OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Why does the authorization record show that the instruction to remove the photographs was submitted using your official judging credentials?"
The woman in black froze.
The woman in green slowly turned toward her.
The two contestants stood motionless.
The audience began whispering.
WOMAN IN BLACK: "That is impossible. I never requested such a change."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Then we should examine the complete activity record."
WOMAN IN BLACK: "Someone may have used my account."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "That is a possibility. Do you have any evidence supporting it?"
WOMAN IN BLACK: "I cannot answer that immediately."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Of course. But until we understand what happened, I cannot ignore the issue."
He handed the tablet to the organizer.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Please preserve the original records. Nobody should alter or delete anything."
ORGANIZER: "Understood, sir."
The woman in black stood up.
WOMAN IN BLACK: "I will not accept being treated as though I have done something wrong without evidence."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "You are being asked to explain an official record. That is a reasonable request."
WOMAN IN BLACK: "I have spent many years building my reputation. I will not allow an administrative error to destroy it."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Then I suggest you cooperate fully so that the truth can be established."
The woman in green remained seated, watching her colleague carefully.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "If the account was used without your permission, the technical records should show that. We should simply investigate it."
The woman in black looked at her.
WOMAN IN BLACK: "You seem very eager to believe the worst about me."
WOMAN IN GREEN: "I am not interested in believing anything. I am interested in finding out what happened."
The elderly gentleman nodded.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "That is exactly the attitude we need."
He turned toward the audience.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the delay. We are conducting an additional verification because the integrity of this competition matters to everyone involved."
A few guests applauded.
The elderly gentleman then asked the two contestants to return to their positions.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "I want you both to understand that this investigation does not diminish the value of your work. Your creations will be evaluated according to the official criteria."
The black-gown designer nodded.
BLACK-GOWN DESIGNER: "Thank you, sir."
The blue-gown contestant looked toward him.
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "I only want the opportunity to be judged fairly."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "And that is exactly what you deserve."
The gentleman looked toward the production team.
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Before we continue, I would also like the technical director to join us."
The organizer nodded and hurried away.
The woman in black slowly sat down again.
Her expression had become difficult to read.
The woman in green leaned toward her.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "If you did not authorize the removal, the records should clear everything up."
WOMAN IN BLACK: "I told you I did not do it."
WOMAN IN GREEN: "Then let us wait for the technical director."
WOMAN IN BLACK: "You have no idea what is happening behind the scenes."
The woman in green frowned.
WOMAN IN GREEN: "What is that supposed to mean?"
The woman in black did not answer.
Instead, she looked toward the entrance.
The elderly gentleman noticed the movement.
He followed her gaze.
A man in a dark suit had just entered the ballroom carrying a laptop and a small folder.
The organizer approached him immediately.
They exchanged a few words before walking toward the judges' table.
The man greeted the elderly gentleman respectfully.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "Good evening, sir. I was informed that you requested the original production records."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Yes. I need a complete explanation of the changes made to the presentation sequence."
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "Certainly. I have brought the relevant records."
He placed the laptop on the table.
The elderly gentleman moved closer.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "We can review the authorization history, the timing of the changes, and the messages exchanged between the production department and the judging coordination office."
WOMAN IN BLACK: "There is no need to turn this into a public investigation."
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "I am simply providing the records that were requested."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Please proceed."
The technical director opened the system.
A list of production changes appeared on the screen.
He scrolled through several entries before stopping at a particular time.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "Here is the original presentation schedule. The blue gown was scheduled to include three development photographs and a short explanation from the designer."
The woman in blue watched the screen.
BLUE-GOWN CONTESTANT: "Yes. Those are the photographs I submitted."
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "The presentation was subsequently changed. The photographs were removed, and the available speaking time was reduced."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Who requested the change?"
The technical director clicked on the authorization details.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "The system identifies the account used to submit the request. However, I would like to verify the corresponding communication before confirming the person responsible."
OLDER GENTLEMAN: "Very well. Please show us the communication."
The technical director opened another section.
Several lines of information appeared.
The woman in black stared at the screen.
Her face gradually lost its confident expression.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: "There is one additional detail. The request was not submitted only once. There were two separate instructions concerning the same presentation."
WOMAN IN GREEN: "Two?"