Chapter 59:

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The crowd was deep in thought, particularly the contestants who hadn’t placed. Whispers spread as doubt began to take root. Maybe the contest wasn’t as fair as they thought.

“Melany’s got a point. Scarlet Snake came out of nowhere years ago, making waves in the perfume world. How could someone who’s been absent for so long be just a young woman?” one person murmured.

“After I lost that year, I did everything I could to track down the finalists. I hired private investigators, spent a fortune, and still couldn’t find a thing.”

“Wasn’t the first contest supposed to be confidential? How could a judge recognize a contestant unless there was a breach in the rules, or worse, intentional cheating?” Another voice added.

It was moments like these that revealed the darker side of human nature. It was easier for them to believe in conspiracies in a competition supposedly rigid and just, rather than admit their own shortcomings. Melany knew exactly how to stir up these feelings, how to twist people’s insecurities.

And now, Allison was stuck in the middle, smeared by association, facing hostility no matter what she did. Especially since she had no hard proof to clear her name.

Rebecca, hearing these baseless accusations, hurled her wine glass to the floor, shattering it into jagged pieces. “Spreading lies with no shred of evidence? Let’s see if you’re so bold when you’re slapped with a lawyer’s letter!” she shouted.

How could Melany still have the gall to argue after such a brazen display? Rebecca had seen plenty of foolishness in her time, but to face such audacity lit a fire in her chest.

Beside her, Mack, visibly bristling from Melany’s accusations, clenched his fists, his face flushed with anger.

“I’m far too old to be protecting anyone who doesn’t deserve it. If someone’s got talent, I’d take them on as a direct apprentice myself. Does anyone dare to question my integrity?”

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It was rare to see Mack this riled up. “I met this girl by chance. After that contest, I gave her a lower score than the others. According to the rules, we judges aren’t supposed to know anything about the contestants. But she approached me, eager to learn.”

Mack had taken notice of Scarlet Snake because of her relentless curiosity and hunger for knowledge. She was one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime talents who only needed a nudge to grasp something completely. Such brilliance was hard to find, and when he saw Allison’s…

The game this year had been thrilling, but who could have predicted that a minor incident would spiral into such a mess? Mack’s words struck a chord with the audience. Surely, a man of his stature wouldn’t risk his reputation with a lie, especially when there were other, more honorable ways to mentor a rising star.

With both sides standing firm, the crowd wavered, caught between the conflicting narratives. Allison gently calmed Rebecca’s anger before turning to Mack, offering a slight bow. “I’m sorry, sir, that you’ve been dragged into this because of me.”

She then straightened up, her gaze locking onto Melany with an intensity that sent a chill down everyone’s spine. “Whether I’m Scarlet Snake or not doesn’t change the fact that your perfume isn’t a tribute — it’s a blatant copy. And conveniently, I have proof.”

Melany scoffed, her voice stubborn. “That’s impossible…”

Yet Allison’s unwavering stare made her instinctively take a step back. It might have been her imagination, but for the first time, Melany saw Allison in a different light. No longer just a homemaker, Allison appeared as someone far more dangerous, someone who had faced life-or-death situations. That stare, sharp as a dagger, seemed ready to cut her apart.

Kellan’s voice cut through the tension, cold and commanding. “Accusing the Lloyd family of lying and cheating? Who do you think you are?” His dark eyes flashed with cold fury, and his presence felt suffocating. “Melany, you’ve got some nerve, dragging my family’s name through the mud. Did you really think the Lloyds wouldn’t defend their honor?”

The coldness in his voice, combined with Allison’s piercing stare, left Melany trembling.

That gaze— they both had it. In that moment, Kellan and Allison looked uncannily alike. Their cold, predatory eyes made it impossible for Melany to meet their gaze.

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