These past two days had been restless for Dave; he found himself relying on a new routine. He only felt comfortable in sleep when Bianca was close. Without her, his sleep became even more difficult.
His mind was constantly busy, thinking about how to make things right with her, how to bring back her happiness, and ultimately, how to win her back. He hesitated to approach her until he figured it out, afraid of disappointing her further.
As Dave thought things over, Michael’s call came through, and he answered it with a tap of his finger.
“Dave, I need your help,” Michael said with a serious tone.
Dave, sensing the gravity in Michael’s voice, frowned slightly. “What’s going on?”
“This morning at nine forty-five, there was a serious car accident on the Bay Bridge. I need you to investigate and find out if it was an accident or if something deliberate happened.”
A car accident…
The mention of the accident triggered a realization in Dave, connecting it with Sophia’s recent behavior on the live stream.
“Okay,” Dave replied shortly before ending the call.
During the ten-minute halftime break, Bianca took the opportunity to pull Sophia aside. Concern marked her face as she examined Sophia’s injuries. “Sophia, are you sure you’re okay? How bad was the car accident? Did you get hurt anywhere else?”
Sophia shook her head, her voice tinged with disbelief. “Honestly, the accident was so sudden. I’m still a bit shaken, but I’m okay now. This audition means a lot to me, not just for my own pride but for your future, too, Bianca. You’ve been there for me all this time. Now, it’s my turn to support you. Trust me. I will succeed.”
Bianca hugged Sophia warmly. “I trust you, Sophia. I always have and always will.”
With the second act of the audition starting in ten minutes, Sophia, now familiar with the script, took the lead and stepped onto the stage.
Bianca’s phone buzzed with a message from Diana detailing the morning’s events at the Bay Bridge. “This morning, a sedan collided with a commercial vehicle on the Bay Bridge, almost causing it to fall off. Luckily, a sports car intervened just in time. Witnesses say the sedan was driving normally until it suddenly swerved and hit the commercial vehicle. The driver of the sedan fled the scene.”
The message included a photo of the accident.
Bianca’s eyes widened in shock. The commercial vehicle in the photo was the one she had arranged to pick up Sophia today.
The seriousness of the situation hit her hard-
Sophia had narrowly escaped a fatal accident.
With trembling fingers, Bianca replied to Diana, “The timing of the car accident, just before the audition, seems too coincidental. It doesn’t look accidental at all. Someone might have intentionally caused it to stop Sophia from making it to the audition.”
Diana responded promptly, “What can I do to help?”
Forcing a smile, Bianca typed back, “I might need to use your identity as Brandon’s most influential fan.”
As the second act came to a close, Sophia’s performance stood out brightly, while Natalie’s was more conventional.
Online voting surged, and at that moment, Brandon’s top fan posted a message.
“I’ve just found out that Sophia was late today because of a serious car accident on her way to the theater. Despite being injured and narrowly escaping death, she showed unmatched sincerity and determination. Even though I’m a big fan of Brandon, I’ll be supporting Sophia for now.”
The post from Brandon’s top fan carried more weight than any random comment, especially given their influence.
An online video emerged showing a woman coming out of a wrecked car, disheveled and trying to cover her face. However, her outfit was clearly the same as Sophia’s during her audition.
The internet exploded with reactions.
“That was Sophia, coming out of a terrible crash. She didn’t complain or ask for sympathy-she went straight onto the stage and performed!”
“Others might have used the accident to gain sympathy, but not her.”
“It’s true; strong people don’t dwell on their troubles!”
“I feel so sorry for Sophia!”
“Enough with criticizing her for being late. None of us were in that crash. Besides, Sophia clearly outperformed Natalie just now!”
“I’ve made my decision. My vote is for Sophia.”
In an instant, public opinion shifted, and Sophia’s votes surged, surpassing Natalie’s by a wide margin.
Zoey watched with cheeks burning in anger, puzzled by why Brandon’s top fan was so determined to support Sophia. Brandon, a top singer with a massive fanbase, now had all his followers rallying behind Sophia.
But Zoey wasn’t one to give up. Natalie had to win this competition!
She quickly texted the leader of the paid voters, “Bring in more support! We need to beat Sophia’s votes!”
The leader replied, “Sure, but we’re talking about a large number. And it won’t come cheap.”
Zoey fired back, “Tell me the cost. I won’t settle for anything less than Sophia losing today!”
“Alright, deal,” the leader responded.
As the voting clock ticked down to the final five minutes, Natalie’s numbers, which were once overshadowed by Sophia’s, surged ahead. However, by the narrowest of margins, Sophia held on and won by just one vote.
Louis and Robert voted for Sophia in the judges’ panel, but the other three judges criticized her performance.
“I think Sophia might have overdone it in this role.”
“Sophia’s facial expressions were distracting and took away from the performance.”
“Her final laugh gave me chills. It was unsettling.”
Online users were frustrated and continued to express their grievances.
“This character is supposed to be edgy. Why are they criticizing her for not being sweet?”
“It’s obvious they’re just picking at every little detail.”
“Are those judges even qualified? Did someone pay them off?”
In the end, the judges were divided 3 to 2, and Natalie won by a single vote. It was a very close decision.
After a heated discussion, Vincent announced that for this audition round, Sophia and Natalie had tied.
The internet erupted in protest.
“Sophia was obviously superior. Are the judges and Vincent blind?”
“Something fishy is going on behind the scenes. They claim it’s fair, but it’s clearly not!”
“Don’t you think Natalie’s sudden surge in votes is suspicious? They must be paying people to boost her numbers!”
“We can’t let them get away with this. Rally our friends and family to support Sophia!”
Zoey received a text from one of the judges: “Tell Natalie she needs to nail the final scene to prove her talent, or we’re out of options!”
Zoey replied confidently, “No problem. I have covered the last part of the script. Natalie is prepared and will definitely come out on top.”