Chapter 126: A Vast Difference in Strength Boom!
Bellaâs mind felt like it had been struck by lightningâan explosion roared inside her head.
Loganâs single sentence snapped everyone out of their daze.
Thatâs right!
Selinaâs piano skills were clearly superior to Bellaâs. And now, with the revelation that she was Gavinâs sister, how could she have lost?
How could she have ended up carrying the disgraceful accusation of seducing a judge?
Selinaâs gaze carried an air of amusement. "Hmm... something seems off. My performance was obviously better than Miss Hayesâ, yet somehow, she was crowned champion. Did Miss Hayes regress too much in the past four years? Or... was there something else going on behind the scenes? Mr.
Taylor, what do you think?"
Bellaâs body swayed, cold sweat dripping down her back.
Brodyâs throat tightened. "T-The competition was fair! Bellaâs victory was a collective decision made by the judges. Piano competitions have a certain level of subjectivity..."
"M-Maybe... maybe the judges just preferred Bellaâs playing back then..."
"Oh? Is that so?" Gavin cut in coldly. "Brody, youâre still trying to lie when youâre already backed into a corner?"
"When two pianists are at a similar level, itâs understandable for judges to have personal preferences. But when the difference in skill is this massive âwhen Selina was eliminated and Bella was crownedâyou expect me to believe it was fair? You think Iâm a fool who can be brushed off with a few flimsy excuses?"
Brodyâs entire body went cold. His lips trembled violently.
He couldnât admit to taking bribesâhe just couldnât!
"F-Four years ago, Miss Clark wasnât as skilled as she is now! Back then, she and Bella were evenly matched, so the judges naturallyâ"
Smack!
A letter was thrown onto the table right in front of Brody, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Gavinâs face was ice-cold. "Take a good look at this letter."
His voice was razor-sharp.
"You claim Selinaâs piano skills werenât outstanding four years ago? Then I suppose you donât knowâfour years ago, the founder of the piano competition, Mr. Averill, personally invited Selina to be the head judge of that very competition."
The words landed like a bomb in the silent hall.
Selinaâs head snapped up, her pupils constricting.
What?
What was Gavin saying?
Æreewebɳovel.com She had never heard of this before!
Four years ago, she had still been in Country B. She had never even heard of that piano competition!
Loganâs throat bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze fixed on her.
Meanwhile, the crowd was utterly stunned.
The letter was indeed written by Averill himselfâan official, sincere invitation for Miss Selina to serve as a judge.
If Averill had invited her to be a judge, that meant Selinaâs skill level was not only above Bellaâsâbut above Brodyâs as well!
Yet she had been eliminated?
The truth was obvious nowâBellaâs championship was not legitimate.
"I see it now," someone whispered. "Selina was too outstanding. Bella mustâve been afraid sheâd lose, so she framed Selina for seducing a judgeâ
taking her out of the competition completely."
"Bella worked so hard to steal a championship title, while Selina was talented enough to be a judge from the start. The difference between them is crystal clear."
"Brody mustâve taken a lot of money. Otherwise, how could he have done something this shameless?"
Selinaâs eyes gleamed as she curved her lips into a slow smile.
Gavin cast a sidelong glance at Brody, his expression filled with disdain.
"You accepted the Hayes Familyâs bribe for personal gain, rigged the competition to protect Bella, and deliberately eliminated other competitors.
Someone like you has no place in the piano world."
He turned to Bella, his voice sharp.
"As for you, Miss Hayesâtomorrow, the competition committee will send representatives to retrieve your championship trophy. Consider your actions carefully."
Brodyâs legs gave out beneath him.
This time... he was finished.
Bella felt as if she had been slapped across the face, the sting burning deep into her skin.
No. No. No.
She was the champion.
She had flaunted that title for years.
How could they just take it away?!
Selina. It was all because of Selina!
She would never forget this humiliation. One day, she would make Selina pay a hundredâno, a thousand times over!
