Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle' novel Chapter 556

Chapter 556: And the Champion Is?

Selina and Paula’s wager was no secret. Only if the champion turned out to be from Country M could Selina hold on to that twenty billion.

At this point, even the viewers in the livestream grew anxious.

[The championship... we already have seven contestants in the top ten, but the title itself still feels out of reach...]

[Back then, Paula only forced this bet on Miss Clark to bully her. Who doesn’t know Ronald’s own student is competing here?]

[Haven’t any of you thought about the possibility of Miss Clark taking the crown? After all the times the others have been slapped in the face, why couldn’t it happen again?]

[Don’t get your hopes up. Seven Country M contestants in the top ten is already beyond anyone’s expectations. But all eight of them making it in? And one of them taking first place? You really think Country Y will just roll over?]

[Miss Clark isn’t even a professional perfumer—she joined to show support and give encouragement. Her skills can’t be on par with trained professionals. As for the championship...]

The comments trailed into silence.

On-site, Ronald finally looked as if he could breathe freely. "Mr. Reid, the only contestant left unannounced from Country M is Miss Selina. I’ll admit, Country M stole the spotlight this year, but the title still belongs to us in Country Y. Mr. Reid, shouldn’t you start preparing that twenty billion?"

Logan calmly sipped his tea without even glancing at him. "Perhaps you should consider another outcome, Ronald."

Ronald snorted. "Mr. Reid, I know she’s your wife, and you’ll trust her unconditionally. But trust still has to make sense. My student has trained under me for ten years—do you really think he could lose to Miss Clark? Amateur and professional are worlds apart. She’s done well enough to get this far, but you should never have let her take that bet."

Ronald’s voice swelled with arrogance. "When it comes to perfumery, no one surpasses Country Y. Mr. Reid, just give up already."

For the first time, Logan turned his gaze on him, studying Ronald’s confidence, his audacity. After a moment, Logan let out a soft laugh. "Until the champion is announced, nothing is certain. To claim the crown before the results are even read—isn’t that just arrogance, Ronald?"

Ronald took it as nothing more than stubborn resistance, a last scrap of dignity for Selina’s sake. He burst out laughing. "Fine, then let’s hear it! Frank, come stand by me."

Ronald’s student rose from his seat, casting a challenging look across the hall toward Selina—a glare filled with the same brand of pride as his teacher, as though he saw everyone else beneath him.

He joined Ronald at the front. With the whole hall watching, Ronald said, "Frank, tell Mr. Reid and Miss Clark who will be crowned champion of this competition."

Frank spoke with absolute confidence. "Of course it’s me."

Then he turned toward Selina. "Miss Clark, you’re a worthy opponent. But as my teacher said, you’re not a professional. You’ve never received formal training. You don’t have my talent, my precision, or my technique. What could you possibly beat me with?

"Reaching this stage is already impressive enough. Once I take the title, I can ask Miss Paula to go easy on you—maybe cut the amount down a bit. Twenty billion really is far too much for you.

"I admire you for making it this far as an amateur, but unfortunately, this is where your journey ends. The championship is mine."

He finished with a smug glance at the host. "Go on. Announce it."

The Country Y assistants beside the host were practically trembling with excitement. Since both Ronald and Frank were so confident, it had to mean the champion was a Country Y contestant. Finally, they could hold their heads high again!

They stepped forward eagerly, opened the envelope with the champion’s number, and, brimming with joy, shouted:

"The champion of this competition is—Number 7!"

Selina lifted her eyes calmly.

Frank’s mind went blank for a moment, uncertainty flickering across his face.

Wait... wasn’t he not Number 7?

Country Y contestants and audience members alike believed the stage was about to be theirs again. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify