Let’s start all over again,shall we?

Chapter 278 Yearning for a Kiss Once Maggie wrapped up her performance, her eyes were teary.

Not because of anything else but because tragedies tend to hit close to home.

She couldn't shake off memories of her past life with Nathael and the lingering what-ifs of this one.

Mixing up feelings of relictance, excitement, and a dash of sweetness, it all boiled down to a sad soup. Grace was dabbing her eyes back in the dressing room, and even Danielle seemed a bit misty-eyed. "Maggie, you nailed it out there. I'm so moved, I could cry, Grace chimed in.

Danielle nodded along, adding, "Seriously, you aced it. You're gonna get top marks for sure." "Thanks, Ms. Joyton, thanks, Grace. I'll catch you guys in the audience seats later, Maggie murmured sofily. "Sure thing. Once they announce the scores, you can bounce if you've got stuff to do," Grace replied.

Sierra stayed quiet, her gaze fixed on Nathael's Twitter feed, lost in her world.

Before they realised it, Maggie was next, ready to face the judges' feedback.

With a grin, the host piped up, "Any guesses on your score, Maggie?" Maggie said, "Well, what do you think, Mr. Surrez?" "If it were up to me, I'd toss you an eleven, with an extra point just to boost your ego," the host quipped back.

The room erupted in laughter, and Maggie couldn't help but smile too.

The camera shifted to the judges below the stage, capturing their mixed reactions. Sshowered her praise, while a couple seemed to find faults in every nook and cranny.

Maggie glanced at the two critics, recalling their lukewarm feedback from the first round, It felt like one of them had a bone to pick with the Pierces, and the other might've had sties she couldn't quite put her finger on.

But it all boiled down to Sierra.

Plus, after the last competition wrapped up, Maggie went over the feedback on Sierra. Despite a few subtle hints for improvement, it was mostly a shower of compliments. It was clear what was up.

"Maggie, the votes are through the roof, both inside and outside the venue," the host exclaimed, peering at the latest stats with a hint of surprise.

"Let's break it down: Maggie racked up 187,655 votes from inside and outside the venue! That's a staggering number! Bagging the top spot in the group and sailing straight through to the next round! Way to go, Maggiel" After a grateful bow, Maggie eagerly awaited the host's rundown of the votes for the other two contestants Chapter 278 Yearning for a Kiss up would have to duke it out with their counterparts from different groups.

Once the results were out, Maggie swiftly exited from the stage, only to bump into Sierra backstage, who seemed to be lingering there as if on purpose.

Sierra shot Maggie a cold glare, her hand clenched tightly at her side. "Don't go thinking those votes mean you're soine talent. You're just riding on Nathael's coattails.” Maggie responded with a casual smile, her tone light. "Ah well, gotta give credit where it's due. Thanks to my sister." The calm reply left Sierra fuming, feeling like she was punching cotton, unable to get her frustration across.

"Humph, enjoy your moment in the spotlight while you can, Maggie. But mark my words, I'm gonna cout on top! The championship trophy is as good as mine!" Sierra's eyes blazed with determination, her voice icy, and her demeanour oozing confidence and satisfaction.

Maggie stayed quiet, but in her mind, she couldn't shake off thoughts of the two judges up there who seemed friendly with the Pierces. Seeing Sierra's unwavering confidence, it all clicked into place.

It looked like the Pierces and the Camerons had teamed up, hell-bent on propelling Sierra to the championship spot, hence her unwavering confidence! As this dawned on Maggie, she couldn't help but dive deeper into her thoughts. She wondered if the supposedly random song selections in the competition could be rigged, hiding ssneaky tricks up their sleeves.

As Maggie strode past Sierra, she swiftly dialed Lucas's number.

"Hey," she greeted as he picked up.

"Could you doa favour and look into any fishy business with the song selection for the university competition? Particularly, see if there's anything shady going on with Sierra's picks?" "Got it, I'll get on it ASAP, Lucas replied, his tone serious.

Having been keeping tabs on the competition, Lucas wasted no time. He accessed the backstage system and delved into the investigation.

"You were onto something, sis. It looks like most folks' songs are randomly picked, but is it yours? Not so much. Here's the proof," he explained, sending a code snippet to Maggie's phone as he spoke.

Maggie felt a shiver down her spine, finally understanding why she got stuck with one of the most challenging songs.

"And Sierra's?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Sdeal. Her song was preselected. She's got 'Waltz in G Major," Lucas informed her.

After a brief pause, Maggie spoke softly, "Help her get rid of that preset program.

Why not pick a similar piece for her? That way, she gets to feel what it's like without any favouritism, Lucas proposed, a frown greasing his brow.

Chapter 278 Yearning for a Kiss After a moment of thought. Maggie nodded in agreement. If the competition wasn't playing fair, they had no reason to be fair to those who biased either.

Sierra, who had previously been on edge, now seemed confident, probably thanks to mastering the ice waltz.

While others were juggling multiple pieces, Sierra had been honing in on perfecting just one, undoubtedly making her performance shine.

But now, it was tto bring her down a peg or two.

"It's all sorted, Lucas reported eagerly. "There are two others with Onnections who've got a set repertoire too, but theirs consist of six or seven songs each. It's less obvious than Sierra's setup." After a moment of contemplation. Maggie issued her command. "Disable their preset repertoire, but keep the rest as is," she instructed Lucas.

She realised that ignorance might be bliss, but the desire for fairness couldn't be ignored once aware of the unfair advantage. Sparticipants had dedicated years to practice, while others had sharpened their skills on the brink of the competition. It wouldn't be fair to dampen the spirits of those who had worked hard. After wrapping up the call. Maggie returned to her spot beneath the stage.

As she settled in, a text from Nathael popped up: 'Hungry? Dinner later?' Maggie replied discreetly, 'Could you be any less subtle? I might get ambushed by your fans tomorrow.

Nathaniel teased back, I want to kiss you." Blushing, Maggie quickly shot back, 'Behave yourself!" Nathaniel playfully prodded, 'Should I cover to your side?'

Maggie frowned and shook her head, muttering as she typed, "No, don't! cover My Classmates here. I don't want to turn into a sideshow.” arc Nathael fell silent, but it didn't make sense for him to linger in the front row after her performance. Settling into her seat, Maggie relaxed and focused on listening to the other contestants performances.

Soon, whispers surrounded her.

"He's such a beauty! Is he Maggie's beau? Oh, look, he's heading our way!" "My heart's pounding like crazy! Why are all the hotties taken? And he's the seventh son of the Harrises, here for Maggie!" "Yeah, when he flashed that smile earlier, I nearly swooned!" Caught up in the chatter, Maggie glanced up to find Nathaniel beside her.

In disbelief, Maggie whispered, "You just sauntered over like it was nothing?" Nathaniel glanced down at himself checked for glaring issues and quinned. Should I have brought X