The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 768

Some of the other contestants who still had a shot at the finals began putting pressure on the show's producers, demanding that Stella be disqualified.

No matter how many times the organizers explained that Stella was the innocent victim of a car accident and only missed the competition because of that, the other competitors refused to listen.

They had one refrain:

“It’s because of Stella that Felipa was dragged down and lost by default. Stella should take responsibility for that, otherwise it’s unfair to Felipa.”

With the accusation of “unfairness” hanging over them, the organizers found themselves in a difficult position.

In the conference room, the show’s team leads gathered to figure out what to do.

Manager A spoke up first. “This whole situation isn’t Stella’s fault. Honestly, the problem’s with our rules. Felipa is blameless, but Stella shouldn’t be punished either. How about this: Stella gets zero for this round, and Felipa advances automatically, just like the other group that moved on by default?”

Manager B shook his head. “If we do that, the others will say it’s unfair to them. Advancing Felipa is unfair, but giving Stella zero is unfair too. There’s no winning here.”

Judge A gave a cold chuckle. “Those contestants’ motives couldn’t be more obvious. Let’s be real—they just want Stella out. But do they really think, if they force her out, they’ll have a shot against the international competitors? Please. They’d get crushed before they even got started.”

Judge B nodded in agreement. “Even if Stella gets a zero this round, her skills are more than enough to make the cut. She’s a top contender. We cannot let her be pushed out.”

A few others from the operations and planning teams chimed in as well.

“From a skills perspective and for the sake of the show’s viewership, we can’t let Stella quit.”

Someone suggested, “How about we redo the round and let them compete again?”

Another person shook their head. “That won’t work. The rules are the rules. If we start breaking them whenever there’s trouble, how can we expect the contestants to respect the process?”

“So this won’t work, that won’t work—what do you all suggest, then?” someone asked, exasperated.