NovelBookChapter 386
Someone whispered, "Honestly, with the way she carries herself and how
articulate she is, there's no way she only went to high school, right? Could there be skind of
mistake?"
"1 don't think so. From what I've heard, Ms. Cameron is Haynes's ex-wife-no connections, no family
background, not even much of an education.”
"But you can't fake class. Ms. Cameron doesn't seem at all like someone who's never seen the
world."
"She's probably just putting on an act."
A quiet murmur rippled through the crowd, everyone speculating in hushed tones.
Franco's eyes flashed with a cold, ruthless gleam. "So, you're refusing to admit you cheated?"
Stella stood tall on stage, meeting every gaze head-on without flinching.
"That's right. I did not cheat.”
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Down in the audience, Rachel noticed Jasper fiddling with his phone again, her right eyelid
twitching with a sudden sense of unease.
She whispered, "Jasper, what are you doing?"
Without looking up, Jasper replied, "Streaming, of course. | want all of Stella's fans to see just how embarrassing
she really is."
Rachel tried to dissuade him. "Jasper, let it go. When Haynie gets off the phone and sees you doing this, you
know he'll have a word with you."
This time, her warning was genuine, not just for show.
Every tJasper started a livestream, it inevitably backfired.
He never managed to catch Stella making a fool of herself; instead, she always ended up looking even better.
Jasper grinned with confidence. "Don't worry. Dad and Haynie always tellto help promote Stella. This is just
another way to get her nout there. The judges all gave her perfect scores who would've thought she'd
cheat? If she's embarrassed, that's on her, not me."
Rachel was about to press the issue, but Franco's voice boomed through the hall, amplified by the microphone.
He launched into a long string of French.
Several people in the crowd who understood French paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Deanna, who didn't understand French, looked around at the laughter, curiosity getting the better of her.
"What did that judge just say? Why is everyone laughing?"
Rachel, struggling to keep a straight face, leaned over to translate for her.
"Franco just said, 'Frankly, | doubt anyone here has a lower level of education than Ms. Cameron-unless you
count the kindergarteners in the front row.""
Deanna couldn't help but smile at that, the corners of her mouth lifting in amusement.
She glanced at Rachel, her opinion of her shifting ever so slightly.
"Didn't know you spoke French, Rachel. Impressive."
Rachel noticed the subtle change in Deanna's attitude and lowered her long lashes, hiding the excitement in her
eyes.
She murmured softly, "You're too kind, Deanna.”
Jasper chimed in from the side, "Mrs. O'Brien, Rachel doesn't just speak French. She's fluent in
Spanish, German, Korean, and Japanese, too. Pretty much every major language, she knows. Even
the obscure ones, she has at least a basic grasp."
Deanna's eyes narrowed thoughtfully at that.
She'd always hoped Haynes would marry for business, to help the O'Brien Group climb even higher.
But in the end, Haynes married someone who couldn't even compare to Rachel.
Now, with the O'Brien Group's current strength, they didn't really need a business marriage to
secure their position.
A man like Haynes, even if this was his second marriage, had no shortage of wealthy young women
eager to marry him.
still, whether those women would actually care for Keen—or whether Keen would even accept them-
was another matter entirely.
Keen was obviously fond of Rachel, and Rachel treated him well in return.
Maybe, just maybe, letting Haynie marry Rachel wouldn't be such a bad idea after
all.
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