The light came back on—it seemed to be a power shortage. Then she noticed something: she perceived a harsh perfume lingering in the air. Someone had been in her room. She walked to the table; the vase wasn't as she had left it.
Who was in my room? she wondered.
Then she noticed the water bottle—it looked like someone had opened it. Anyone else might not have noticed, but after coming back to life, Maria had developed hyper-awareness of her belongings. She frowned.
She picked up the water bottle and walked to where the participants had gathered. Some were already performing.
"Have you done it already?" Tessa asked one of the girls, who nodded.
"She won't notice anything," the girl replied confidently.
Maria turned and looked at them, feeling the weight of someone's gaze. Her eyes met Tessa's—filled with anticipation and glee—then shifted to the other lackeys, who appeared nervous.
Maria narrowed her eyes slightly and turned away, a sneer curling on her lips.
So they did something to the water? she thought. Fine. If they want a show… I'll give them a real one.
She opened the water bottle and subtly placed her thumb over the mouth, pretending to take a sip. Then, without a word, she walked toward her private room—but stopped halfway.
Instead, she turned and walked into the bathroom.
A moment later, one of Tessa's lackeys, Ruth, entered the bathroom, unaware of what awaited her. She walked to the sink casually to ease herself.
Maria stepped out of the shadows.
Ruth sneered. "What, did you want, bitch?"
She didn't expect Maria to grab her hair without warning.
Maria slammed her head toward the sink, blocked the drain, and turned the tap on full. Water rushed as Maria pressed Ruth's face down—again and again and again.
Slap. Slap. Slap. Blood trickled from Ruth's nose.
"What did Tessa put in my water?" Maria asked coldly, her voice like ice.
Ruth spat curses at her. "You're insane! You bitch! Go die! I will kill you, bitch slut!" she roared.
Maria tore a strip of her gown, wrapped it around Ruth's face, and shoved her into the water again, holding her there as she kicked and struggled.
Seconds passed. Her movements weakened.
Maria pulled her back just before she went limp and did it again—and again.
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Please—please let me go!" Ruth sobbed, coughing.
"Tessa told Linda to put a drug in your water bottle," Ruth confessed, sobbing.
Maria's eyes narrowed. "Which drug?"
Ruth didn't answer—she just kept crying, trembling under Maria's gaze.
"It's a banned enhancer," she finally whispered. "It makes a person's voice sound better temporarily… but it damages the vocal cords over time. If used repeatedly, it leads to permanent voice loss… or even death. It's addictive too."
Her voice cracked. "The drug was banned years ago. Anyone caught using it gets arrested… and banned from the entire entertainment industry. Linda said it was the perfect way to get rid of you—and Tessa agreed."
Maria's gaze turned icy. Without a word, she kicked Ruth to the side.
"I recorded everything," she said coldly, holding up her phone. "If I send this out, it'll destroy your future, and Tessa will rip you apart to cover her tracks."
Ruth's face went pale.
"If you don't want this getting out… do exactly what I say." Maria leaned in, whispering into her ear.
Ruth froze in fear and nodded quickly.
"Good. Do it—and I won't tell a soul." Maria turned and left for the waiting room without looking back.
Later that afternoon, Ruth crept into Linda's dressing room. Her hands shook as she found the drug hidden inside a drawer. Without hesitation, she poured the powder into Linda's mouthwash bottle and twisted the cap back on.
Then she hid.
Moments later, Linda entered, humming to herself. Before she could react, Ruth jumped out, blindfolded her with a strip of cloth, and forced the entire bottle of mouthwash down her throat.
Linda gagged and coughed, but Ruth didn't stop until it was all gone. She kicked Linda once—hard—then ran out of the room, panting, her heart pounding with terror.
Linda got up coughing, trying to vomit what she drank, but nothing came out. She saw the empty mouthwash container. She coughed, wondering who did this and why the person forced her to drink a full bottle of mouthwash. She was scared—especially after she had put the drug in Maria's water.
She got up and rushed out of her room to find the person responsible but ran into the cleaner she insulted before. The woman looked at her angrily. Linda frowned when she noticed scratches on the woman's hand. She remembered that when the person forced the drink down her throat, she had grabbed and scraped the woman's hand.
She didn't think that the woman was a little bigger than the person who forced the mouthwash down her throat.
Linda grabbed her roughly and snapped,
"How dare you?! You're the one who made me drink the full bottle of mouthwash! Are you crazy?! If anything happens to me, can you afford it?! Poor people like you are so disgusting! You should go die, old hag—trying to destroy my performance?!"
SLAP!
The woman's hand struck across Linda's face with force.
