The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

"If the O'Brien family loses him again, I'll take you to court and file for a change in custody."

Without waiting for Haynes to respond, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Stella barely had time to breathe these days.

Between preparing for the upcoming concert and juggling a slew of performances and competitions, her schedule was packed.

On this particular day, Stella spotted Rachel at the competition venue.

Given how few high-profile contests there were in the industry, it wasn't a total surprise to bump into Rachel here.

The sight of Rachel quickly set off a quiet ripple of gossip among those nearby.

"Wait, is that Rachel? She's competing this year too?"

"I heard Rachel got a recommendation from Mr. Walden-she doesn't even have to go through the preliminaries."

"Rachel's Mr. Walden's protégé. What chance do any of us have?"

"Oh, come on! Why is there always some unbelievable prodigy every year?"

Rachel stood beside Mr. Walden, deep in conversation with the event organizer. Stella only glanced their way before turning her attention elsewhere.

In some competitions, a recommendation from a prominent mentor could fast- track a contestant straight into the main event, bypassing the preliminary rounds. In rare cases, it could even mean automatic entry to the finals.

It sounded unfair at first, but the pressure on the recommending mentor was immense—if their student was knocked out early, it would throw the mentor's judgment and reputation into question. That's why most mentors rarely put their own credibility on the line, unless their student had missed the registration deadline due to unexpected circumstances.

Rachel's last-minute entry, with Mr. Walden's backing, made it obvious she'd been late to sign up. Thanks to his recommendation, she was allowed to skip the preliminaries and head straight into the official competition.

This particular contest was a big deal it only happened once every three years.

Even with a top mentor's endorsement, skipping straight to the finals was unheard

of.

After all, the finalists would go on to represent their country in an international showcase, performing alongside the best from around the world These global events always attracted attention; they were the fastest way to gain both recognition and experience.

In recent years, Novaris's music scene had seen a real drought of new talent.

During the team competitions, if it hadn't been for Antoney pulling up the average score, Novaris might have ended up at the very bottom.

It was this competition that had launched Antoney's career.

But this year, Antoney wouldn't be returning.

He'd promised his father, Nicolle Watson, that after the concert, he'd come home for good.

Before leaving, he told Stella, "Star, with you here this year, I can finally step aside without any regrets. I never managed to win the team or solo championship, but you have more talent-and more drive than I ever did. I believe you're going to take home that trophy."

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He hesitated, then added, "I heard Aurora is officially representing Solmaris this year. This is her shot at making a name for herself internationally, too. Star, win this for the Williams family. Show them how wrong they were to cast you aside and put all their faith in Aurora."

The preliminaries were no challenge for Stella.

After the competition, she made her way outside.noveldrama

By now, the sky had grown dark and heavy with rainclouds. It looked like a downpour was imminent.

Stella had just slipped into her car when fat raindrops began to hammer against the windshield.

The competition was held out in the countryside, far from the city.

She hadn't made it out of the outskirts before the engine suddenly died.

Stella tried to restart the car a few times, but it wouldn't budge.

Frowning, she dug around for an umbrella, planning to check under the hood.

Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets, the wind cutting straight through her clothes. The umbrella was useless-within seconds, Stella was soaked to the skin.

She'd barely managed to get the hood open when a car pulled up nearby and stopped.

The window rolled down, revealing the striking, pale face of a man she hadn't expected to see.