Chapter 555

Chapter 555:

Jada’s calm but sharp voice cut through the murmurs in the audience. The hall fell into a stunned silence. Had she really just suggested the championship was rigged?

Susan’s eyes locked onto Jada’s, cold and full of scorn. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Stop beating around the bush.”

“I’m not beating around anything,” Jada snapped, her voice thick with sarcasm. “I’m laying out the truth. You identified all those spices in less than ten minutes. Only a fool would think that was all because of your skill.”

The crowd stirred. Jada’s accusation hit hard.

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” someone chimed in. “Susan wrote down her answers in no time and spent the rest of the time just sniffing the perfume.”

“Really? I didn’t catch that, but that’s hard to believe! Even a genius would have trouble doing it that fast!”

“Did Susan really cheat? She’s not even from a prestigious school. Getting a full score that quickly is unbelievable!”

Everyone knew the final round was tough, but Susan’s performance stood out in a way that made people suspicious. “Just because you can’t pull it off doesn’t mean others can’t. If you’re accusing me, you’re questioning the whole competition. Do you have any proof?” Susan said, her expression calm, her voice steady.

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“I don’t have proof, but how about this? Let me pick a random bottle of perfume, and you name all the spices in it in ten minutes. If you can do that, I’ll believe you didn’t cheat,” Jada retorted.

Jada, a talented perfumer praised at school, struggled to identify all the spices in two hours and often made mistakes. How could Susan, then, name fifty different spices in just ten minutes without some kind of help? Jada was sure Dane had given Susan the answers before the competition even started.

“I’ll take your challenge. But if I do it, what do I get out of this?” Susan asked, her eyes locked on Jada.

“You’ll earn everyone’s respect. Otherwise, people will keep thinking Mr. Johns gave you the answers, right?” Jada replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The others started to whisper among themselves, putting the pieces together. So, that was what was going on between Susan and Dane! The thought of Susan cheating didn’t seem so crazy after all.

Susan’s eyes flashed with anger as she snapped, “You’re doubting me, and I’m the one who has to prove myself? And what do you give in return? Nothing! If that’s how it works, anyone could question the fairness of a competition whenever they want!”

“What do you want then?” Jada shot back, her patience wearing thin.

“If I list all the spices in the perfume, you will back out of the competition. Deal?” Susan asked, locking eyes with her.

Jada hesitated, but only for a second. “Deal.” She was sure Susan wouldn’t get them all right in ten minutes.

Jada then instructed her assistant to fetch a bottle of perfume. When it arrived, she handed it over to Susan and began writing down all the spices in the bottle on her own sheet of paper.

“I’m done writing. You can start now,” Jada said, her voice dripping with arrogance, as if she was already certain of Susan’s failure.

Susan took the paper and pen, inhaled the perfume carefully, then started writing without hesitation.

Jada leaned in slightly, watching Susan’s every move. She expected Susan to mess up, to get stuck. But instead, Susan’s pen moved smoothly across the page, listing each spice with ease. Jada’s smug expression slowly faded. Five minutes later, Susan set the pen down.

“Done,” she said, her voice calm and steady.

The crowd around them gasped, clearly surprised. Could she really have done it that fast? But the real test was still ahead—did she get them right?

Jada’s eyes narrowed as the host picked up Susan’s list and compared it to the one she had written. His face grew more serious with each word. Jada’s confidence returned. There was no way Susan had gotten everything right; she wasn’t some kind of genius, after all.

She kept reminding herself there was no reason to be this nervous, but her hands still felt clammy.

“Congratulations to Susan. All answers are correct!” the host announced, projecting both sets of answers onto the big screen for everyone to see.

The crowd burst into gasps and cheers, realizing Susan hadn’t missed a single answer.

“Wow, Susan really is a perfume genius!”

“That’s amazing! We’ve got another genius in perfume making!”

“Incredible! Her sense of smell must be out of this world.”

“So, does this mean Jada was wrong? Susan’s clearly talented, and yet Jada doubted her!”

The excitement shifted as the audience began to stare at Jada with judgment in their eyes. Worst of all, they were sisters, but Jada always seemed upset when Susan did well.

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