Chapter 205

When Samantha Quin returned to her seat, the room instantly felt different—every glance thrown her way was loaded with judgment. The contestants sitting near her turned their heads, sneering ever so slightly, making no effort to hide their disdain. Within minutes, an empty bubble formed around her, while the others grouped up and chatted like they were all best friends. They didn’t just ignore her—they wanted her to hear exactly what they were saying. "She’s got connections, we’re just wasting time if we think we can compete with that." "Please, she’s just riding on her looks. What real talent is that?" "You don’t get it—if you're pretty and good at playing the innocent card, you're basically unstoppable." "A girl like that? It's all surface. No way she has actual skills." "If she had any talent, she’da at least mentioned an award or two during the intro. Total trophy girl, I’m telling you." ... Samantha stayed calm, expression chill, with an unshakable confidence in her eyes. That qui