Chapter 172 Why Didn't He Like Her Back Then?
Everyone turned their attention to the stage.
The judge in charge of tallying the scores looked at the results and smiled, "This contestant's score is quite special."
The audience grew even more curious.
What was so special about it?
"What's Isabella's score? Why haven't they announced it yet?"
The judge stopped keeping them in suspense and displayed the scores on the screen.
"97.5 points!"
The audience erupted.
Everyone was shocked.
The highest score before this was only Bianca's 83.1 points.
Most others scored in the seventies, and some even scored in the fifties.
This made many people wonder what the scoring criteria were, and whether the judges' standards were too high, making eighty points already considered good.
It wasn't until Isabella's 97.5 points were revealed that people who didn't understand calligraphy finally grasped the difference.
"I'd like to say a few words here." Kellan scratched his head and said, "When Cillian asked me to replace Alaric as a judge earlier, I felt quite inadequate. After all, I'm just a small calligraphy teacher at Stellar High School, and I was worried I wasn't professional enough to give fair scores to the contestants' works."
He continued, "When I was judging Isabella's competition entry just now, I felt even more inadequate, because in my view, I'm not even qualified to judge her calligraphy."
"I'm saying all this just to tell Isabella that your calligraphy is excellent, and you have a great future ahead. The score is just our judges' one-sided assessment. Not giving you a perfect score isn't your problem—it might be our problem as judges."
As soon as Kellan said this, the entire venue buzzed with discussion.
That was such high praise!
Kellan, as the school's specially hired calligraphy teacher, was praising Isabella so highly!
Cillian couldn't help but add, "Mr. Hawthorne is right. The competition is just a form of expression, and Isabella has unlimited potential in the future."
One of the judges joked, "It seems our Cillian also thinks highly of Isabella. I've heard that Cillian has been wanting to take on a student. How about you take Isabella as your student today?"
In the audience, Olivia was startled.
Cillian was the vice president of the Calligraphy Association, a renowned figure in the calligraphy world, much more accomplished than Alaric. Even if Isabella performed excellently in the competition, Cillian wouldn't take Isabella as a student so hastily.
However, the next second, she heard Cillian laugh and say, "You think I don't want to? Why do you think I have Isabella's contact information?"
Cillian's words were straightforward. Olivia's expression froze—she couldn't believe that Cillian had already planned to take Isabella as his student.
Considering Cillian's connections in the calligraphy world alone, if Isabella studied under him, her future would be limitless.
"So what happened?" the judge asked curiously. "Did you take Isabella as your student?"
"No."
Cillian sighed deeply, looking quite disappointed. "I was rejected."
"What?!"
The judges were shocked.
Cillian was actually rejected?
Kellan laughed. He didn't know why he found it funny. "Never thought Cillian would be turned down by a high school student."
In the audience, Olivia was completely stunned.
That was Cillian.
Even Cillian wanted to take Isabella as his student.
She used to dream of cultivating Bianca into a rising star in the calligraphy world, hoping she could just join the Calligraphy Association.
She had spent so much time and energy on Bianca.
Yet it couldn't compare to Isabella's casual calligraphy.
Olivia quickly searched for Isabella in the venue.
Soon, she spotted Isabella walking with Sophia.
Olivia's heart pounded. She walked over, feeling somewhat nervous. "Isabella, after this is over, let mom take you out for dinner."
However, Isabella acted as if she hadn't heard her at all. Without even glancing at her, she walked right past her.
Olivia froze.
She stood there, watching Isabella's unfamiliar retreating figure, embarrassment from being completely ignored rising to her face.
An unprecedented regret welled up in her heart.
As if she had lost something important, her heart ached with a twisting pain.
If only she had shown Isabella more patience and gentleness, would their relationship not have deteriorated to this point?
Isabella was actually very obedient. When she first came to the Taylor Villa, she still remembered that timid call of "mom."
She was so sensible, good at studying, good at calligraphy. Whether it was daughters of elite families or the vice president of the Calligraphy Association, everyone liked her.
But why didn't she, as her mother, like her back then?
What had blinded her at the time?
It wasn't until her phone rang that Olivia snapped out of her thoughts.
She answered the call and walked out in a daze.
——
Alaric was expelled from the Calligraphy Association, and they posted the disciplinary notice on Facebook.
It immediately sparked heated discussion among netizens.
All criticizing him.
[Well done, people like him deserve to be expelled!]
[This is hilarious. Writing his own name on someone else's work—how shameless. A calligrapher with such a big reputation doing something like this.]
[And he accused her of copying his work? How could he have the nerve?]
[Where are all the people who spent big money buying Alaric's calligraphy? I bet no one would want it now even for one dollar.]
Alaric looked at Facebook, his expression dark.
He deeply regretted taking the calligraphy piece Bianca had brought.
He had no idea the calligraphy piece had a shady origin. If he had known, he definitely wouldn't have taken it, and things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Alaric gripped his phone as unprecedented panic swept over him.
His reputation was now ruined, he was blacklisted from the calligraphy world—everything was over!
It was all Bianca's fault!
Alaric called Bianca, unable to contain his anger. "Why did you set me up? I'm your teacher! Haven't I been good to you?"
"You gave me something stolen—what were you thinking?"
Hearing this, Bianca just laughed coldly.
"Give it to you?"
She found it ridiculous. "I never intended to give you that calligraphy piece. That day I came to you just to show you the work. You were the one who asked me to give it to you!"
"You were greedy and wanted to claim someone else's calligraphy as your own, and now you're blaming me."
Alaric was left speechless.