"No need for thanks. You've earned it," Ariana messaged back with a grin, then set her phone aside.

Suddenly, Tom, seated opposite Ariana, burst out, "Hey, check this out! Someone just brought something to light! They're claiming the audience vote for our team was manipulated!"

“What? Who did that?" Everyone scrambled for their phones. They discovered not only compelling proof but also the identity of the person orchestrating it all.

"Sadie?! Has she lost her senses? Why would she even do that?!"

The group observed in astonishment as the trending topic attracted a lot of attention online, entirely caught off guard by the shocking revelation that Sadie was the culprit behind it all.

The young contestants found themselves utterly perplexed, struggling to fathom why Sadie seemed to single them out persistently. Even if she had opted not to participate as a judge, they wondered why she would pay off the live audience to manipulate their votes.

They were not alone in this. The curious onlookers online were equally taken aback.

While the presented evidence seemed solid, there were still those who harbored doubts, finding these allegations almost too incredible to believe. Understanding Sadie's motivations for such actions remained an enigma to them.

"I find it perplexing why Sadie would descend to personally sabotage Ariana's team," someone commented.

"Indeed," chimed in another, “Sadie is the fiancée of the CEO of the Fredrick Group. What could she possibly hope to achieve?"

"She's a renowned celebrity in her own right; surely, she wouldn't engage in such a reputation-damaging act, would she?"

Despite many struggling to grasp Sadie's motives, the evidence presented, including transaction records, call logs, and chat histories, all appeared undeniably authentic, serving as incontrovertible proof.

While shock gripped the rest, Ariana remained poised, savoring her meal with composure.

Her astonishment had begun when she overheard the tall man's phone call with Sadie. Swiftly, she had recruited him to her side and offered to purchase the evidence at a premium.

Luckily, the man's sole motivation was financial gain, and Sadie's reluctance to settle the payment had left him frustrated. Ariana generously accepted his terms, and he assured her that everything would proceed smoothly upon receiving payment.

However, his remarkable efficiency hinted at a hidden card he had kept during his dealings with Sadie.

Nonetheless, Ariana remained bewildered by the vehement opposition she faced from Sadie.

Initially, she had sensed Sadie's animosity through intuition, anticipating some degree of hostility, but never expecting such extreme measures.

The burning question lingered: Why? Could it be because of Holden?

Yet, since her return to the country, Ariana hadn't even crossed paths with Holden, and there existed no genuine animosity between them. There seemed to be no solid reason for Sadie to target her so relentlessly.