“Okay.” Elise didn’t leave any room to discuss and switched the number balls. Then, she left.
Tiana was stunned while holding the number 25 ball. The other contestants cheered, but she couldn’t
even squeeze out a smile.
Elise likes to have her own way and can’t take a hint.
She can go before me, but that will do nothing for her. Every judge knows I am the highlight of this
competition. Before my work comes out, all judges will definitely reserve a high score for me.
Elise Sinclair, you won’t be happy for long!
Elise wasn’t comfortable with Tiana’s gaze on her. She was afraid she couldn’t control herself and gave
Tiana a tight slap or two. Hence, she went to the washroom to hide in peace.
However, after washing her face, Elise heard a low sobbing coming from inside a cubicle.
The crying stopped after a while and the door opened. A short-haired girl in a school uniform came out
with red eyes.
The girl was also a contestant. She placed her number ball on the sink and turned on a faucet to wash
her face.
Elise glanced at the number. It was number 26, the next one after Tiana.
The girl was strong. After calming down, she took a few deep breaths before the mirror and returned to
normal.
However, her phone chose that moment to ring.
She panicked and answered the call, holding the phone to her ears with both hands. “Hello? Mom, no!
Please don’t send me to the orphanage! I will definitely get into the top three in the Calligraphy Contest.
Please, I don’t want to leave. Okay. Thank you, Mom. I will bring a prize back home. Thank you!”
Unlike the girl’s humble attitude, the person on the other side of the call seemed impatient as she hung
up the phone without waiting for the girl to finish her words.
After ending the call, the girl lowered her head and started to cry again.
Elise couldn’t handle seeing the girl crying. Then, the little girl apologized, “I’m sorry. Did I bother you? I
didn’t mean it. I’ll clean up and leave right away.”
Seeing that, Elise couldn’t let her be, so she took out a tissue and handed it over. “I’m the one who
bothered you. Are you okay?”
“Thank you.” The girl took the tissue to wipe her tears. “I’m fine.”
Elise turned around and leaned on the sink. She placed her hands on the counter, pretending to be
casual and relaxed. “No matter which relationship, you must commit to it to make it work. It’s the same
for parents and children. Parents who don’t love their children can’t be called parents. You don’t have to
be sorry.”
Hearing that, the girl smiled bitterly. “You’ve misunderstood. The one I talked to isn’t my birth mother, but
my stepmother.”
Stepmother?
Evil stepmother?
“Then, there’s no need to care for her. She is going to send you to an orphanage! So, why are you here
trying hard to win her affection? You don’t need anyone to be alive,” Elise said indignantly.
The girl shook her head sadly. “I can’t leave. If I do, she will ruin what was left by my dad.”
“Your dad—” Elise couldn’t bear to ask her.
“He passed away,” the girl said lightly, but her eyes could not hide the sadness. “My birth mother passed
away when I was young. My dad remarried but also unexpectedly died three months ago. Now, there are
only my stepmother and me in the house. If I leave, the patrimony of the Mellor Family will be gone!”
“However, you’re just a young girl. Even if you stay, you can’t stop everything.” Although Elise
sympathized with the girl, she had to point out the reality.
“At least I can know which properties fall in which hand. In the future, I will definitely take them all back.”
The girl’s delicate appearance exuded the greatest energy, and it would definitely move many.
Elise had to admire the girl’s forbearance. Hence, she took the little girl’s hand and put the number 12
ball on it. “Now, you’re number 12. You’re before Tiana. Give your best shot.”
Then, Elise picked up the girl’s number ball. “I’ll take this. Good luck.”
Before the girl could react, Elise walked out.
After a while, the girl chased out and stopped Elise. “Miss Sinclair, my name is Abby Mellor. I will repay
your kindness in the future!”
Elise waved her hand without turning her head and continued to walk away leisurely.
Abby held the number ball in her hand, feeling inspired.
Elise and Tiana had attracted much attention among the contestants. The difference between the
attention was that Tiana depended on her skill while Elise depended on her fame.
Abby, however, felt that Elise was more than her outstanding appearance and figure.
——
…
Ten minutes had passed since the start time.
However, the organizer had not announced the start of the competition.
More than a dozen prestigious judges had already taken their seats in the judge’s seat. Surprisingly,
there was an empty seat next to the vice-chairman Andy. The plate on the seat had a name written on it
—Lorenzo Forbes.
Although Lorenzo was the chairman of the Tissote Calligraphy Association, he did not show up for years
and rarely participated in the calligraphy competition as a judge. The appearance of this name seemed
to show that the finals were obviously different from usual.
Under the stage, Cody slightly raised the corners of his lips and proudly smiled as he saw Lorenzo’s
name.
Mr. Forbes must have seen Tiana’s previous calligraphy and wanted to appraise it in person.
Thinking of this, Cody called Tiana, who was preparing for the contest. He then reminded her in a low
voice, “The head of the association, Lorenzo Forbes, will come to watch the contest in person. You have
to perform well and make me proud. Although Lorenzo is a recluse, he is still the calligrapher with the
highest status in the Calligraphy Association. You will naturally be promoted to S-Class if you win his
favor.”
Tiana looked at Lorenzo’s seat solemnly; her eyes gradually darkened and a determined look flashed
across her gaze.
As Lorenzo was stuck in traffic on the road, Andy had to start the contest without him.
The contest used a 100-point system.
The first ten contestants had a low score. There were very few who scored more than 80 points.
After all, this was a national-level contest, so the scoring was especially strict.
A calligrapher must pay attention to the use of brushes, delicate strokes, and the distinct personality of
the work.
The consecutive low scores made the rest of the contestants break out in cold sweat.
Contestant number 11 took the stage and completed his work in five minutes. Then, the judges
appraised his work.
The judges still calmly gave a low score. Andy picked up the pen and put it down. In the end, he looked
at the stage with a sharp gaze, then proceeded to blurt out the cold words, “Number 11, you are
disqualified. You must leave now.”
“What?!” The contestant argued in disbelief, “I must know why I failed despite my skill!”
“Your skill? Do you mean your copying skill?” Andy exuded a strong aura, and it was completely different
from his usual kind demeanor.
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