He had seen her too. His gaze met hers, cold and tinged with warning. She hesitated, stopped in her tracks.

Was there a need for further confirmation?

No, there wasn't.

CC was Claudia, and Claudia was simply CC.

Bennett had loved her for years.

As Kayla reflected on her elaborate schemes, she felt like the real fool in the room.

Of course!

Claudia had never believed any of it for a damn good reason, and all along, Kayla had been the one deceived.

After Claudia's mask slipped off, a buzz filled the room.

After a few moments of stunned silence, the host regained his composure.

“Wow! Who knew that our CC is such a stunner?"

He picked up the fallen mask and extended it towards Claudia. "Do you think you'll still be needing this?"

Though inwardly embarrassed, Claudia maintained her poise. She accepted the mask, saying simply, “I don't think so."

The host engaged briefly with the audience before refocusing on the event at hand.

When CC's mask inadvertently fell, revealing her striking visage, she instantly overshadowed the actual champion.

Even though she wasn't positioned at the center, photographers found themselves instinctively framing her as the focal point of their shots.

After all, her newfound fame was too tempting to ignore, and they were more than happy to latch onto it.

This turn of events was precisely the kind of buzz the organizers had hoped to generate for the day.

The official event photographer scarcely took his Lens off Claudia. It seemed as though today's spectacle might single-handedly meet their performance targets for the year.

Initially, the organizers were pondering how to draw more attention and set the social media world abuzz.

But when CC's mask unexpectedly slipped, revealing her undeniably captivating face, it seemed the answer had presented itself.

Could there be a better opportunity to seize the trending spotlight? Without needing further instructions, a horde of reporters surged forward to secure an exclusive interview with her.

Yet Claudia had other priorities. She was keenly interested in Kayla's reaction to the unfolding drama.

Before the group photo wrapped up, reporters started to cluster around Claudia.