"I might be a cleaner," the woman said sharply, "but that doesn't mean I'll tolerate your nonsense. I've given birth to children your age, and they don't talk to me like this. If your mother couldn't teach you respect, I will."
She glared at Linda, already hating her from the last incident—when Linda mocked her for becoming poor and forced her to work overtime without full pay because of this brat.
Linda glared and raised her hand to hit her, but the woman grabbed her wrist first and delivered a series of brutal slaps across Linda's mouth until her lips began to swell.
"You bitch! I'll kill you! I'll make you lose your job forever! You'll regret this! You'll beg from now on!" Linda screamed, pointing at her in rage.
The woman's expression turned into fury. She grabbed a bucket of dirty toilet water and dumped it all over Linda's hair. Some of it splashed into her mouth as Linda screamed in horror and disgust.
"I'd rather beg than work here any longer!" the woman spat, watching Linda start to vomit. "Disgusting, isn't it? This is your rich-people shit and dirt. At least we poor people don't produce waste that smells like this."
With that, she walked away as Linda collapsed to the floor, shivering and gagging.
---
On stage…
Tessa stood under the spotlight, a dazzling figure in her custom stage outfit. Her voice filled the hall like honey—sweet, polished, powerful. It wasn't just singing; it was a performance. She knew how to control every note, every breath. Her tone wrapped around the audience like a charm, and her expressions sold every word.
> "Wow, Tessa knows how to sing—she's a master at this!"
"She should be an idol."
"Tessa is the best. Maria has no chance."
"You guys are either stupid or more stupid. Maria won the first task—doesn't that tell you she has the voice?"
"And so? She might've just been lucky to sing in front of a huge crowd."
Maria's name was called. She stepped onto the stage with calm, quiet confidence. Tessa frowned, watching her from the side.
Why hasn't the drug taken effect yet?
Linda leaned over and whispered, "It'll take time. I only added a small amount—it's slow-acting."
Tessa scrunched her nose and stepped away. "You smell. Gross. Stay away from me," she muttered, waving her off. Then she turned her full attention to the stage, ignoring Linda's embarrassment.
Maria took the mic. The moment her voice came out, silence fell across the room.
It was no longer just music.
It was power.
Maria's voice wasn't sweet like Tessa's—it was raw, ethereal, and soul-deep. Each note told a story. If her performance in the street had been for fun, this was war. Her pain, her strength, her rise—all of it vibrated in every word she sang.
Her voice wrapped around the crowd like a spell, drawing them in with its hypnotic quality. She sang with layered emotions—one moment of heartbreak, the next fierce confidence. She didn't need flashy runs or high notes. Her tone alone made the audience feel like they were living the lyrics. The judges sat frozen. The crowd stopped breathing.
> "F*ck…"
"This is it. The queen will always be the queen."
"It's giving—Linda is the real winner. Talent, face—she has it all. A million times better than Tessa."
"Tessa fans are masochists, right? They keep showing up just to get slapped down. Maria is giving them payback in folds."
Tessa's jaw tightened. "F*ck… it's like the drug's helping her voice," she muttered.
Her smirk returned.
Fine then. If the drug won't break her voice now, I'll ruin her before it ever does.
Tessa pulled out her phone and called the police, tipping them off anonymously about the banned drug in Maria's system. She also contacted a netizen to cover the scene. After she cut the call, she looked at Maria, still singing her heart out on stage.
"Enjoy your spotlight, Maria. Very soon, I'll destroy you," Tessa whispered to herself, a dark smile curling on her lips.
---
Then it was Linda's turn.
Tessa scrolled through her phone, uninterested, bored. She was just waiting for the police to arrive and for the drug to kick in fully. She didn't want to ruin the event publicly—just enough to bring Maria down.
But then she froze.
Linda's voice had begun to echo across the hall.
It wasn't just good. It was stunning.
Linda sang with elegance and raw power that even shocked the audience. Her voice had richness and clarity that rivaled—and even surpassed—Tessa's. Even Linda herself looked shocked at how good she sounded.
Tessa shot up, eyes wide. "What the f*ck?! She's been hiding her talent this whole time?! That bitch!"
Ruth swallowed hard, trying to keep her expression neutral as she watched Linda steal the show. Even the judges were shocked and impressed.
Linda continued to sing, trying to impress the judges. Even if she still couldn't beat Maria, at least she could outshine Tessa—that was what she thought as she sang, pouring every ounce of her effort into the performance .
She knew she had captured their attention. Some audience members were still frozen, as if under a trance from Maria's performance. The thought of how she had suddenly become so good didn't even cross Linda's mind.
But then—it happened.
Linda's voice cracked.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled forward, then suddenly—
She vomited blood on stage.