...
After Brody was thrown out, the Hayes Family had no choice but to leave as well.
Bella claimed she wasnât feeling well and requested to leave early.
But everyone knew the real reason for her departure.
Grandma Perryâs tone was indifferent as she remarked, "If you knew you were sick, you shouldnât have stepped out in the first place. Today is my special occasionâI wonât have it tainted by bad luck."
Bellaâs face turned deathly pale in an instant. She could hear the mockery in Grandma Perryâs voice.
But all she could do was grit her teeth and endure the judgmental gazes around her. "Youâre absolutely right, Madam. Then, I shall take my leave."
She couldnât understand itâwhat exactly was the relationship between Gavin and Selina?
A sister? She refused to believe it! If Selina really had Gavin backing her, how could the Clark Family have kicked her out so easily?
"Whatâs done is done. It doesnât matter what others thinkâyou need to focus on securing Loganâs heart first."
Liamâs cold voice cut in. "Do I really need to teach you such a simple thing?"
Bella lowered her head. He was right.
She was the most well-regarded socialite, the founder of her own successful brand, and a woman capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Logan.
She wasnât like Selinaâsome weak, dependent clinging vine that only knew how to rely on a man.
Logan would definitely appreciate her more.
"And another thing," Liam suddenly added, as if recalling something. "You mentioned last time that Logan was searching for a woman from four years ago. Bella, if that woman ever becomes a threat to you, you must eliminate her before she has the chance."
Bella nodded, about to say that Logan still hadnât found her.
But thenâ
She froze.
Wait.
The woman Logan met in City H four years ago...
And Selina... had also been in City H four years ago...
No way. That woman... could it be Selina?!
No.
No!
If that was true, then under no circumstances could she allow Selina to live.
Banquet Hall.
Grandma Perry shifted her gaze from Gavin to Selina.
"Selina, so you and Mr. Hill are siblings? Why didnât you ever tell Logan?"
Logan narrowed his eyes slightly, his lips curling into an ambiguous smile.
Selina: "..."
Is the old lady testing me on Loganâs behalf?!
She blinked and, without missing a beat, lied smoothly, "Grandma Perry, you misunderstood. How could Mr. Hill and I possibly be siblings? He only said that because he couldnât stand Brodyâs bullying."
Gavin let out a small tsk, but didnât refute it. "Yes. Selina is right."
Loganâs smirk deepened slightly, unreadable.
It was unclear whether Grandma Perry believed them or not. She merely nodded. "I see. Mr. Hill, you must be exhausted from your travels. Since you just returned from abroad, why not stay at the Perry estate for the night?"
Gavin knew it would be impolite to refuse again, so he nodded and followed the maid toward the guest quarters.
As he passed Logan, he instinctively glanced at the man beside himâ
And suddenly, a jolt ran down his spine.
Wait.
He had seen this man before!
Before returning to the country, Gavin had already learned that Selina was married. He knew she had married a man named Logan. He even knew that Logan had been searching for Luna all these years.
Because of this, he hadnât been particularly surprised when they first met tonight.
But now...
Now that he was standing so close, looking at Loganâs side profile, a memory suddenly surfacedâ
That snowy night, four years ago.
Selina had been brought home, covered in blood.
And the man beside her...
It seemed to be him.
Noâ
He had to find out for sure!
Gavin immediately turned around. "Grandma Perry, I just remembered something importantâI need to speak with Selina. Selina, come with me."
Selina hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
However, just as she took two steps forward, a hand lightly but firmly stopped her.
Logan.
His gaze was calm and unreadable, devoid of any obvious emotion.
Yet for some reason, Gavin felt an inexplicable pressureâan unfathomable depth to this man that made him instinctively wary.
With a voice as steady as ever, Logan spoke.
"I wonderâwhat exactly does Mr. Hill wish to discuss with my wife?"
"Would you mind if I listened in?"
Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'
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