The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 36

The auditorium was in a state of stunned chaos. The giant screen above the stage repeated the final, damning message on a loop: "Plagiarism detected. System integrity compromised. Disqualified."

The members of Team Sovereign stood frozen at their station, their faces a mask of disbelief and horror. Mark Chen, the campus legend, looked as if he had been physically struck, staring at his blank monitor as his reputation evaporated before a live audience of thousands.

The host, after a moment of shocked silence, finally found his voice. "Well, ladies and gentlemen," he stammered, "in a truly unprecedented turn of events, it appears our front-runners, Team Sovereign, have been… disqualified." He cleared his throat, trying to regain control. "Which means… we have a winner! Please give a thunderous round of applause for the champions of the Blackwood Innovation Prize… Team SC!"

For a moment, the crowd was too stunned to react. Then, a single person in the audience, Professor Albright, stood up and began to applaud, a slow, deliberate clap filled with genuine admiration. That broke the spell. The auditorium erupted in a deafening roar of applause and cheers. It was a victory for the underdog, a true Cinderella story, and the crowd loved it.

Chloe looked like she was about to faint. "We... we won?" she whispered to Evelyn, her eyes as wide as saucers. "But... what happened to them?"

"They made a mistake," Evelyn said simply, her expression unreadable. She gently guided her shell-shocked friend towards the stage.

They walked past the devastated members of Team Sovereign. As they passed, Jen, the coder who had copied the "honey pot," shot a look of pure, venomous hatred at Aria, who was trying to shrink into her VIP seat and become invisible.

On stage, the lights were blinding. They stood before the panel of judges, the applause washing over them. Kaelen Blackwood rose from his seat, holding the large, elegantly designed crystal trophy. He walked towards them, his movements filled with a predatory grace that seemed out of place on the celebratory stage.

He stopped in front of Evelyn, the trophy in one hand, his other hand extended for a customary handshake. But as Evelyn reached out, he didn't take her hand. He let his own drop to his side, a deliberate, pointed gesture that sent a ripple of confusion through the front rows. The host and judges watched, perplexed by the break in protocol.

Evelyn's lips curved into a small, enigmatic smile. It was a smile that held a universe of secrets, a smile that acknowledged his intelligence without confirming a thing. It was the smile of a queen meeting a king on the chessboard.

Without a word, she took the trophy from his hand, her fingers brushing against his for a fleeting, electric moment. She turned to Chloe, who was still in a happy, bewildered daze, and handed her the trophy. "We did it, partner," she said, her voice warm and genuine.

Then, she turned back to the microphone. "Thank you to the judges, and thank you to my partner, Chloe," she said, her voice clear and confident. "Her passion was the reason we entered. This victory is hers."

With that, she turned and walked off the stage, leaving a stunned Kaelen Blackwood holding an empty handshake, a thousand unanswered questions raging in his mind, and a cheering crowd that had no idea they had just witnessed a silent declaration of war between two hidden titans.