Knowing Sharon had a competition, Thomas insisted on attending no matter what. Neither Sharon nor Wendy could dissuade him, so they had no choice but to let him come along. Fortunately, Xavier had arranged for enough bodyguards; ensuring Thomas's safety posed no problem at all.The competition proceeded in an orderly fashion. The contestants performed steadily, all except Abigail, who faltered again and again.When it ended, Abigail stood before the host, tears brimming in her eyes."Sorry, I wasn't in good form today, which led to so many mistakes…"She didn't play the victim, nor did she harp on the incident of being implicated by others. After all, repeat the same excuse too often, and it only breeds resentment.Instead, her restrained, half-withheld manner left room for speculation—had Sharon's presence unsettled her mood?Sharon, however, remained utterly unmoved.When her turn came, the arena fell silent for several seconds. Then, a low hiss rose from somewhere in the crow
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