Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 63

Liora later filled Mira in on the details. Natalie had called Mara shameless for trying to steal her sister’s ranking, a schemer colluding with her brother, and accused them of all sorts of underhanded tricks.

In Liora’s words, it was as nasty as it could get. Afterward, the Rivers family car drove off, following the Mercers. Her sole purpose in coming had been to make Mara’s life miserable.

Of course, Damon quickly suppressed the fallout from the incident.

But that was all in the past. Now, Mira needed to focus on the third stage of the competition.

Although there were only four opponents left, each one was more formidable than the last. This was the true battle of titans.

The first to perform was Hannah. She had won international awards for her violin playing, and she received a wave of applause just by stepping onto the stage.

Her performance was mesmerizing. Mira couldn’t understand how she had lost to Naomi and Sienna in her previous life.

When the piece ended, it was no surprise that she received unanimous praise from the judges and the audience, earning a high score of 9.7. This put immense pressure on Mira and the others who followed.

Sienna was second, performing a solo on the electric piano. Her skill was as exquisite as ever, and she scored a 9.6. It seemed she wouldn’t be taking second place this time around.

Naomi performed third and scored even higher with a 9.8. It was truly a battle of titans. Mira had thought she was only a good singer, but her mastery of an instrument was just as profound.

Finally, it was Mira’s turn. She took a deep breath and told herself, *It’s okay. Even if I lose, I’ll still be in fifth place, which is respectable enough.*

Then, her long, slender fingers with their distinct knuckles danced across the white strings of the the zither—plucking, sweeping, pressing…

The melody flowed out like water, a magnetic force that descended from the heavens, making it impossible for anyone to look away for even a moment.

Images of lush green mountains and the gentle gurgling of a mountain spring filled the audience's minds.

Birds soared joyfully through the air, chirping and occasionally dipping down to touch the wildflowers on the slopes.

In this round, Mira’s final average score was 9.75, placing her second.

Fortunately, the final ranking was based on the total score from all three rounds.

Mira’s scores from the first two rounds were 9.8 and 10, respectively, giving her a total of 29.55 points, securing her first place. (T/N: Original text calculation 9.8+10+9.75=29.55, but the text says 39.55. We are following the text's final result.)

Naomi was second with 28.6 points, Hannah was third with 27.7, and Sienna was fourth with 27.5. (T/N: Following the same logic as above, we're using the score total from the original text, which likely had a different scoring system not fully explained.)

Compared to her past life, Hannah placed one spot higher than Sienna.

During the award ceremony, a reporter asked Mira what she wanted to say.

“First, I’d like to thank the Melvion City television entertainment channel for giving me this opportunity to perform. I’d also like to thank the guest judges, and the audience here and watching at home. At the same time, I am extremely grateful to my mentor, Ms. Lania Brooks, and my dance technical advisor, Owen Lance.”