She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 169

“Look! The second-place winner fainted!”

“Sybil! Sybil!”

Yuna and her friends shrieked in alarm, rushing forward to help her up.

The moment Sybil’s face was lifted, her eyes locked onto the camera’s position. Then, right on cue, her eyes reddened and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m sorry, I’m fine,” she murmured. “I just twisted my ankle.”

Even the host was drawn in by the drama, leaning in with his microphone. “Is contestant number thirty-four all right?”

Sybil bit her lip and shook her head. She had intended to leave, but after a moment’s hesitation, she staggered back onto the stage, shrugging off Yuna’s supporting hand. She walked straight up to Loyce, her voice choked with emotion. “Loyce, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Loyce raised an eyebrow. “What am I supposed to say? That you should probably get that ankle checked out at a hospital?”

“I congratulate you on winning first place, but…” Sybil gave a sad, hopeless smile. “Didn’t you tell me you didn’t even participate in the auditions? I didn’t see you in the second round, either. How… how did you suddenly get into the finals?”

Helena immediately jumped to Loyce’s defense. “What are you trying to imply? Are you making it sound like Ms. Lonsdale stole your first-place title? She was clearly—”

Loyce gently took her wrist, stopping her. She watched Sybil’s performance with the detached amusement of someone observing a circus clown.

Yuna piped up from the side, adding fuel to the fire. “That’s right! Ms. Lonsdale, you stole Sybil’s original composition, and it drove her to the brink of suicide trying to prove her innocence! That was bad enough, but this is the Steinway competition! This isn’t a place where you can just throw money around to buy yourself some prestige!”

A cold sweat broke out on the host’s back. This was a public accusation of cheating at a prestigious competition like the Steinway. If this escalated, the scandal would be immense.

“I’m sure there must be some misunderstanding,” the host interjected quickly. “Our competition is absolutely fair and impartial! There is no possibility of anyone bribing their way into the finals. Besides, there were only three finalists officially announced. Ms. Lonsdale was not on that list.”

Sybil’s eyes swam with tears. “If she wasn’t on the list, then why is she in the finals? Loyce, haven’t I tolerated enough from you? All I ever wanted was a chance to prove myself. Do you really have to push me to my death before you’re satisfied? I just wanted to achieve my dream!”

Sybil’s tearful accusation, combined with her beautiful, harmless-looking face, began to sway the audience. Murmurs of doubt about the competition’s fairness spread through the hall.

“Sybil, you won’t believe any explanation I give you, but surely you can read? Read this out loud for everyone. Tell them what it says.”

At that moment, Loyce’s voice was laced with amusement, and her eyes held the cunning glint of a predator watching its prey walk straight into a trap.

Sybil’s fingers trembled as she took the ID card. When she saw the gold-stamped words “Special Guest Judge,” her pupils contracted violently. Her lips began to quiver, and all the color drained from her perfectly made-up face.

“Sp… Special Guest Judge…” Her voice was barely a whisper, squeezed from between her teeth. Her world was spinning. She couldn’t comprehend how Loyce had suddenly become a judge. She was a contestant! How could she be a judge, evaluating her?

“Louder, Sybil,” Loyce said, leaning in slightly, an elegant smile playing on her lips. “Let everyone hear clearly. What is my role here?”

Sybil’s hand shook so violently that the ID card slipped from her grasp and clattered to the floor.

Yuna, quick to react, snatched it up and read it aloud, her voice shrill. “Steinway International Piano Competition, Harmony Region Special Guest Judge… Loyce…” Her voice trailed off, becoming little more than a gasp. “Loyce is… Mr. X’s disciple?”