She had always wanted to pull the rug out from under Ariana during the competition.
When she found the perfect chance to do so, she jumped at it.
But there was a twist.
Just the other day, Holden, out of the blue, offered Sadie a deal of an endorsement for a luxury brand under contract to the Fredrick Group.
She had pleaded with him for this before.
Thinking back, she remembered the wedding dress he had taken home and felt smug.
She believed Holden was head over heels for her and would pop the question soon.
Considering everything, she decided to give the show a miss and took a trip to Mistlyn.
But that didnât mean Ariana would get a break.
Sadie grinned from ear to ear.
She had set up a few tricks to ensure Arianaâs team would be sent packing.
She had tampered with the live voting.
She paid off a big chunk of the audience to make sure they didnât vote for Arianaâs team.
No matter how stellar Arianaâs team was on stage, the audience had made up their minds.
Those live votes? They had a big say in the final result.
Even if the judges loved Arianaâs teamâs performance, the audienceâs low scores would pull them down.
Sadie overheard the host talking about online votes and just Laughed.
She believed there was no way online support could undo her mischief.
Other teams had their fair share of online fans.
Ariana was fighting a losing battle.
Holding back her glee, Sadie looked forward to seeing Arianaâs dreams shatter on live television.
At the show venue, other teams all breathed a sigh of relief as they spotted Arianaâs teamâs low vote count.
Their nerves had been on edge, fearing theyâd be outperformed.
Rollingrock Mediaâs contestants were especially pleased.
They were buzzing with barely hidden glee.
One contestant laughed, and said, âWell, we might not know why their votes crashed, but it looks like they can start packing.
Time for them to head home.
â
âThey got too c@@ky,â another said, lips curled in disdain.
âShouldâve been gone a long time ago.
â
Calvert silenced them with a raised hand.
âLetâs not get ahead of ourselves,â he warned, his eyes sharp as he looked over Arianaâs teamâs vote count.
Confidence practically dripped from him.
âOnline voting is up next.
Everyone, hit up the fan groups and Instagram.
Rally those votes.
The real competition? Those teams neck and neck with our score.
â
Considering Arianaâs teamâs pitiful audience vote count, they werenât even on the radar screen.
But then, a contestant chimed in, âWhat if Ariana pulls a fast one with the online votes?â
Calvert just snorted.