Screams erupted through the hall.
Staff members rushed to her aid as she collapsed to her knees, trembling violently, coughing with blood staining her lips. The bright lights now highlighted not just a performance—but a horrifying scene.
The host scrambled onto the stage, microphone shaking in his hands, trying to calm the panicked crowd.
Backstage chaos exploded.
Ruth sat frozen in her seat. Her fingers trembled on her lap, her lips parted slightly in shock. Her face drained of color as she stared at the pool of blood left behind.
Blood…
Linda is vomiting blood…
Screams erupted. The staff rushed in, taking her backstage as she continued coughing and trembling. Panic filled the hall. The host rushed to the stage, attempting to calm the shocked audience.
As the staff rushed Linda off the stage, the crowd still murmuring in confusion, Ruth remained frozen in her seat. Her hands trembled on her lap, her face pale and cold. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
Blood... She's vomiting blood...
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind like fire.
She was scared, and she had overdone it. No, she needed to control herself, not bring too much attention to herself.
Then Ruth glanced sideways—at Maria, standing silently at the side of the stage, watching everything unfold with an unreadable expression. She just looked at the scene calmly.
Ruth's stomach twisted in fear.
Ruth took a deep breath. It would still benefit her if Linda were removed, but still, if the news came out, Ruth would be in trouble.
Linda was rushed through the backdoor to a waiting car, her blood-streaked mouth shocking the crowd into stunned silence. The judges murmured in concern, and the host tried to distract the audience, but the damage had been done.
Tessa stared at the scene, her lips twitching into a slight smile anyone that does better than her should suffer.
It seems Linda won't be performing again anytime soon. Serves her right… Did the idiot take the drug herself?
She scoffed quietly. Tsk, such a fool. She deserved it.
But then her smile began to fade. Her eyes narrowed as a disturbing thought crept in.
Wait… If Linda took the drug by mistake, then why isn't Maria reacting yet? She should've collapsed by now. Or maybe… maybe Maria took it later?
Tessa looked up, searching for Maria on the side of the stage—and there she was. Calm. Poised. Staring directly at her.
Their gazes met. Maria didn't speak, didn't move, but a slow, mocking smirk curved her lips before she turned her head away, as if Tessa wasn't even worth her attention.
Tessa's stomach twisted.
A bad feeling crept over her.
She quickly turned and walked out of the stage area, heels clicking in panic down the hallway toward her private room.
Just as she disappeared behind the curtains, the police entered.
Gasps echoed from the audience. A few people stood up in confusion. Others whispered frantically, eyes darting toward the stage and backstage entrance.
The staff, equally bewildered, rushed to the officers.
The director came running, sweat beading on his forehead. "O-Officers? What's going on?"
One of the police stepped forward. "We received a report that someone participating in your show is using a banned performance-enhancing drug."
The director froze. His mouth opened to protest, but no words came out.
Then something clicked.
His face darkened.
He slowly shut his mouth and turned toward the backstage hallway.
Someone's about to go down.
The director, angry as he blamed Linda for everything, led the police backstage. Unbeknownst to him, a group of sneaky paparazzi trailed behind, slipping through the commotion like shadows with cameras.
Meanwhile, Linda was rushed to the hospital. The diagnosis came back quickly—and harshly. She had ingested a banned drug, one known for enhancing vocal ability temporarily but causing severe long-term damage. Worst of all, she had completely lost her voice.
Panic erupted.
The paparazzi, already tipped off by the hospital staff, wasted no time. Photos of Linda on the hospital bed, her lips trembling and bruised, went viral. Headlines screamed, "Young Starlet Uses Banned Drug and Loses Her Voice. What People Do for Fame! Or Popular Singing Show Participants: Linda Took a Whole Packet of Banned Drugs, Even Knowing the Consequences!"
Tessa, shocked by the news, sneered, then smirked to herself. Just as the internet rallied behind the scandal, Tessa made her move.
She paid off a known paparazzo and twisted the story: "Maria gave Linda the drug after learning she couldn't beat her fair and square. Maria took the drug too—that's why her performance was too perfect!"
The rumor spread like wildfire.
Netizens began to question:
Why was Maria unaffected if she took the same drug?
Why did Linda take the drug and suddenly collapse, but Maria looked fine?
Did Maria know and stay quiet, waiti
ng for Linda to be destroyed?
[Tsk, I knew Maria was a bad egg the moment I saw her.]
[I told you guys Tessa was meant to be the winner. Maria knows that, that's why she did that.]
[But why did she not give it to Tessa instead of Linda?]
[Don't wish how Tessa bad things ]
.....
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