The True Heiress: Legend Mode novel Chapter 167

During the five-minute presentation, Claire watched with a murderous expression as the panel of judges nodded in obvious approval.

There was no denying it—Faye’s performance was an undeniable hit.

As she concluded, Faye beamed, flashing a confident smile before offering a deep, elegant bow to the judges.

The auditorium erupted into polite applause.

The judges began finalizing their scores.

Taking advantage of the transition, Faye strutted past Claire and Juno, her nose stuck high in the air. "You two are going to lose."

Claire looked ready to strangle her. "You stole my work, and you actually have the nerve to gloat?"

Faye completely ignored the accusation, letting out a smug scoff as she headed back to her seat, utterly convinced victory was hers.

The next two speakers were terribly mediocre, leaving Faye safely at the top of the leaderboard.

Claire was seething, feeling as though her hard work had been grossly violated.

Meanwhile, Juno was casually scrolling on her phone, completely unbothered.

Claire felt like a frantic sidekick stressing over a hero who didn't even care.

"Are you seriously not going to prepare anything?" Claire finally had to ask.

"No need. This is a trivial stage."

Juno wasn't panicked in the slightest.

Well, if Juno said it was fine, Claire slowly began to relax.

Juno didn't make mistakes.

She never had.

Three contestants later, it was finally Juno’s turn.

Speech competitions were inherently dry. Even with the flashiest slides, a boring speaker would ruin the entire presentation.

The host called Juno’s name.

Juno handed her phone to Claire. Claire pumped her fists enthusiastically. "You've got this! Don't panic! Just go out there and give it your all, no matter what happens!"

Amused by her friend's adorable intensity, Juno let out a soft chuckle and headed toward the stage.

On her way up, she discreetly brushed past an assistant, who slipped a sleek USB drive into her palm.

Before stepping into the spotlight, Juno swung by the tech booth and swapped out the original file with her new drive.

Rylan shook his head in amusement. "If Juno were a boy, your coddling would have turned her into an unbearable spoiled brat years ago."

"I wouldn't care."

Rylan chuckled, conceding defeat. When his mother made up her mind, there was no arguing with her.

Juno stepped onto the stage, approaching the podium with casual, unhurried grace. Her entire demeanor was effortlessly relaxed, bordering on apathetic.

It was a level of confidence none of the other nervous competitors possessed.

And then, she spoke—in flawless, immaculate French.

Her accent was native and mesmerizing as she smoothly introduced her thesis.

The massive screen behind her lit up with her presentation.

Anyone paying attention could quickly see that her core data was nearly identical to Faye's.

Faye's face instantly went pale.

What was Juno trying to pull?

Wasn't she afraid of being called out as a copycat?