Chapter 59
Damon stared at Mira, his brow furrowed, and didn’t answer.
Mira’s song ended. The audience was silent, as if still lost in the music, unable to snap back to reality.
A few moments later, thunderous applause erupted.
Of the ten judges, nine gave her a 9.8.
Even though he knew the outcome was set, Damon couldn’t accept it and gave her a 9.0, knowing it would be dropped as the lowest score.
But his action sent a clear signal to his colleagues: he didn’t want Mira to succeed. Those who had a good relationship with him would surely give Mira lower scores in the next round.
When the host read out Damon’s score, Liora said, “Does that Damon have a grudge against Mira or something p>
A spectator nearby commented, “Maybe her own brother just wants her to stay grounded and not get cocky at such a young age p>
“Bullshit,” Natalie retorted. “They’re both his sisters. Why didn’t he give Mara a low score when she was singing? He’s clearly just trying to prop up that manipulative girl p>
“It’s okay, it’ll be dropped as the lowest score,” Celine said, ever the calm one.
“Then why would he do something so pointless p>
Liora was still fuming, and Natalie also wanted an answer, but the more innocent Celine couldn’t figure out the underlying scheme either.
The audience had assumed Naomi’s score was the ceiling for this competition, but they never expected someone to score even higher. Mira’s average score was 9.8.
Just like with an essay, you rarely see a perfect score in music, so this was effectively the highest possible score.
Before Mira had even left the stage, several entertainment company executives were already eyeing her, their eyes gleaming, ready to recruit her.
But Mira told them, “I don’t want to debut. My studies are my priority right now.” Reporters came up for an interview, but Mira said, “Sorry, there are still two rounds to go, and I need to prepare. Let’s talk after the dust settles p>
At the end of the first round, Mira was in first place, Naomi second, Sienna third, and Hannah fourth.
Although Hannah was in fourth, she couldn’t be underestimated. Her expertise was in musical instruments, not singing.
As long as she survived the first two rounds, she would be the ultimate contender in the third round and Mira’s biggest rival.
Mara, surprisingly, was in eighth place. Mira hadn’t expected that.
In her past life, she had been tenth, barely qualifying. And in the auditions for this competition, she hadn’t even made it into the top twenty.
It seemed her opponent was not to be underestimated. This life would have many unexpected turns.
At that moment, Natalie in the audience was the most indignant.
“Hmph, Damon must have pulled some strings. How could someone who didn’t
even pass the auditions suddenly get eighth place in the finals p>
She had come here specifically to see Mara fail. This was infuriating.
“Exactly! It’s a fix!” Liora, with her impulsive temper, was easily riled up.
The other classmates nearby also
grew indignant, and it looked likenet
they were about to rush the stage to settle the score before the calm Celine stopped them.
“Stop trying to cause trouble. Mira got first place; she wasn’t affected. If you make a scene, you’ll juste
complicate things and custe・
unnecessary problems
Only then did everyone calm down.
On stage, the eleven eliminated contestants were being given certificates and
souvenirs before bidding farewell to the audience.
Making it to the top twenty was already a great achievement. With that certificate, finding a job or part time work in entertainment wouldn’t be difficult.
Next, Mira had to prepare with her dancers for the second round: the talent portion.
This time, Mira drew number eight. It was pretty good luck, giving her more time to watch others perform and prepare.
Naomi was third this time, Sienna fifth, and Hannah sixth.
This made Mira breathe a sigh of relief. At least the other major contenders were performing before her.
But unexpectedly, Mara was ninth, scheduled to perform right after her.