Snapping back to the present, Claudia accepted the trophy from a woman standing beside her. The host, sensing an opportunity for some Light banter, asked, "So, CC, you've taken second place this time. How does it feel?"

Claudia responded coolly, "I'm happy to finally have a worthy opponent."

The statement might have sounded arrogant coming from anyone else, but for CC, it was par for the course.

As the top three winners all accepted their trophies, Claudia frowned. Where was Kayla's contact?

Just as she was pondering this, someone bumped into her. Before she could react, she felt the elastic band of her mask snap.

The moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived in a rather unexpected manner. Her mask slipped off, and a barrage of cameras captured her unmasked face.

The crowd was stunned to finally see who she truly was.

The sudden turn of events caught even the ever-prepared Claudia off guard.

Certainly, it wasn't the removal of her mask that caught Claudia off guard. What truly surprised her was Kayla's knack for orchestrating “surprises,” especially choosing to do so at this particular moment.

ALL the media cameras had been aimed at the stage, ready to capture the winners in their moment of glory.

The large screen also spotlighted the stage when the unexpected happened.

The mask slipped from CC's face. As she lifted her head in astonishment, the program's director zoomed in on her face, displaying it in close-up for the entire audience to see on the big screen.

Kayla had been waiting for more than two hours for this moment. She thought she'd catch a glimpse of a vulnerable Claudia hidden behind her strong facade.

Her elation, however, was short-lived. When she saw the real face of CC on the screen, she was dumbstruck.

Claudia?

How was it Claudia?

Why did it have to be Claudia?!

Kayla questioned whether her eyes were playing tricks on her. Ignoring her carefully applied eye makeup, she Lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes for clarity.

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, but when she looked again, it was undeniably Claudia.

Excited shouts erupted from the crowd.

“Wow! CC is a knockout! Even in a close-up, she looks stunning. Is she a celebrity?"

“Ahhh! Oh my god! I can't believe I'm actually seeing CC's real face! She's so beautiful!"

Duncan, who'd been busy nagging away, dropped his phone in disbelief. The impact with his foot jarred him back to reality.

Ignoring whether his phone had survived the fall, Duncan looked at Bennett and blurted, "Damn it! Bennett! You're telling me your old flame CC is actually your wife Claudia?"