Chapter 1950

The comments under the news article were brutal-every single one tearing into Fiona.

"So shameless! I used to be a fan of International Glam, but this is disgusting. I feel sick just thinking about it. That's it for me—I'm done supporting them!"

"With that much power, why not just admit the whole international design competition was meant to boost International Glam? Who are they trying to fool?"

"When someone's got no shame, nothing can stop them. I get it now-Fiona's ruthless. If she does this to her own team, imagine what she'd do to her competitors. She'd crush them. The power trip is insane."

"Everyone, keep these posts trending! People need to see how low they can go!"

The room went quiet for a few minutes as everyone scrolled through the nasty comments, each one worse than the last. By the end, they were seething with anger.

"Who's spreading this garbage? When did Mr. Connor ever act like this?" Jean snapped, barely holding it together.

Mikayla tapped the screen, pointing at a username. "That's Addison's account."

Most people wouldn't recognize it, but Mikayla knew. She and Addison had always been close, and the entire poisoning incident happened because they'd shared a hotel room. Mikayla was a foodie, always sharing snacks with Addison- she'd never thought something like this could happen.

Ever since, Mikayla had been eaten up with guilt, terrified that sharing food had gotten Addison sick and ruined her chance to compete. The regret had followed her for weeks.

"It's Addison. I know her handle," Mikayla said quietly.

Jane's face was stiff with anger, but she kept her voice calm for Fiona. "Fiona, you need to get out there and compete. Don't let this mess throw you off-or mess up the schedule."

As for Addison, Jane would take care of it herself.

Ungrateful doesn't even begin to cover it.

"She's right, Mr. Connor. Go out there. International Glam's reputation is riding on you now. I know you can beat Esther, and I believe this online hate will blow over."

Fiona looked unbothered, her expression calm and collected.

"It's fine. None of you need to get involved. I'll handle it myself."

She walked straight onto the stage, gaze cool and steady as she looked into the

camera.

The competition was being broadcast live around the world, so the chat exploded the moment Fiona appeared. Even if the organizers wanted to back her and Jackson, there was no way they'd risk upsetting the crowd right now.

Not that it mattered-they had bigger things to worry about. They were busy scrambling to gather the last bits of evidence to give to Fiona after the contest ended.

All four teams stood at their stations. Esther slid in close beside Fiona, a smug little smile playing on her lips.

She leaned over, speaking just loud enough for Fiona to hear, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"Fiona, every comment online is about how terrible you are. Aren't you even a little worried?"

"This time, you're not getting out of it."

"International Glam's stock had already dropped three percent before you stepped onstage. By now? I bet it's down ten."

Esther lifted her hand for the usual pre-competition handshake, but Fiona didn't even glance her way. She just turned and walked straight to her spot at the competition table.