The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 700

After listening, Candida frowned. “Honestly, the climate back home really does need to change.”

It wasn’t long before the results of the match between Stella and Rachel were announced.

Stella earned ten points.

Rachel… zero.

Even though the host and judges praised Rachel for her valiant effort, she still felt utterly humiliated.

She’d lost to Stella. Again.

Fortunately, she’d prepared herself before stepping onstage, so at least her dignity remained somewhat intact.

Rachel forced herself to smile gracefully. Turning to Stella, she said, “Ms. Cameron, congratulations on winning the first round.”

Stella’s own smile was impeccably polite. “Thank you, Ms. Pearce. We’ll have another chance to compete soon. I hope you recover quickly, and that your hand heals well. Maybe next time, you’ll take back the win.”

This time, Stella scored ninety-nine points.

To beat her, Rachel would have to achieve a perfect score.

Even Antoney, the undeniable prodigy of the day, had only managed ninety-five.

Rachel’s score didn’t even come close.

Defeating Stella wasn’t going to be easy.

After their display of polite rivalry, Stella and Rachel stepped down from the stage.

The other contestants continued with their matches.

By the end of the day, no one had managed to surpass Stella’s top score.

Rachel had the second-highest score after Stella, but since she’d lost to her, she walked away with zero points.

Today was only the first day of the round-robin tournament. The others still had a chance to catch up in the next rounds.

After all the matches concluded, the host announced the results of the online popularity vote.

“Judges, take a guess—who do you think is today’s fan favorite?”

Some judges guessed Stella, others picked Rachel, and a couple chose different contestants.