CHAPTER 256
Jane clenched her teeth in frustration, her eyes narrowing with a sharp intensity. She was determined to publicly humiliate Arianna, so after a moment’s contemplation, she grabbed her phone and started a new group chat on WhatsApp. Adding a few close journalist friends, she typed:
*“Mrs King will be putting on a dog show at the entrance of Starlight TV. If you want an exclusive scoop, you know where to be!”*
No one would care if Arianna made a fool of herself by barking like a dog, but when it was “Mrs King,” the scandal would be front-page gossip and rake in millions of views.
...............
Back in the newsroom, William stood before the contestants once everyone had gathered.
“After intense deliberation, the three judges have finalized the results for the first round. Seven contestants out of the fifteen will advance, meaning, unfortunately, the journey ends here for eight of you. I will now announce the names of those moving forward.”
“Harmony Jackson, Elsie Joplin, Jane Plunkett...” William continued, naming a few more before pausing. Six names were out, leaving just one more spot.
Jane couldn’t help but laugh quietly. Arianna had bragged so confidently about taking first place, but it seemed she might not even make it to the next round!
With a sneer, Jane leaned toward Arianna and whispered, “So what if you’re Mrs. King? Out here, it’s all about proving yourself.”
Just then, William said the final name, “…and Arianna King! Let’s congratulate the seven contestants who made it through!”
Applause filled the room.
The grin on Jane’s face faltered, though she quickly masked her disappointment, forcing a cold smile.
“Don’t get too excited. Being last to pass doesn’t mean you’re first overall.”
Once the applause died down, William raised another list and announced,
“Next, I’ll reveal the rankings for those who have advanced. In the first place, we have…”
All eyes instinctively shifted to Harmony, who wore a confident smile, clearly expecting to be named first place.
After a slight pause, William declared, “…Arianna King!”
The room fell silent for a moment before erupting in disbelief. Arianna had done well, but everyone knew Harmony had a stronger presence, better vocabulary, and more polished professionalism. How could Arianna possibly outshine her?
Jane was the first to speak up, her voice cutting through the commotion.
“Mr. Schuck, how is Arianna in first place? Harmony’s performance was flawless and superior. I don’t agree with this result.”
Turning to her group of supportive contestants, she asked,
“What do you all think?”
They quickly chimed in. “She’s right, Mr. Schuck. This is supposed to be a fair competition, isn’t it? We all saw Harmony and Arianna’s presentations, and Harmony was better! Could this be favouritism because of Arianna’s connections?”
Jane’s words made William’s expression darken instantly. No one in charge of such an event wanted to face accusations of bias or favouritism. He shot Jane, the source of the commotion, a cold glare and retorted,
“The results of this competition are entirely fair and unbiased. For those doubting this, I’ll reveal the scores of both Arianna and Harmony.”
He passed their score sheets to the staff, who projected them on the screen for everyone to see.
Harmony had lost by just a single point.
Both contestants had received perfect scores in categories like script, fluency, and overall delivery. The only difference? Arianna had made no mistakes, while Harmony had made one.
And that one small error was enough to leave Harmony in second place.
The contestants exchanged confused looks, and even Harmony furrowed her brow slightly, trying to recall where she might have made a mistake.
Jane pondered it for a moment but couldn’t figure out what Harmony had done wrong. If there truly had been a noticeable error, someone would have caught it. Convinced that the “mistake” was just a cover, she confidently asked,
“Then could you please explain what Harmony’s mistake was?”
She was sure that if William couldn’t provide a solid answer, there might still be a chance to overturn the results and let Harmony claim first place.
William, expecting this question, remained calm and unhurried.
“Arianna and Harmony both delivered strong performances, but accuracy and truthfulness are paramount in a news broadcast. There is no room for mistakes. Harmony used a term that wasn’t quite appropriate for the context, while Arianna made no such errors. That’s why Arianna rightfully earned first place.”
As William spoke, the screen displayed the term Harmony, which had been misused for everyone to see.
The moment they saw it, the contestants realized they had missed something subtle. The word Harmony used was so ordinary that it hadn’t drawn attention initially, but when considered in the specific context of her report, it was indeed inappropriate.
Arianna, however, wasn’t surprised. She had carefully analyzed everyone’s reports and had picked up on Harmony’s slip-up.
Harmony’s overall performance had been exceptional, and she might have claimed first place—if not for that one misstep.
In a scenario where both of them had equal skills, the only thing that could make a difference would be the mistakes they made. The three judges were well-respected figures in the field, so it made sense that they would easily notice any errors.
That was why Arianna accepted Jane’s bet—she was confident that Jane would lose!
William looked at the crowd and spoke rather sternly again,
“Does anyone have any further objections?”
Even though Jane could not accept it, there was nothing else she could do to refute him, and everyone had fallen silent too.
“Alright. The first round’s ranking is as follows… First place: Arianna King. Second place: Harmony Jackson…”
After reading through the names, he said,
“That concludes today’s round. The results will be published on GossipNet and you may all go home to prepare for the second round. I hope to see even better scores from all of you for round two!”
…
The moment Arianna stepped out of Starlight TV’s entrance, she was suddenly surrounded by a crowd. She halted in her tracks, her brow furrowing.
Had something unexpected happened again?
