I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 247

I fell silent again, letting out a soft sigh. Well, no need for me to do anything now. Jonas was picking a fight with two highly respected veterans of the industry. He was finished.

Mr. Lee shot to his feet. “What did you just say? Who are you to tell me how to score someone?”

Mr. Taylor was more composed. “What nonsense are you spouting, young man? The first-place winner has nothing to do with cheating. We all saw her work. ‘Freedom and Life’—that was the theme of this competition, and her piece embodied it perfectly. It was on-trend, well-composed, with thoughtful use of materials and color. What part of that is questionable?”

He fixed his gaze on Jonas. “If you have a problem with the design, then state it. Don’t use baseless rumors to slander the entire judging panel.”

His words silenced much of the crowd, bringing a dose of reason back into the room. Some people had seen my previous exhibition and weren’t quick to doubt me, but others latched onto the recording.

“Mr. Taylor, you are highly respected, and we don’t question your judgment. But that recording clearly suggests an improper relationship between the sponsor and the winner. The conversation was explicitly about pulling strings. It’s hard not to be suspicious. With all due respect, even with you two masters on the panel, a score of 595 doesn’t necessarily feel earned.”

At that moment, York scrambled onto the stage, his face red. “It has nothing to do with my director! I was the one talking nonsense! She actually scolded me for it afterward and said that kind of talk was disrespectful to a fair competition like this. She told me to watch my words. She earned her first-place win!”

He finished by glaring at Linda. “And I can’t believe how malicious some people can be. You yourself used connections to pressure someone into quitting, and now you have the gall to accuse others of the same thing. Shameless!”

Linda’s face turned pale with anger. “Who’s going to believe that?” she sneered. “I have a suggestion. Since the first-place winner is the only one in question, let’s see the detailed breakdown of her score. She didn’t get a perfect score, which means someone docked points. If it wasn’t the two masters, then it proves the others were involved in cheating.”

“I agree! Show us the scores!” Jonas shouted.

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