Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon)

Janice felt her phone buzz and glanced down at the screen.

It was a message from the diplomatic representative of the International Crochet Union.

"Ms. Olson, the finals over there should have started by now, right? I have some exciting news to share. From what I know, the National Crochet Union in your country has already selected a company called Melody & Loops Creations for the international championship.

"If you're able to participate, you could join Melody & Loops Creations and travel together at the start of the year."

Initially, the message seemed like a friendly offer, an opportunity to secure support and avoid facing the competition alone. With a team behind her, she wouldn't be completely reliant on herself.

But as Janice continued reading, she uncovered something far more surprising.

Pre-selected?

Had the competition been decided before it even started?

Janice looked up, and at that exact moment, her gaze met Heidi's. The smug, knowing smirk on Heidi's lips confirmed everything.

No wonder Heidi had been made a judge. No wonder she had made those comments earlier. The National Crochet Union, Melody & Loops Creations, and Heidi...

It was clear now that fairness had never been part of the plan. With that realization, Janice knew there was no reason to remain silent any longer.

She lowered her gaze and swiftly typed out a reply.

To her surprise, the response came back almost instantly.

After reading the confirmation, she tucked her phone away.

The public voting countdown was drawing to a close.

Once the voting ended, the four crochet pieces would be ranked based on the average public votes, along with an additional ten votes from each judge.

However, those ten votes rarely impacted the results unless the competition was exceptionally close.

Ten minutes later, the images of the crochet pieces disappeared from the big screen and were replaced by four numbered entries.

Normally, the vote count would be displayed next to each entry, but this time, it was strangely absent.

"Are they still calculating the scores?" someone muttered in confusion.

"That's not possible. The system processes everything instantly."

The tension in the air was thick.

As soon as the signal was restored, everyone's phones began buzzing with notifications.

At this point, no manipulation was possible. All on-site voters had been required to hand over their phones, and the entry numbers had been randomized.

Meanwhile, everyone watched as the event organizers summoned the vice president of the National Crochet Union to the back.

The organizers were dispatched by higher authorities, representing the state. While the National Crochet Union was a private organization, they operated with state protection. In other words, the highest authority had just called for their second-in-command.

"I just got a call from the International Crochet Union. They're saying the public vote might have been tampered with. Care to explain?" the event organizer in charge demanded.

The National Crochet Union's vice president, Harry McCurdy, stiffened, his face betraying a flicker of unease. "Rigged? That's impossible!"

The event organizer had thought the same until he checked the preliminary results for himself. Now, everything made sense.

"Look at this! Unless you're blind, explain to me how Entry No. 4 could be ahead of Entry No. 3 by more than a hundred votes? If only industry professionals were voting, fine. But the general public judges based on looks alone! Are you telling me they all suddenly lost their eyesight?"

Tonight's face-off between Melody & Loops Creations and Prosper Stitch Group was clear to see. Prosper Stitch Group's crochet piece had crushed the competition.

After being scolded, Harry forced a smile and explained, "Leonard, you can't assume the vote was rigged just because of this. The competition is about public appeal. What matters is what resonates with the audience." Leonard Beckinsale was livid at Harry's outright denial. He had zero tolerance for this kind of manipulation. He summoned his secretary. "Get another thousand people and have them vote-right now! Harry, listen closely. If the second round of votes is significantly different from the first, I'll investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Harry's face drained of color. "How can you trust the claims of the International Crochet Union over us?" "Do you know why?" Leonard snapped, glaring at him. "Because someone reported you."

"Who?"

Leonard sighed in frustration. "Ms. Olson."

His voice grew louder. "Ms. Olson is closely monitoring this competition! Do you even realize who she is? She's one of the most respected seamstresses in the industry, personally supported by the International Crochet Union!

"The only reason she hasn't called you out publicly is because she prefers to stay in the background. But if she wanted to, she could expose everything in an instant!"

Harry stood in stunned silence.

Ms. Olson?

But how?

There were no cameras allowed, and the venue's signal was blocked.

And more importantly-only he, Heidi, and a select few trusted insiders knew about the plan to undermine Prosper Stitch Group while promoting Melody & Loops Creations.

They were all in this together.

There was no way any of them would have leaked it.

That left only one possibility...

Shirley was inside the venue.