“Who are you calling a pig?” the reporter snapped, finally understanding.
“You!” Juniper raised her hand and pointed directly at him. “The World Programming Competition was broadcast live globally. Even if you didn’t watch the live stream, you must have seen the news. And after all that, you still have the nerve to ask such an idiotic question? You’re the only one here still questioning Tucker’s abilities. What makes you so special that you deserve a private explanation?”
“You—” The reporter was rendered speechless, unable to form a rebuttal.
“I’m not finished. Shut up,” Juniper cut him off coldly, ignoring everyone else in the room. Her words were sharp as a knife. “Tucker isn’t good with words, so as the person involved, I’ll give the final response. His victory was real, his talent is immense, and he fully deserved it. Any further questions can be addressed in court.”
The reporter swallowed hard, not daring to spout any more nonsense. He’d heard that everyone who had slandered Juniper online before had received a letter from her lawyer. Those lawsuits were still ongoing. When she said she’d see them in court, she meant it.
“My apologies,” the reporter said, wisely backing down. “I just saw the rumors and was curious.”
“Is that so?” Juniper’s eyes narrowed, clearly not planning to let him go. “If you were just 'curious,' then why did you accept money from Byron?”
At her words, the reporter’s eyes widened in shock as he looked toward Byron. Byron, too, was stunned. He never imagined Juniper would find out.
“What money?”
“Did Byron put the reporter up to this?”
“Probably! Byron has always looked down on Tucker. He was probably jealous of the award and decided to sabotage him.”

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