Red Rose peeled off her disposable medical gloves, unhooked her mask with a languid flick, and looked toward Diego with those fox-like, captivating eyes, her voice deliberately hushed and teasing.
“Mr. Elsher, are you dissatisfied?”
She sighed dramatically, then winked at Ashley. “If you wanted to see me so badly, Mr. Elsher, you could’ve just said so. Why go through such a roundabout way? So hurtful, don’t you think?”
Ashley immediately caught on. Her quick-witted little brain spun once, and she instantly understood what was going on.
Hands on her hips, she said righteously, “Exactly! Mr. Elsher, you owe us an explanation!”
Diego retracted his scrutinizing gaze, frowning slightly before lowering his eyes, expression unreadable.
“Apologies. I heard Miss Q doesn’t meet people easily. I had no choice but to use this method.”
Behind him, Nash and the others exchanged bewil
Briella smirked. “What? Is it really that hard to believe I’m Luna?”Paige snapped. She laughed manically. If things had come to this, she might as well drag Luna down with her.If she couldn’t win, at least she could ruin Luna’s reputation!Facing the audience like a madwoman, she shouted, “That’s right! Luna didn’t plagiarize me! But she did plagiarize someone else! My sister! The Sawyer family’s third daughter! An adopted daughter named Briella!”She cackled, eyes wild. “That lowlife had insane musical talent, even though she was just average-looking! I went to the best music schools, got the best training, and I still couldn’t beat her! But after she died, I took all her sheet music! I rewrote it, and it became mine! Darkness is just a rework of her piece!”“I used to be your biggest fan, Luna! No one knew you like I did! When
Zedd’s face darkened. The Elders looked grim.Then it hit him—a flash of clarity.No wonder that piece sounded so familiar!The music ended abruptly—sharp and final.The stunned silence that followed was louder than any applause.People were too shocked to even move.Finally, someone whispered, “That… that was Luna’s level of mastery. It flowed so naturally—like it was hers from the start.”“But wait… something’s different. She changed it, didn’t she?”“OH MY GOD! That was breathtaking!”“Was that really the original version of Darkness? It didn’t sound quite the same…”“No—it’s better! Luna tweaked Paige’s piece and elevated it. The emotion was on another level! It almost felt like… Darkness was just a derivative work of this!”
Briella glanced at the elders and Zedd, a little helpless, and let out a soft laugh.“If everyone doesn’t quiet down, I won’t be able to say anything.”Instantly—at the very moment her voice faded—the crowd fell into dead silence. Not a single sound remained.Briella: “…”“Alright, everyone please be seated. I’m here today as one of the judges.”She raised the mic again, tone calm.“Let’s all stay quiet for ten minutes and wait for the results.”Everyone stared at her, reluctant to look away, as if hoping she’d say just one more word.Briella stepped down, and the five elders led her to the VIP seat at the very center.The cameras automatically kept their distance. No one dared get too close while the top brass were discussing results.Briella frowned slightly. “Isn’t this Chairman Blake’s seat? I can
Ria lifted her head slightly, her voice calm and clear: “Drum kit. My piece is called Destruction and Rebirth.”The host froze for a second. No one had ever chosen drums in this competition.The crowd murmured in confusion.But the host quickly composed himself and gave the stage over.Wearing her signature black veil, Ria exuded a quiet mystery.And then—she exploded into rhythm.Her drumming was sharp, intense, and unpredictable. Her hands moved like lightning, testing the limits of reflex and rhythm. The stage came alive. The crowd lit up.Then suddenly, a shift.The pounding beat turned sparse, cold, eerie.Like a storm on the horizon—an omen of disaster. The rhythm descended into chaos, echoing destruction.Every beat felt like the death knell of the world.Then—silence.Half a minute passed.Ria gently tapped out a soft, slow rhythm.I
Briella asked Ashley to hand the phone to Red Rose.Ashley turned her face away in disdain.Red Rose raised a brow. Was the little girl angry?She took the phone. “Hello? Boss?”“Don’t bully Ashley. She’s young and innocent. Do it again, and I’ll drag you back to train with me.”Red Rose instantly deflated.“Okay, okay, Boss! My bad, all my fault! I swear it won’t happen again!”Only after Red Rose promised repeatedly did Briella hang up the phone, clearly satisfied.Red Rose handed the phone back to Ashley. After a moment of hesitation, she added sincerely, “Don’t be mad. How about I hack into Demerra-Solandra security network and let you play around?”Ashley: “…”“Is there something wrong with your brain? I study medicine—I can check you out.”“…”…Bri
VIP central section.The Head Elder turned to Zedd. “Where’s Luna?”The other four Elders craned their necks as well, equally eager.“She said she’ll show up when the time is right,” Zedd replied helplessly.The Head Elder glanced at the buzzing venue, thoughtful. “She suddenly registered a X account… Honestly, it might be a good thing she’s not here just yet. If she walked in now, we’d lose all control of the crowd.”“I forgot to ask her about that,” Zedd admitted sheepishly. “My hands were shaking too much from excitement when I helped her register—I couldn’t think straight.”The Elders: “…”The host from Solandra’s Central TV personally took the stage to announce the start of the final.“This round follows rules personally set by Luna herself. Only two words were revealed befo