Chapter 83

Side by side, Millie and Charles slipped behind the scenes.

While they moved through the narrow staff hallway, Vivian's silhouette caught their attention near the wall.

Something in her expression had shifted-nervous energy had replaced her usual calm.

"You've been dodging my invitations for a reason, haven't you?" Vivian's gaze fixed on Millie. "Turns out you had this all mapped out from the beginning."

A small, cool smile played on Millie's lips. "Plans or no plans, I never cared much for your proposals."

Charles gave Vivian a glance, barely able to stifle his amusement.

Realization dawned on him-Millie's choice to wwear a mask on stage now struck him as sheer brilliance.

Ironically, Vivian had tried to outsmart Millie and ended up trapping herself.

Still, he managed to hold back his laughter, remembering he had to keep up appearances as Serena's backer.

Keeping a straight face proved almost impossible for him.

With a quick cough to steady himself, he furrowed hisbrow and acted confused. "What's all this about? We should get moving."

Catching his cue, Millie met his eyes, gave a quick nod, and fell in step beside Charles.

They wasted no time leaving the hallway, while Vivian could only watch, so flustered she stamped her foot on the floor.

Soon, she barely had a moment to dwell on the duo, as her phone buzzed with an urgent message from Johnny.

A fresh announcement had just appeared on Evans Entertainment's official page.

What lay ahead was more than a simple showdown onstage; the real contest was only now coming to life.

Beyond the stage lights, a storm of public opinion was about to take shape.

Once back in the lounge, Millie, Charles, and Barbara found their spots behind a makeshift divider.

Every hand flew across keyboards, linking up with their allies online, working in perfect sync.

Just then, Evans Entertainment dropped two pristine videos for all to see-live performances of Yesterday and Us.

An official statement ran alongside. "Earlier technical issues impacted Serena's live broadcast. After much coordination, we're including updated performance footage in the upcoming Heavenly Melody special."

Unlike the shaky phone clips, these videos boasted flawless audio and visuals.

No detail on stage went unnoticed, and the entire production looked more dazzling than ever.

This rollout had been carefully mapped out by Millie and her team as the most effective approach.

While official footage would sway some, unfiltered phone recordings had their own crucial role.

Vivian's side was bound to claim everything was orchestrated by money and influence, so dropping only polished videos would never silence those doubts.

Instead, the plan was simple-let raw phone clips make the rounds and soke conversation. Only after public debate reached its peak would the official account step in with high-definition videos, laying bare the truth behind the earlier efforts to suppress Serena.

Once Millie caught a glimpse of Tia's video, she began mapping out the perfect timing for both the song and footage release, making sure the phone clips hit with even more force.

Meanwhile, Charles took care of Oakley, ensuring nothing more could throw a wrench in their plans.

Social media lit up, flooded with reactions and heated debate.

Evans Entertainment tried to play it safe, issuing a polished statement about "technical issues" to gloss over the controversy.

People couldn't help but wonder why every contestant's show had gone smoothly, except for Serena's performance.

Questions started popping up. "Funny how the glitch only hit Serena's set, isn't it?"

One commenter chimed in, "Honestly, I didn't want to believe it at first-why sabotage your own talent?But this explains a lot."

Another added, "Exactly. Forget the official uploads-the raw phone clips, even with awful angles and old cameras, were still rock-solid. If nothing else, that proves there really was some problem on Serena's stage."

"From what I saw, the rest of today's show was flawless. Just a hiccup at the beginning, but they fixed it right away."

"Nearly missed out on a powerhouse singer because of all this!"

Someone else added, "I was right there in the crowd. Every time | tried to comment, my words vanished.I kept getting muted."

"Same here. I'd watch Serena's live performance, but the versions floating around looked off. When I posted about it, nobody answered. Eventually, I figured out my posts were invisible to everyone but me."

Little by little, more audience members came forward, all with the same burning question.

They wanted answers. "Who's behind this mess?"

Whispers and theories began racing across every corner of the Internet.

Initially, fingers pointed at Serena's fellow contestants, but a pattern quickly emerged-she'd been singled out since the very first round. Stories circulated about her missing rehearsals because of an injury, and supposedly, no one else had access to her stage setup. Besides, as someone signed to Evans Entertainment, it made little sense for rival companies to sabotage her performance.

Memory served the crowd well: Serena's rendition of Yesterday nearly stole the spotlight, only to end up neck-and-neck with Vivian's Glimmer of Love in the audience polls.

That observation kicked off a whole new round of online sleuthing.

"Is it possible Vivian had a hand in this?"

"Now that it's out there, all the puzzle pieces start to fit," someone commented.

"Who else could pull this off so easily? Let's not forget, she's got Brandon in her corner."

"The margin between Glimmer of Love and Yesterday was razor thin."

"Exactly. Without the glitch, I bet the two wouldn't have been locked in a tie-Serena's performance was obviously way much better. I recall people mentioning Vivian didn't even have a professional background, and with Serena's performance looked awful in the clips, they said Vivian was the true winner."

"Rumor has it, before that opening night, Vivian's crew was seen pulling aside other contestants for some quiet conversations."

"Can anyone confirm if that actually happened?"

"Nobody really knows-just gossip for now. Still, you have to admit the stage setup improved a lot for the later shows!"

"That's a fact."

Before long, the Internet's attention landed directly on Vivian.

Vivian, caught off guard, began firing off frantic texts to Johnny, searching for a way out.

For a while, she disappeared entirely from the live broadcast.

Her unexplained absence only fanned the flames of suspicion.

Nothing could be done; it wasn't like she could ring Johnny for advice while cameras were rolling.

Grinding her teeth, Vivian sent a sharp glare toward the door of Serena's lounge.

Taking a breath, she reminded herself, saying, "This isn't the moment for payback. Clean up this mess first-then go after her."

Determined, she called Oakley once more.

Meanwhile, inside Millie's lounge, she and Charles watched as Seville and Alexia coordinated smoothly

with Evans Entertainment's PR team, tilting the odds in their favor. The two shared a glance, both pleased with their progress.

Relief finally settled in. They leaned back against the couch, tension easing.

Charles broke the silence. "What drives her to go so far? She already has everything she wanted,doesn't she?"

Millie frowned, just as confused. "Your guess is as good as mine."

A thought struck her, and she asked, "Hey, do you have anyone you know working over there? Whose words carry weight?"

"Where exactly do you mean?" Charles replied.

Millie quietly typed out "Flaville" on her phone and showed it to him.

He gave his head a little shake. "Not at the moment, but I have friends who might do. I can make some calls.What's up?"

Waving off the question, Millie said, "It's nothing urgent. Go ahead and reach out, though. There are a few things I'd like to find out."