?Chapter 353:


    Later that evening, Ste received a voice message from Sandra.


    “Sylvia! Thepetition results areing out at eight! I just know we’ve won—there’s no way we didn’t! But Elbert said we should still watch the result announcement to add a sense of ceremony.”


    Sandra’s bubbly tone lifted Ste’s spirits. “Alright,” she replied with a smile. “Let’s check it out.”


    A part of her couldn’t wait to see the expression on Finnegan’s face when he lost. It was something she’d been looking forward to.


    Time slipped by quickly, and before she knew it, it was already 7:59.


    She opened thepetition website, her eyes on the ticking clock. As it turned eight, she hit refresh, waiting for the results to appear.


    But then—


    “What?” She blinked at the screen. “How on earth did Finnegan’s team win?”


    Sandra’s incredulous voice crackled through the phone as she refreshed the results page again and again—only to see the same name each time.


    Winner: Finnegan Dixon’s team.


    Just reading those words sent a chill through Ste. She didn’t even need to check social media to know what people were saying. Still on the call with Sandra, she heard her friend’s frustration crackling in her tone.


    “Ugh! Why is the inte always like this? Now they’re iming we were all talk—and this is proof we couldn’t deliver!”


    Ste pressed her lips together. Exactly what she had expected. “Sandra, don’t waste your time on thosements. People online always cheer for the winners. They don’t care about the truth. You’ll only drive yourself crazy.”


    What Ste really wanted to know was why the results had turned out this way. The mindless online noise? Not worth a second thought.


    “No, seriously—how the hell did Finnegan’s team win? We were clearly better in every round!” Sandra huffed, still fuming. Then her voice dropped low and bitter: “He must’ve cheated again. There’s no other way.”


    Given Finnegan’s history, that wasn’t an unreasonable theory.


    Ste paused before answering. A thought had just urred to her. “Sandra,” she said finally, “have Elbert and Jamir meet us tomorrow at the institute. Tonight, try to get some rest. Don’t let this get to you.”


    She trusted her gut—but she needed proof.


    The next morning, Ste stepped into the research institute’s lobby and felt every pair of eyesnd on her like a weight.


    People didn’t even try to hide their stares. Some looked at her with pity, others with judgment. A few showed thinly veiled amusement, while others expressed sympathy, me, and mockery. It was all there, in their eyes.


    Ste ignored it all, walking straight to theb.


    Inside, the air felt heavy, tense. No one was talking.


    Ste broke the silence. “You’ve all seen the results. Let me be clear—I don’t ept this. That wasn’t fair.”


    Sandra was quick to back her up. “Exactly! That whole thing was rigged. Finnegan’s pulling the same tricks again, I’m sure of it!”


    .


    .


    .