The moment I defended her, Bonnie let out a mocking laugh. "Touched a nerve, did we?"
"What's wrong—afraid we'll find proof of your little artwork swap once we dig deeper?"
Cliff clenched his fists, his expression twisting as though he'd finally reached his breaking point.
"All I wanted was for you to give back the prize money so I could pay my tuition and stay in school. That's all. But you've pushed me too far. Now you have to pay."
He pulled out his phone and dialed the Art Integrity Review Unit.
"I'm filing a formal complaint. Jack Gilbert colluded with judge Delilah Chavez during the national competition to swap my artwork and steal first place in the preliminaries. I demand her immediate termination and the return of what's rightfully mine!"
The other students erupted in cheers, eager to watch my downfall.
The comments exploded:
[This is peak fiction! The MC is so badass!]
[Finally made the call! The higher-ups are sending investigators!]
[The side character's about to be ruined!]
Bonnie fixed me with an icy stare.
"Before the investigators get here, I'll give you one last chance to come clean."
Cliff adopted that insufferable I'm-only-trying-to-help tone. "Once this blows up, you'll lose a lot more than some little preliminary title."
The comments flooded in, praising him:
[The ML is too kind—even now he's giving the second lead a chance to confess.]
[He's SO pure-hearted. That's why he keeps rejecting the FL, because of her engagement to the villain.]
[These two angels can't be together because of that TRASH. The FL has to practically beg him to accept her gifts!]
[Can this simp just explode already?!]
I was starting to question these viewers' collective IQ.
If Cliff were really the saint they imagined, why was he tangled up with Bonnie when he knew she was engaged? His so-called "rejections" were textbook playing-hard-to-get.
One glance at his wardrobe—not a single item under four figures—told me everything. Bonnie had been bankrolling him for God knows how long.
And they actually believed he needed prize money for tuition? The stupidity was dragging down the average intelligence of our entire circle.
I regarded them both with cold indifference and stated again, "I don't need to swap paintings to win. Especially not for some preliminary round."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Wait, yeah—this competition is just domestic. Jack's always competed internationally."