?Chapter 1047:

The Morrison family entered the venue and quickly found the seats reserved for them. Thanks to Luca’s position as president of the Music Association and Carrie’s mentorship under the renowned Kendall, their seats were in the prestigious front row.

Arion was just about to sit down when he paused, his eyes narrowing.

Leaning toward his family, he lowered his voice.

“Why are they here?” The others followed his gaze—and sure enough, the Herrera family was seated in the same row.

A handful of mentors sat between them, which had initially concealed their presence.

Thankfully, that buffer prevented any immediate awkwardness. Had the two families been ced side by side, Luca might have insisted on rearranging the seating himself.

Luca and Kody looked at the Herreras, then quickly looked away, exchanging a nce with each other.

Both were thinking the same thing.

There was no way the Herrera family had secured such prominent seats on their own merit. The only logical exnation was that Kristopher had pulled strings.

They hadn’t anticipated that Kristopher—supposedly from a once-fallen family in Orkset—could wield influence within the Music Association.

Their prior investigations had revealed nothing significant about his connections in Isonridge. That could only mean one thing—Kristopher’s true power in Isonridge vastly exceeded their expectations. So vast, in fact, that even the Morrison family’s thorough background checks had failed to uncover it.

The revtion left Luca and Kody shaken.

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How had an obscure family from Orkset, long removed from influence, suddenly risen to such staggering power?

As the initial shock faded from Luca’s and Kody’s expressions, a growing unease took its ce.

They weren’t concerned about any past friction with Kristopher—but the implications of his influence were rming. What if Aliza, emboldened by Kristopher’s support, ever turned her resentment toward Carrie? If Kristopher chose to intervene for Aliza’s sake, how much protection could the Morrison family truly offer?

The assessment hadn’t yet begun, but the atmosphere in the hall was already abuzz with chatter. In one corner, a group of young attendees who had just rushed over from Randell’s fan event were loudly discussing histest release.

“You guys seriously missed out! Randell’s new track is phenomenal,” one of them eximed.

“If it had dropped earlier, I would’ve used it for thepetition—I could’ve passed with my eyes closed!”

“Are you crazy?” another scoffed.

“The assessment of the Music Association evaluates not only your performance skills but also yourposition and arrangement abilities. If they caught you using a bought song, you’d make headlines for all the wrong reasons.”

The first girl flushed, realizing that several mentors and even the Association president were within earshot.

“I was just joking! You all take things so seriously.”

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