, the Ravencia contestant, Ken, spoke up arrogantly. “I was curious to see what kind of housewife managed to beat me, but it turns out she’s a no-show. I told you she was just a pretty face who got in through connections. It’s an insult to the rest of us. I never knew people from Aurelis could be so disgusting. This final shouldn’t even be held in Aurelis. It should be in my country.”
Patrick stood up, his cold eyes fixed on Ken. “Are you that afraid of losing, Ken? Do you have to resort to slandering others just to boost your own confidence?”
“You… Mr. Mercer, I respect you, and I believe you had nothing to do with this backdoor deal. It was all the Lockwood Group, using their money to get that woman in. There’s a saying in Aurelis about saving your own skin. You’d be wise not to get involved.”
“You are on our soil, insulting our citizen. Ken, are you trying to get disqualified and thrown out of here?”
“Patrick, you think you can be that arrogant?”
“I am the proctor today. You are causing a disturbance and insulting another contestant. I have every right to remove you.” Patrick’s words were sharp and chilling.
Ken had no desire to be disqualified, so he said with a sneer, “Fine, I’ll shut up. But after today’s competition, let’s see how you people from Aurelis can face the court of public opinion. A country that relies on cheating is disgusting. I hope that’s not what your country has become.”
While the crowd had been gossiping about Natalie, Ken’s words instantly ignited their fury. They could gossip about their own, but they wouldn't tolerate an outsider insulting their entire country.
“That Ken is so arrogant! How dare he say that on our turf!”
“We can talk about our own people, but having someone else laugh at us feels awful, especially someone from Ravencia!”
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