Chapter 302

"Solutions! I need goddamn solutions! Not watching you all stand around like statues! My superiors and I have given you plenty of time to figure this out–days! With so many of you, not one person has a solution? Is this how you treat your work?"

Still silence.

Slam-

A tremendous crash erupted. Even Alarieka, separated by a wall, jumped in fright, let alone those inside.

"I'm asking you a question! All mute now?! Speak! Not talking? Get the hell out right now!"

Finally, someone murmured, "This mess wasn’t our fault. Others caused it. Why should we face the consequences?"

Alarieka's heart lurched.

With one person speaking up, others began venting.

"Exactly! We didn’t cause any of this. Alarieka Huston reported Roschelle Whitaker for plagiarism. Roschelle herself chose to forfeit the trophy. We didn’t make them do it. How is any of this fallout our responsibility? Didn’t Alarieka and Roschelle create this mess? Shouldn’t they be the ones held accountable? Besides, it was Roschelle’s fans who leaked our private info. Roschelle hasn’t lifted a finger to stop them. But she’s sure quick to play the victim—who knows if her depression is even real?"

"And that Alarieka? Still hiding. She started all this, yet she’s turtled up, dumping the pressure on everyone else. Honestly…"

"What did we even do wrong? We’ve been fair and square with every contestant, spotless. If they want this resolved, step one is forcing Alarieka to apologize. Redirect the online mob’s rage onto her, and our pressure vanishes."

"I agree. Most attackers are Roschelle’s fans. They’re only doing this to drag Alarieka out. Our best move is redirecting the fire toward Alarieka."

"Same here. We should contact Alarieka, make her issue a statement. Have her apologize to Roschelle and Roschelle’s fans. Our PR team can draft it for her–make it flawless so Roschelle’s fans can’t twist it. Don’t give them ammunition."

The office buzzed with earnest, heated discussion, every word deliberate.

Alarieka listened silently, her expression calm.

Moments later, the furious leader calmed down.

Nodding in agreement:

"Exactly, this is how it should be handled. This whole mess is between Alarieka and Roschelle–it’s got nothing to do with us. I agree with having Alarieka issue an apology, but I don’t think our PR department should draft it for her. We didn’t get involved earlier, and we shouldn’t get involved now. Let Alarieka and Roschelle sort it out themselves. We should stay out of it completely. Otherwise, if something else blows up later, we’ll never wash our hands clean."

Everyone murmured their agreement.

"Alright, since we’ve settled this, someone contact Alarieka and have her apologize-"

"I disagree."

Alarieka’s eyes snapped up, flickering slightly.

That was Paloma’s voice.

Paloma said, "No matter what Roschelle claims, or how pure her motives sound, none of that matters. The fact remains: she plagiarized Lindsey Weaver’s piano composition. Alarieka exposing Roschelle’s plagiarism publicly was absolutely not wrong. Alarieka did nothing to apologize for. As for Roschelle forfeiting the championship trophy–good. The Mcintosh Piano Competition has always valued originality and condemned plagiarism. Even if the piece Roschelle played in the finals wasn’t stolen, her plagiarism is an established fact. Personally, I believe she never deserved that trophy."

Paloma’s tone was solemn and resolute: "The only one at fault here is Roschelle. We did nothing wrong, and Alarieka certainly did nothing wrong. She’s just a girl who bravely stood up for her teacher. She shouldn’t apologize, and I refuse to watch her do it. If she actually apologizes, it’d be absurd–letting those bastards win."

Alarieka’s heart stirred, waves rising in her eyes.

She truly hadn’t known–hadn’t realized Ms. Wyatt would defend her so fiercely. Even amid this crisis, her teacher still stood by her.