NovelOnlineOtherwise, if they kept pressing, the situation would only becmore dangerous.
At that moment, Stella couldn't help but be awed by the terrifying accuracy of Joshua's instincts.
The door to the emergency room finally swung open.
Joshua was still unconscious, his face pale beneath the harsh lights. Neville's eyes, usually warm and charming,
flickered with a shadow of something unreadable as he glanced over.
When Joshua finally cto, the television was blaring with news coverage.
A woman's tearful voice echoed from the TV.
"Yes, I'm Felipa, Stella's partner. | don't know what I did to offend Ms. Cameron. She didn't even say a word-she
just didn't show up for the competition. | know I'm not very talented, and | never expected to place well, but... |
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtjust didn't want to give up so easily. Even if | lost, even if | got eliminated, | wouldn't complain. But to lose like
this-I really can't accept it."
A reporter asked, "Did the organizers give any reason why Ms. Cameron didn't compete?"
Felipa wiped her tears and shook her head. "No. No one's been able to reach her, not a single person. | guess
maybe | made too many mistakes in rehearsal, maybe | angered Ms. Cameron. Maybe she just didn't want to
partner with someone as weak as me."
Another reporter, clearly annoyed, chimed in, "Even if Stella is the best, she can't just ignore everyone else. If
someone with no sense of sportsmanship wins first place, it's a disgrace. And now she's supposed to represent
us at international competitions? She'll just embarrass our country. Honestly, the organizers should disqualify
her..."
Just then, there was a gentle knock at the hospital room door.
Abby stuck her head in. "Star, can you believe Felipa is using your nfor publicity? She's given interviews to
every TV station, and now she's all over the inteplaying the victim-saying you looked down on her during
rehearsals. She's practically telling everyone you skipped the
competition on purpose. People are saying you don't even care about losing because you're guaranteed a spot in
the finals anyway."
Abby seemed ready to rant further, but Stella quietly interrupted her. "Abby, let's talk outside."
Abby glanced at Joshua, still unconscious in the hospital bed, and nodded.
Not wanting to risk waking him, they stepped just outside and spoke in hushed voices in the hallway.
Abby looked worried. "The online backlash is getting worse. Even though I've already clarified that you were in a
car accident and hurt your hand, no one believes it. They're all saying that unless you drop out of the next round,
you're faking your injury. If you compete, then it must have been intentional."
She snorted. "It's so obvious-they just want to force you out. The malice is unreal."
Stella's voice was calm. "Don't worry. | won't let this affect me."
Abby frowned. "Rachel's definitely going to take advantage of this, and Felipa's milking it for all it's worth.
Honestly, Felipa was never going to make the finals on her own. But now, riding your coattails, she's suddenly
famous. You don't even know-the minute all this happened, Felipa launched her own social media account. She's
gained hundreds of thousands of followers
in just a few hours. She's made up her mind to turn this into a grudge match."
If Felipa had just played by the rules, she would have faded into the background -no one would've remembered
her name. But after Stella dropped out, all eyes were suddenly on Felipa.
If things had gone like normal, Felipa's moment in the spotlight would have faded fast. She would've slipped into
obscurity with nothing to show for it. But now-why not go big or go home?
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