Fiona turned and left, letting the organizers handle the investigation so she didn’t have to waste any more energy on it.
Jackson walked out right after her.
The second both of them were gone from the kitchen, the organizers finally relaxed. Their nerves had been stretched thin, but now it felt like the tension in the room just snapped away.
“Check everything! I want to know exactly who’s behind this mess!” the organizer barked, shooting a fierce look at the kitchen staff. “All of you, out. Now!”
Everyone exchanged anxious glances, but no one dared say a word. They shuffled out in silence.
Back in the lounge, Fiona found her three teammates looking much better than before. They were still a little pale, but at least they could sit up and talk.
After Fiona and Jackson left, the organizers considered postponing the competition to give everyone time to recover. But Team Country M and the Gregory family immediately objected.
If the organizers seemed to favor one team over another, the backlash would be huge.
Fiona wasn’t about to ask for special treatment, anyway. If some people were so eager to keep things moving, it was only more proof that certain folks were getting desperate to show their true colors.
Honestly, their obsession with winning first place couldn’t be more obvious.
There were still three rounds left. For the second round, Fiona decided to have Jean compete. It wasn’t Jean’s last shot or anything—Fiona just wanted to see what she would do under pressure.
She was sure that with Jean, they’d be able to draw out whoever was really pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Jean didn’t let anyone down. She went up there and, against all odds, snagged first place.
Everyone was shocked, especially Jane and the other three contestants. They were still feeling too sick to participate, so they watched from the audience instead.
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