Chapter 55
The other members didn't dare make a sound, silently watching me.
Sophia was also waiting for my response.
Seeing my prolonged silence, Olivia grew even more arrogant.
"What's wrong? Don't even have the courage to compete with me?"
"If it weren't for Sophia kindly joining your company and pulling in sponsorship from the Percy family, you'd all have folded by now. And what do you do? Gang up and force Sophia to give up her spot. Where do you get the nerve?"
"Even when I feed a dog, it at least barks to make me happy. You people are worse than livestock!"
Samuel and the other members, who hadn't been targeted before, erupted in anger.
Samuel couldn't hold back. "We didn't force Sophia. She gave it up voluntarily..."
Olivia sneered coldly. "So you're saying she's stupid? That she trained for years, suffered through all that just to benefit you worthless trash?"
"You!" Samuel ground his teeth in fury.
After finishing with Samuel, Olivia turned to me. "If you don't dare compete, that's fine too."
"Apologize to me and Sophia right now, promise to return the principal position to Sophia, and voluntarily quit the company. Then I might consider letting you off."
Her delusion made me laugh.
"Olivia, you already lost to me in the semifinals. Why would I bet with a loser?"
Olivia cursed, her finger practically jabbing my face. "Bitch, say that again! Who's the loser?"
I wasn't afraid of her. I reached up to push her hand away.
But then Leopold's furious voice rang out.
"What do you think you're doing!"
Olivia's expression changed, and she quickly lowered her hand.
Sophia's face stiffened too.
My gaze moved past them and collided with Leopold's across the space.
My heart rippled instantly.
I quickly looked away.
"Leo, don't misunderstand. Olivia thought I was being bullied and came to defend me. She didn't mean anything by it. Please don't blame her."
Sophia explained sweetly to Leopold.
Leopold didn't respond. He pushed through the crowd and walked straight to my side.
"Did she hit you just now?"
His action left me confused.
"What's it to you?"
Leopold's expression froze, displeasure flashing in his eyes.
I thought he'd scold me, but instead he turned to Samuel.
"You tell me."
"Mr. Percy, I..." Samuel's voice trembled, his gaze bouncing between Leopold and me.
Leopold grew more impatient. "Is it that hard to explain what happened?"
Samuel didn't dare hide anything and quickly recounted everything that had just occurred.
Leopold's breathing grew heavier, as if he were struggling to control something.
"Olivia, apologize to Lucinda."
"No need."
"Why should I?"
Olivia and I spoke simultaneously.
Seeing Olivia look at me in surprise, I said directly, "I accept the bet from earlier."
Olivia's expression grew stranger.
Instead, Sophia looked pleasantly surprised—though she quickly suppressed it with Leopold present.
I withdrew my gaze and returned to the makeup mirror. "We need to do our makeup and prepare. Unrelated parties, please leave."
Olivia left almost immediately.
"Leo, let's go too. We shouldn't disturb everyone."
Sophia looked at Leopold earnestly.
"All right." Leopold finally responded.
I thought they'd left. Looking up at the mirror, my gaze met Leopold's reflection.
My heart tightened suddenly.
The next second, Leopold silently walked away.
I couldn't help feeling suspicious.
Hadn't he always been completely obedient to Sophia before? Why these past two times had he not blamed me, but instead seemed to be protecting me?
Had his heart changed? Was he not as devoted to Sophia anymore? Or was he...
I immediately stopped that train of thought.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a message.
From Leo.
[Don't be nervous about tonight's performance. I'll be watching you the whole time.]
After reading it, the corners of my mouth curved up involuntarily.
[Just wait to be dazzled.]
The charity performance officially began.
Olivia's Silverlight Ballet Company went first.
Their technique was flawless—rotation angles, jump heights, everything was precise. The entire performance was a pleasure to watch.
"Thank you to our Silverlight Ballet Company. They've raised $5.03 million in donations—an exceptionally high amount. The International Relief Association thanks them again for their contribution..."
Olivia took her bow amid thunderous applause.
Through the lights, she pinpointed my location and tilted her chin at me provocatively.
Soon, the other companies performed in turn.
Everyone's performances were good, but the donation amounts varied significantly—all falling far short of Olivia's $5.03 million.
Soon, it was our turn.
Our program was an adapted version of 'Swan Lake'.
As the music started, I glided into the spotlight.
Unlike the classic version, our 'Swan Lake' focused on the entanglement between the princess and the demon, achieving self-salvation through repeated confrontations.
Throughout the piece, we deliberately didn't show off technical tricks, relying entirely on raw emotion to tell the story.
Every rotation was an escape, every leap a flight to freedom.
I gave everything, pouring all my life force into each movement.
Finally, I broke free from the demon, returned to the castle, and transformed back into the beloved princess.
The venue fell silent.
So silent it was suffocating.
I stood anxiously center stage, scanning the crowd but unable to make out anyone's expression.
"Did we perform badly?" someone whispered behind me.
My heart clenched.
Then one person began to clap.
Like a chain reaction, others joined in.
Applause thundered through the entire hall.
I finally exhaled in relief.
Simultaneously, the big screen behind us began scrolling.
The donation amount flew upward.
It shot straight to $4.9 million.
Then the pace slowed.
But it kept climbing.
Barely breaking into the $5 million range.
After that, it slowed even more, jumping by just a few hundred dollars at a time.
As the countdown entered its final moments and the amount still hadn't broken $5.03 million, I clenched my fists.
My back and forehead were covered in cold sweat.
Just then, I saw Olivia swagger to the stage entrance and flash me a thumbs-down.
I ground my teeth.
Were we really going to lose?
"Final countdown!"
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Lucinda, what do we do?" Lillian and the others looked at me worriedly. "Are you really going to withdraw from the competition?"
"Seven!"
I pressed my lips together, staring at the numbers on screen.
Cold sweat rolled down my forehead and dripped onto my shoulder.
"Four!"
Just then, the amount—which had been crawling—suddenly began flying upward again.
"Why is it spinning again?"
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
Olivia couldn't believe it either. Forgetting herself, she rushed to my side to look.
"How is this possible?"
"One!"
As the host called time, the donation amount stopped at $5.2 million.
This amount surpassed Olivia's $5.03 million, securing first place.
"This is impossible!" Olivia couldn't accept the result.
She whirled to face me, shrieking, "Lucinda, did you cheat?"
"You saw my donation amount was so high and panicked, didn't you? You deliberately got someone to donate and push you past me, right?"
"How dare you cheat at this kind of event?"