Abandoned Wife Rebirth To Slap Faces - Chapter 43: Chapter 43

After a brief, sentimental opening speech, Liam announced, "I declare today's final round officially begins! Due to excessive nerves, our first scheduled contestant has withdrawn. Please welcome our second contestant, Georgia Murray!"
Georgia froze. She checked her phone again. 'Why did my number, which was supposed to be last, become first?' she mused.
Catching Noelle's gloating smile, she understood everything. Someone had pulled strings to swap their orders. 'For this ranking, she really would stop at nothing,' she thought.
"Wonderful! Miss Faulkner gets the grand finale spot. That's what real clout looks like," someone cheered.
"Thank goodness! If she'd been earlier, I might have withdrawn too," another echoed.
Amidst the flattering murmurs about Noelle, Georgia put away her phone and silently walked backstage to get ready.
At that moment, in the audience, Noelle's die-hard fans and the paid trolls she'd hired were all passionately cheering for her.
Meanwhile, Liam grandly introduced the distinguished judges. Under the spotlights, Cedric appeared—a composed, scholarly man nearing fifty.
After introducing Cedric, thunderous applause erupted instantly. He was the most high-profile judge ever invited to a domestic medical competition. His presence elevated the event instantly.
Acknowledging the excited cheers with a slight, dignified nod and a faint smile, Cedric embodied the natural prestige and authority of the medical field.
But no one sensed the flicker of anger he suppressed. He mused, 'Georgia was scheduled last. Why the change? What are the other contestants supposed to do?'
After the applause, the venue fell silent for a moment because of Cedric. But with Georgia taking the stage, it erupted into noise again, driven by those trolls.
"Get Georgia Murray off the stage!" someone shouted.
"This is a national competition? Does trash like Georgia qualify? Might as well let me compete next time!" another sneered.
"She was just hitting someone offstage! How does she deserve to stand there?" someone else echoed.
"Get lost, bitch!" a man shouted.
"Get out!" another man chimed in.
"Georgia Murray not welcome here!" they shouted in unison.
Amid the noisy insults, Georgia, wearing a pure white, elegant lab coat, walked gracefully towards the demonstration platform.
With her appearance, the media flashlights, eager for more views, started flashing nonstop. And the live stream viewership skyrocketed.
Expecting Georgia's public downfall, even people with no medical interest tuned in, eager to land a few more blows on her once she was crushed. The collective vitriol felt potent enough to drown her.
Georgia composedly arranged her medical instruments with practiced ease. A voice from the audience, surprisingly, remarked: "Say what you will, she handles those tools like a pro."
"Yeah. That level of proficiency takes years of hands-on work," another echoed.
Though not loud, their comments stood out at that moment—and soon more people started chiming in.
Noelle sat in the most important seat among the contestants, listening to their praise for Georgia, her nails dug deeply into her palm.
'Just setting up, and they're already impressed? How?' she mused. Trembling with jealous rage, Noelle was dying to rip the calm off Georgia's face. That was infuriating for her.
At that moment, medical professionals also left comments endorsing Georgia on the live streaming platforms.
Gemma, seeing their attitude shift, quickly texted Noelle: [Stay calm. Remember, she's still branded a plagiarist and impostor. Those judges despise her. They won't tolerate it.]
Reading Gemma's text, Noelle slowly unclenched her fists. She had always known that Gemma was using her to crush Georgia.
But her goal was simple: leverage Gemma's power to win today, take the championship, and secure Cedric as her mentor.
'Today, it's her or me.' Noelle's resolve hardened. But when she looked back at the stage, she froze in confusion.
Even the contestant beside her whispered in confusion, "Wasn't she specializing in traditional medicine acupuncture? Why did she suddenly switch to modern medicine techniques?"
Everyone in the venue wore looks of surprise and confusion.
"Is Georgia insane? Dr. Benneth is famously interested in traditional medicine. Why demonstrate modern medicine at the finals?" a man said.
"Arrogance? Or shame? Exposed to stealing Miss Faulkner's identity, she can't face doing traditional medicine now. Disgusting," someone smirked.
The other six judges on the stage, except Cedric, exchanged confused looks.
"What's she doing? Could she be proficient in both disciplines?" one of the judges asked.
Aron Morgan said, "No way. Mastering one requires over a decade of dedicated study. Talents like Noelle are rare enough. Someone so young mastering both? Nonsense."
"Exactly. Modern medicine techniques seem simple, but they require more precision in hands-on practice. Mastering both flawlessly? Only a prodigy among prodigies could manage it," another echoed.
"Come on. How could she be a prodigy? She has moral issues first and foremost," Aron declared indignantly.
The others fell silent, sharing his disdain. The reports about Georgia's plagiarism and impersonation over the past few days had already made them angry.
Now, her deliberate, contrary choice felt like an insult to them. Only Cedric watched Georgia, a subtle, almost imperceptible curve touching his lips.