WantNovel"Call Harry arrogant all you want, but the guy's got the skills to back it up. If you want to shut him up, beat him
at his own gand rub his nose in it.
Otherwise? Keep your head down and accept it. If a genius gets cocky, can you really blthem?"
"Exactly! If | were that talented, I'd be boasting too!"
The crowd buzzed with mixed opinions about Harry. Sadmired him, sresented his attitude, but nobody
questioned his talent. And not a single person thought Stella stood a chance against him.
Antoney leaned in and whispered, "Star, don't do it. The bet's already settled- you kept your end of the bargain."
Harry caught the tension and shot Stella a mocking grin. "What's wrong, Stella? Didn't you say you wanted to
avenge your mom and your mentor? Getting cold feet now?"
He sneered, "You clearly don't have half the courage your mother did. No wonder you're still just a rookie."
Antoney's eyes flashed. "You're supposed to be her senior, from my mentor's generation, and you're challenging
a newcomer? Aren't you the least bit ashamed?"
Harry's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Oh, Mr. Watson, don't be so naive. Music doesn't care about borders-or
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtabout age. Plenty of veterans have challenged me, and | never backed down just because they'd been around
longer."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"Only those who lack the skills always look for excuses."
Antoney opened his mouth to argue, but Stella stopped him with a gentle touch.
She looked straight at Harry. "This is between you and me. There's no need to drag anyone else into it, is there?"
Harry blinked, caught off guard by her words.
"You want to takeon alone?" he said, almost incredulous. "If you and Antoney teamed up, you might actually
have a shot-especially since someone on my side
is just dead weight. But on your own? You really think you can beat me?"
Rachel's face tightened at that. Harry had just called her out in front of everyone, basically telling the crowd she
was the weak link The embarrassment stung.
Stella smiled coolly. "What's the matter, Mr. Harry? Would you rather I just quit the competition without even
trying?"
If
a prodigy gets defeated and then
crushed with words, at least there's
a reason for them to step away. But making someone quit without even giving them a chance-that's just
bullying.
No matter how talented or arrogant you are, there's a line.
Harry knew it too. He let out a cold laugh.
"If you're that eager to walk into the fire, don't blanyone else when you get burned."
He turned to the event host.
"The main competition is over, right? Let's have one more match. Anyone who wants to watch, stay. If you'd
fer leave, go ahead-we won't
keep you."
Who would leave, when they could watch an extra showdown for the price of one ticket? The audience buzzed
with excitement, applause rippling through the hall.
A few of the judges tried to intervene, but Harry shut them down every time.
"Stella agreed herself why are you trying to stop her? Or do you just not believe in your own contestant?"
The judges exchanged glances, disappointment and frustration written on their faces.
"Stella, you shouldn't have taken the challenge. He's doing this on purpose."
“If she loses, then what? Stella's our brightest hope for this year's international competition..."
In the audience, Joshua nudged Abby and whispered, "Is it tto make our move?"
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