For a moment after Luca spoke, the world seemed to tilt.
“The only fraud in this room is Luciano.”
The words didn’t explode the way Paige’s accusations had. They didn’t need to. They landed with a quiet, devastating certainty—like a final brushstroke on a canvas that had already revealed its truth.
I stood there, the trophy still cold in my hands, watching the color drain from Luciano’s face. His fury faltered, replaced by something far uglier.
Fear.
Around us, the judges remained silent, their posture unified in a way that made it painfully clear this wasn’t impulsive rebellion. It was judgment—measured, absolute, and long overdue.
But none of them spoke yet.
They were all looking at me.
Not with suspicion.
Not with curiosity.
With recognition.
The kind that crawls under your s
