As the situation escalated, more and more people jumped on the bandwagon, demanding a boycott of Ruby.

Just as Ruby was about to snap again, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and saw a message from Jarvis Lopez, her father.

“If you don’t stop, don’t bother coming back. I won’t stand for a daughter who humiliates us.”

Ruby’s expression shifted in an instant. She froze, not daring to speak another word. After all, everything she had came from the Lopez family. If they turned their back on her, she would have nothing left.

Suddenly, Zandra stood up on the stage, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Before we move on to the online voting, we need to address something. We’ve found the person responsible for damaging Iris’ work!”

The crowd was left shocked. Everyone had assumed it would take a long time to uncover the truth behind the incident. Yet, the event hadn’t even reached its conclusion, and the answer had already surfaced.

The judges had only just finished their scoring, and the online voting round still lay ahead. But to everyone’s shock, the person responsible had already been caught.

There was an air of disbelief, though some people’s faces reflected a mix of other emotions.

Katelyn’s brow furrowed in confusion. The speed at which things were moving was hard to grasp, almost too fast to be real. It felt exaggerated. She leaned toward Aimee, her voice low.

“Are you sure everything’s under control?”

Aimee leaned in as well, her words a quiet whisper in Katelyn’s ear.

“They’ve figured out who did it, but they’re keeping the details under wraps.”

Even Aimee, who had just gone to investigate, didn’t have the full story.

Katelyn’s unease lingered, and she lowered her voice further.

“Are you certain this news is legitimate?”

Aimee, catching the edge of concern in Katelyn’s tone, hesitated for a moment. The speed at which the culprit had been identified was suspicious—too convenient. It raised the unsettling possibility that the authorities had rushed to assign blame rather than uncover the truth. After all, they had abandoned hopes of resolving the competition’s issue to focus entirely on finding the real culprit. If the wrong person were held accountable, Katelyn wouldn’t accept it.

Aimee offered a slight nod.

“It’s true, but something feels off. The officials looked uneasy, like there’s more to the story. Whoever it is, their identity must be significant.”

Their quiet exchange wasn’t as private as they thought, as Vincent, sitting nearby, caught their words. With a tone sharp enough to cut through the tension, Vincent interjected.

“You don’t need to worry. They wouldn’t dare pin this on someone innocent.” His voice carried a conviction so firm, it left little room for argument.

The connection between Katelyn and Vincent was common knowledge within their circle. Anyone bold enough to deceive them would effectively be challenging the Adams Group — a move even the most daring authorities would think twice about attempting.

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