CHAPTER 269
Since she had been in the middle of a live broadcast and waiting for the results to be announced shortly after, Arianna wasn’t aware of what was happening with the votes. It was only when Jane brought it up that she realized something was off.
Naturally, Arianna wasn’t foolish enough to ask Jane directly. Given their mutual animosity, it was unlikely Jane would provide any useful information. Arianna decided it would be best to investigate on her own.
With that in mind, she walked away without sparing Jane another glance.
After getting into the taxi, Arianna pulled out her phone and opened up GossipNet.
The top three trending topics were all related to the final round of the competition. One of the entries, [Harper wins the competition], had climbed to third place in a matter of minutes.
The number one trending post, also about Harper, was titled: [Harper, the most courageous anchor].
Curious, Arianna clicked on it.
The title wasn’t praising Harper’s looks, but rather her character and bravery.
A video had been uploaded by an anonymous user, though the footage was grainy. Even so, it was clear enough to show Harper—her back to the camera—facing off with the madman. In the clip, as the madman loses control, Harper is seen courageously rushing in to rescue the child.
Arianna was all too familiar with the scene in the video because the woman shown wasn’t Harper, but her.
From that single shot of the figure’s back, no one would question it was Harper if they were told so.
Arianna had previously noticed how similar her silhouette was to Harper’s, and the poor quality of the video only emphasized their likeness, making it hard to tell them apart.
She continued scrolling through the comments. It became clear that during the first 25 minutes of the live broadcast, Arianna had been ahead of Harper in both viewers and votes. Jane’s votes were insignificant by comparison, and Arianna had nearly twice as many votes as Harper at that point.
If things had continued on that path, Arianna should have taken first place.
However, everything shifted dramatically in the final five minutes. The flood of votes for Harper—the heroic anchor who confronted the madman and rescued a child at Starlight TV—came after the anonymous video was uploaded.
The heartwarming nature of the clip captivated everyone, and netizens across the platform flocked to Harper's broadcast, casting their votes for her.
The surge of viewers in those final moments completely changed the outcome. With mere minutes left, Harper overtook Arianna by just one vote, securing the win.
As Arianna finished reading, her hand clenched tightly.
She had accepted her loss earlier, believing it had been a fair competition and assuming Harper’s performance had genuinely outshone hers.
But Arianna had been the one to confront the madman and save the child. She didn’t care if the world remained unaware of her actions, but she couldn’t stand by while someone else took credit for them—especially when it had cost her the competition.
It was undeniably unfair.
When the taxi pulled up to the villa, Arianna paid the fare and stepped out. Her heart softened instantly as she was greeted by Grandma King and Aunt Julia.
Grandma King hurried over, taking Arianna’s hand in hers and saying with conviction,
"Arianna, I watched your entire live broadcast from start to finish! You were brilliant, and you’ll always be the true champion in my eyes!"
Aunt Julia nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Mrs King! I couldn’t agree more."
Arianna hugged them both warmly. "Thank you, Grandma King. Thank you, Aunt Julia. But…"
‘…This isn’t over yet.’
She didn’t say those last words aloud, not wanting them to worry until everything was resolved.
Grandma King looked at her with concern.
"But what, dear?"
Arianna smiled and teased lightly. "Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just a bit hungry. I was thinking about that refreshing pudding Aunt Julia makes!"
Aunt Julia beamed. "Of course, Mrs King! I already made some for you."
"Great! Let’s all go in and enjoy it together, Grandma King."
Grandma King smiled fondly. "Of course, sweetheart."
After supper, Arianna went upstairs to her room. She sat on the sofa, took out her phone, and checked the time—it was almost 11.
By then, Harper had likely returned home after her interview and seen the news circulating online.
She would have seen the video and realized that she wasn’t the heroine the footage portrayed her to be. The votes and victory that had come as a result of the video weren’t truly hers.
Given Harper’s reputation for grace, diplomacy, and the high emotional intelligence she always displayed around Arianna, it was reasonable to assume that she would take action to correct the mistake—unless…
Arianna stopped herself from assuming the worst about Harper.
Though she didn’t want to accuse anyone of ill intent, Arianna wasn’t naïve either. She knew it wouldn’t take long to discover whether Harper was friend or foe.
Five minutes later, Arianna’s phone rang. Glancing at the screen, she saw Harper’s name flashing on the caller ID.
Her lips twitched as she answered. “Hello.”
Harper’s cheerful voice came through the line. “Hey, Arianna! I just got home and saw that video on GossipNet. I have no idea why that person thought it was me. What a funny mix-up!”
“Hmm...That mix-up is what gave you that sudden spike in votes and won you the competition.” Arianna responded coolly.
Harmony was quiet on the other end of the line. When she finally spoke, her voice carried traces of confusion and disappointment.
“Don’t you think you’re being unfair to me? We both agreed that our friendship wouldn’t get in the way of this competition. I earned my win through my efforts. I understand that losing isn’t easy, but you can’t discredit my abilities because of that. The judges and audience chose me, and my victory was fair.”
“I’m not denying that you came in first,” came Aurora's calm reply.
“But I’d appreciate it if you could make it clear that the person in the video is me, not you. If the audience still believes you deserve to win afterwards, then I won’t argue further.”
“I’ll clarify,” Harmony responded firmly.
“That was my first thought when I saw the post online.”
She hesitated, lowering her voice. “But…”
There was a brief silence like she was holding something back.
The lack of explanation pushed Arianna to ask, “But what? Are you going to do it or not?”
Silence fell again.
