Chapter 499

Gavin glanced at the nearby river, then calmly shifted his attention to Freda. Her hands trembled. He remained silent, slowly rolling up his sleeves as he approached her.

Freda, uneasy, took a step back. "What do you want?"

"You'll push me into the river. Sounds fair, right?" Gavin said with a smile.

Freda reacted sharply. "Are you out of your mind?"

As she continued to retreat, nearing the riverbank, Gavin sighed in frustration. "Do you really want to fall in and need rescuing?"

Freda glanced back, realizing her precarious position. She stopped abruptly, looking at Gavin with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Gavin checked his watch. It was time to end the teasing. "Gotta go," he said with a friendly smile. "Please be careful. Excuse me." He turned and walked away gracefully.

Freda watched him intently until he was out of sight.

Unbeknownst to her, Gavin had another plan. He called Karl, informing him that Freda was by the river and suggesting he send someone to escort her home.

Karl was grateful. He arranged for his men to take Freda home, discipline her, and give her time for self-reflection. Afterward, she was to apologize to Elyse and Gavin.

It was then Freda realized Gavin had orchestrated the entire apology. "Curse you, Gavin Cramer! I'll get even!" she cried, hunched over her bed as her stepmother applied medicine to her bottom. The stepmother accidentally applied too much, causing Freda to cry out in pain. "Mommy, that hurts! Please be gentle!"

After executing his plan, Gavin drove around the city, searching for Fiona, but to no avail. Finally, he returned to the Blue Sea Music Studio.

Evening had fallen. Gavin parked and entered, finding Fiona in her competition outfit—a pink feathered dress that made her look pretty and adorable. He was relieved to find her safe. In a blaming tone, he asked, "Where were you during the competition? Why didn't you participate in the extra round? You even turned off your phone! I've been searching all day. Do you realize that?"

Fiona sensed his frustration and felt apologetic, but believed she'd done nothing wrong. Frowning slightly, she avoided his gaze. "Gavin, why are you so upset? I didn't do anything wrong. How would the extra round have benefited me? It would only have helped Elyse. The judges wanted her to win. It was unnecessary."

Gavin's brows furrowed. "How can you see it that way? The extra round was a chance for you, too. You didn't even make the top eight. What if it could have changed that?"

Rubbing her forehead, Fiona replied irritably, "Do you really think I would have improved my rank? I felt like I would fail again. Can you imagine losing twice in the same contest? The humiliation, the helplessness… can you understand that?"

She closed her eyes. "Gavin, you're God's favorite. You can't understand how I feel. Neither can Irving or Elyse. She's always been at the top; she's never lost."

Gavin realized Fiona was deeply troubled by her failure and her negative thoughts. He tried to reassure her. "Fiona, you're talented. You're just struggling with this setback and overthinking. Let's talk. Skipping the extra round wasn't the end of the world."

Fiona didn't respond. After a few seconds, she muttered, "Sometimes, I don't understand why I joined the Blue Sea Music Studio. I'm not particularly talented. Why am I Mr. Tucker's student?"

Gavin moved toward her, intending a serious discussion.

But Fiona snapped, "You're all so talented. You must have been tolerating me. I don't need your pity. I can leave the Blue Sea Music Studio. We can part ways." ... ... ...