THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 353: Impossible!
"The Enclave," he announced, "came up with 40 points."
"Impressive," Peggy turned to Dylan. "However, it can’t be compared to our three exquisite designs," she whispered loud enough to get into everyone’s ears.
Ignoring Peggy’s snide remark, Anya and her team nodded among themselves, satisfied with their performance.
"Café Ambrosia, with 36 points."
Theo and his team exchanged smiles, it was still a good score by all standards.
"Café Solstice, with 38 points."
’What?!’ Peggy’s face tightened. The slight difference from The Enclave was a sting, but she maintained her composure, her eyes fixed on the judge.
"Empress Brew, with 43 points."
"Impossible!" This time, Peggy could no longer keep calm. How can a newbie and a common shop like Empress Brew score higher than Café Solstice? Something was clearly wrong with the judges’ assessments.
Meanwhile, Lauren and her team smiled modestly as they heard the applause from the audience. Then she turned to face Peggy with a disarming smile that made Peggy’s already bitter face contort with rage.
"What is impossible?" Lauren asked innocently. "Could it be Ms Carter who believes the judges are partial in their assessment?"
Peggy gritted her teeth. She could manage the result of the Enclave, after all, The Enclave was a known name and had participated in various competitions so it was still understandable but Empress Brew getting an edge over her? No! There was no way she would let Lauren believe she was better than her.
At the moment, she felt like strangling Lauren especially after what Lauren just said "When did I say that, Ms Holmes?"
"Isn’t it obvious enough?" Lauren threw back and turned to face the judge who had resumed his announcement.
"And finally, Silk and Steam, with 45 points."
Marco and his team erupted in cheers, their theatrical presentation having paid off. The audience applauded loudly, appreciating the creativity and flair.
It was obvious who the winning team was, but the Judge still continued.
"After an intense battle between our five dynamic teams on the Latte Art Challenge, the Fifth place goes to Café Ambrosia with 36 points."
Theo gave a gracious bow, accepting the applause.
"Fourth place went to Café Solstice with 38 points."
Peggy forced a smile, but her eyes were hard. She could feel the eyes of her team on her, their disappointment palpable.
"The third place goes to The Enclave with 40 points."
Anya and her team bowed respectfully in appreciation of the applause from the people.
"In second place is Empress Brew. Lauren’s phoenix design was a masterpiece, her team’s innovative and elegant approach gave them high marks with 43 points."
Lauren and her team bowed graciously as they were applauded.
"And in the first place is Silk and Steam. Their theatrical presentation secured them the victory with 45 points."
Marco and his team celebrated enthusiastically as their name was announced.
"Congratulations everyone, you have all done well," the judge said.
"But it is not over as we still have the afternoon session before we will get the final winner for today’s challenge."
As the crowd began to disperse, Peggy’s facade of composure finally crumbled. She turned to her team, her voice laced with frustration.
"We should have won. Our precision was unmatched. It’s clear that theatrics won over substance today."
One of her supporters chimed in, "Yeah, it’s not fair. Silk and Steam’s act was more like a circus show than a coffee competition."
Peggy’s eyes narrowed as she spotted Lauren in the crowd. "And Empress Brew," she muttered, loud enough for those nearby to hear, "that phoenix was just a gimmick. She probably lucked out. I can’t believe the judges fell for it."
Lauren, overhearing Peggy’s snide comments, turned to face her. Her expression was calm, but there was a firmness in her eyes.
"Ms Carter," Marco, whose team had won, said evenly, "every team brought something unique to the table. Today wasn’t just about precision; it was about creativity and presentation too. We all did our best, and we should respect that."
Peggy scoffed, "Easy for you to say, coming in first place. If it weren’t for your theatrics, you wouldn’t have been placed so high."
"Did I detect a note of jealousy from the kind and magnanimous Ms Carter?" Lauren said.
"It’s obvious Ms Carter is a sour loser," a member of The Enclave, that Peggy had ridiculed when the results were announced, added.
A murmur of agreement also came from the other teams.
"Our works speak for themselves. I’m proud of what we all achieved today, and I respect the efforts of every team here, we all did well. But it’s quite unfortunate that there are some of us who believe they are the only ones who must be the winner and when they are not, the judges suddenly turn partial," Lauren said and everyone threw Peggy a mocking look.
Peggy’s face flushed with anger, but before she could retort, one of Lauren’s teammates stepped in.
"Lauren’s right. We should be celebrating each other’s creativity, not tearing each other down. We’re all here because we love coffee and the art that goes into it."
Peggy could only tighten her knuckles and anyone that cared to watch could see the smoldering anger in her eyes.
"See you all in the next challenge and I wish everyone the very best," Lauren said and turned to leave.
As Lauren walked away, flanked by Mia and Horatio, she could still feel the burning look behind her but didn’t care. "We did well today," she said softly.
"Do you think Peggy will make things difficult for us? The look I saw in her eyes was too calculative."
"Yeah, Mia is right," Jamie agreed. "I have an ominous feeling that she will still try something in the next round," Horatio pointed out.
"Are you scared? I’m waiting for her to do her worst. Let’s see who is the master here," Lauren said nonchalantly.
"People like her who are so full of themselves wouldn’t directly do the dirty jobs. They will let others carry it out for them, so instead of focusing on her, let’s watch out for the other teams that are in close relationship with her," she added.
