Backstage, his friends — Maya, Emily, Misha, and Min-Jae — rushed to meet him.

Maya's eyes were watery. "You did it," she said softly.

Dayo gave a small smile. "It's not over yet," he said quietly. "But the tides are changing."

"Haha, it definitely will," Min-Jae said as he pulled Dayo into a hug.

Maya looked at Dayo and smiled. "Your songwriting has really improved."

Dayo nodded with a faint grin. "That's because of your teachings, Master Maya."

"Ugh, please, you two stop already," Emily said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, we know you both are great writers," Misha teased. "And Maya, why are you blushing?"

"Ahhh, Misha, stop it already!" Maya said, her face turning red as the others burst out laughing.

The three girls chased each other playfully for a bit before the sound of the bus engine broke the moment. It was time to head back.

During the bus ride, the atmosphere was different. The way the contestants looked at Dayo had changed.

Many of them felt guilty for keeping their distance from him earlier. A few tried to greet him, expecting him to ignore them — but instead, Dayo smiled and replied calmly, as if nothing had ever happened.

That simple act made them feel even worse. They knew if it were them, they wouldn't have been so kind but still they apologized and went with the flow.

The ride to the hotel was quiet. Some were sad because they had been disqualified. Others were just exhausted from their performances. Everyone seemed deep in thought.

When they finally got to the hotel, everyone was exhausted. Most of the contestants dragged their bags straight to their rooms. Nobody said much. After all the performances and emotions of the day, everyone just wanted to sleep.

Dayo also went to his room, dropped his bag, and sat down for a moment. He picked up his phone and made a quick call.

"Hello, is everything ready?" he asked.

Valery's calm voice came through the speaker. "Yes. Everything's has been set on motion so all is good."

"Good," Dayo said. "Make sure the rest of the files go out right after the broadcast."

"Already set," she replied. "You just rest for tonight. Tomorrow's going to be loud."

Dayo smiled faintly. "Yeah, I know."

He ended the call, stretched a little, and lay back on the bed. Within minutes, he was fast asleep — calm, steady, and ready for what was coming next.

The next morning came quietly. And the disqualified contestants where already moving toward the bus.

The remaining contestants where given two days to rest before moving to the next location.

The day was slow and quite.But that peace didn't last long.

By 8:00 p.m., the Global Music Competition episode aired — Dayo's performance was broadcast nationwide. Within the first 10 minutes after the broadcast, the internet exploded. Clips of Dayo's emotional song began spreading like wildfire. People were shocked — the lyrics, the truth in his voice, and the pain in his eyes hit everyone hard.

Then, at 8:45 p.m., the real bomb dropped.

From Dayo's official account, a new post appeared:

> Video Title: "The Truth You Never Saw."

Caption: "I stayed quiet long enough. Here's everything."

The video began with the quiet footage from the hospital room. Vivian could be seen kneeling on the floor, crying, begging Dayo to forgive her. Her voice shook as she said:

> "Please, Dayo… don't release it… please. I was wrong. I didn't mean for it to go this far."

Then it cut to a scene of Paul, pacing angrily, his face tense. Though his name and voice were slightly blurred, it was clear who he was.

The next part was a muted phone call between Dayo and another voice — the man's name was censored, but you could hear enough to know it was someone powerful.

> [Voice muted] "…500,000… and that's my final offer."

Dayo's clear voice replied, "Make it 650,000, and I want one favor in the future."

The video ended with screenshots of the Non-Disclosure Agreement signed by Vivian and UC Label. Her name was visible in bold. It proved everything — she was paid to stay quietquietl

For the next five minutes, the entire internet went silent. Then — boom. Chaos.

ONLINE REACTIONS

@RealKingJay:

Broooo 😭😭😭 I just saw the video. Vivian actually lied?? Nah this is wild.

@mimi_xoxo:I can't believe I dragged Dayo. I feel so stupid 😭😭😭 He really didn't say anything because he had proof all along.

@Loudmouth247:

The way she was kneeling and crying 😂😂😂 now who's the abuser? She abused his reputation 💀💀💀

@musicnerdke:

Dayo played 4D chess while everyone was playing checkers. That man planned ahead like a boss 😤🔥

@JulieMama:

So UC Label paid him to keep quiet? Omo, this industry is dirty sha and they're still the one 😩😩😩

@ColdTruth:

And to think y'all canceled this guy overnight. Now look. Y'all owe that man an apology.

@BbyVivianSupport:

She made a mistake, yes, but maybe she was pressured 😭 people should stop being so mean.

@Anonreply:

@BbyVivianSupport are you mad?? She destroyed someone's life for fame. No pressure excuse works here.

@Jeff :

@BbyVivianSupport And are you blind or deaf you can clearly see that she is the one that caused everything here

@Stan4Dayo:

That song hit harder now that I know the truth. "You don't know me like you think you do." Damn, he meant every word 😭🔥

@GlobalCharts:

Unconfirmed reports say Dayo's performance video has reached 3.8 million views in less than 6 hours. Fans are now calling for Guinness World Records to verify his "fastest rap" claim.

---

News channels picked it up within hours.

"Breaking: Evidence Shows Dayo Was Framed — UC Label Under Fire."

"Vivian's Career In Trouble After Leaked NDA Surfaces."

"Public Apologizes To Dayo As Song Hits No. 1 Trending."

Even UC Label tried to issue a statement, but it was too late. Screenshots, reposts, and remixes of the video had spread across every platform.

At the hotel, Dayo sat on his bed, scrolling quietly through the chaos. He didn't smile. He didn't celebrate. He just sighed — half relief, half exhaustion.

Min-Jae barged into his room, shouting, "BRO! YOU'RE TRENDING EVERYWHERE!"

Emily and Maya followed, their phones in hand. "You did it, Dayo," Maya said softly. "The truth came out."

Dayo looked up at them and smiled faintly. "Yeah," he said. "It finally did."

But deep inside, he knew — this was only the beginning.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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