Online voting began. Initially, it was expected that Sophia would easily outvote Natalie, but the reality turned out differently. Natalie’s votes quickly surged ahead, creating a substantial gap between her and Sophia.
Watching the numbers rise on her phone screen, Zoey smirked. These everyday internet users were no match for the social media power wielded by wealth and influence.
In today’s entertainment industry, how could someone establish themselves based only on their performance?
The comments section was buzzing after Natalie suddenly gained a lot of votes.
“All my friends voted for Sophia. How is Natalie ahead now?”
“It seems like the paid voters are influencing this. Natalie will do anything to win.”
“This isn’t fair. It’s ruining the competition. I’m fed up with it.”
“Let’s support Sophia or create new accounts. We can’t let the paid voters take over.”
“Today is more than just a competition. It’s about the people standing up against big money. Let’s make it happen!”
Zoey was taken aback by the sudden surge of enthusiasm online as Sophia’s votes unexpectedly skyrocketed.
Meanwhile, Brandon publicly praised Sophia and even performed a spontaneous song in her honor.
Following suit, numerous celebrities, directors, and writers from the entertainment industry stepped forward to applaud Sophia’s talents and cast their votes for her.
Suddenly, these influential figures advocating for Sophia created a ripple effect, with their fans joining in to vote, and the internet buzzed with excitement.
Zoey was so shocked she nearly dropped her phone, staring in disbelief at what was happening.
Sophia had been out of the industry’s spotlight for five years, and Bianca was still new as an agent. How did they manage to rally the industry’s support like this?
Refusing to accept defeat, Zoey contacted the leader of the paid voters. “We need more people spreading the word to support Natalie. We have to beat Sophia in the vote.”
The leader replied, “We’ve run into a problem. Our accounts were mass-blocked.”
Through clenched teeth, Zoey demanded, “But we paid them off, didn’t we? Why are the accounts still blocked?”
The leader explained, “The money was refunded, and now I’m on a blacklist.”
Shock overwhelmed Zoey. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her face drained of color, turning pale.
She felt like she was standing at the edge of a deep abyss, her mind numb from the sudden turn of events.
Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. It felt like the whole world was against her.
Defeated, Zoey sank into a chair, feeling a profound sense of helplessness she had never experienced in her entire career in showbiz.
Hope seemed to slip through her fingers. Zoey felt drained.
Natalie, noticing her vote count falling behind Sophia’s, urgently grabbed Zoey. “I don’t understand. I was winning, and now I’m losing. You have to fix this.”
Zoey’s face darkened with frustration.
What more could she do? She had tried every strategy she knew, yet now faced the prospect of a crushing defeat.
“Look at this. Why aren’t my votes going up? They’re actually going down. What’s going on?” Natalie exclaimed in disbelief, unable to hide her shock.
Zoey checked her phone and saw the outcome. The paid voters’ accounts had been banned, nullifying their previous votes. Meanwhile, Sophia’s numbers continued to rise, and Natalie’s votes had dwindled significantly compared to Sophia’s.
In this final showdown, Natalie and Zoey had been decisively defeated.
Ten minutes earlier, at the Evans Group building.
Zane entered Dave’s office confidently. “Mr. Evans, we’ve arranged everything as you instructed. Miss Scott is going to win, no question.”
Dave casually flicked ash from his cigarette, his expression unreadable. He had noticed the sudden surge in votes and suspected foul play in the voting system.
He had hoped for a fair competition and had no intention of interfering.
But he hadn’t expected the other side to manipulate the situation financially. He wasn’t going to sit idly by.
To outsiders, Bianca might appear as a novice agent without resources to rival the big players. What they didn’t realize was that Dave himself was the financial powerhouse behind her.
He was more than capable of facing the opposition head-on.
“How’s the investigation into the car crash progressing?” Dave asked, reclining in his chair.
Zane gave him an update: “The driver who caused the crash escaped. But I’ve alerted the police and activated the Sky Eye system to intensify the search. We should have a lead shortly.”
“Keep me informed as soon as they catch him,” Dave instructed.
“Will do,” Zane affirmed.
After Zane left, Dave dialed Justin, who was in Mubluosia.
“Hey, Dave, what’s up?” Justin was busy handling business matters there. Since Dave had returned, Justin had been managing things overseas solo and was constantly occupied.
News from home was rare for Justin.
Dave’s voice turned serious. “Wrap things up and return. You need to handle your team properly.”
With that, Dave hung up.
Justin felt a rush of concern.
What could his team have possibly done to anger Dave so much?
Dave’s anger suggested a significant problem. It seemed Justin needed to finish his tasks and return home quickly.
Meanwhile, Sophia easily surpassed Natalie by a huge margin in online voting.
Netizens celebrated, calling it a historic moment. It was a day they united to overcome the influence of financial power.
Little did they know, there was an even stronger financial force supporting them.
Bianca was shocked by what was happening. She hadn’t expected such overwhelming support. Many celebrities had sided with Sophia, and the unity among internet users was beyond anything she had imagined.
Tears welled up in Bianca’s eyes as she watched the scene unfold. She glanced at Sophia beside her and saw that she, too, was crying. But despite the emotional moment, the competition wasn’t over yet.
During the judges’ vote, Louis and Robert didn’t hesitate to support Sophia. The other three judges leaned towards Natalie, but they were under significant pressure.
Louis had praised Sophia so highly. Voting for Natalie now would anger the public and risk upsetting Louis.
Despite the tempting offers from Josh and Zoey, the judges couldn’t risk their reputations by acting unfairly.
They also considered that even if Sophia won this round, it would only tie the score with Natalie over the three rounds. Natalie still had a chance to stay in the competition.
With these thoughts in mind, all the judges voted for Sophia.
Sophia emerged as the winner of that round.
However, with Natalie winning the first round, Sophia the third, and the second round resulting in a draw, they were deadlocked. After thinking for a moment, Vincent declared an extra round.
The final round would decide the lead actress once and for all.
Seeing this opportunity, Zoey encouraged Natalie, “You can’t afford to lose this extra round.”