The word "pity" triggered something in Melanie. When she wasn't selected as one of the judges, they said it was a pity. When the opening dance was taken from her, the same was said to her. When Avery surpassed her in every aspect, the word "pity" seemed to be all she heard. Though it sounded like they were sympathizing with her, she took it as mockery. She resented that word. It was bad enough that she had to hear that word from others, but the woman before her was merely Avery's assistant. Despite the state she was in, she wouldn't allow an assistant to mock her. Furious, she charged toward Faye and grabbed her by the collar. "I dare you to say one more word!"Faye batted her eyes innocently. "Ms. Anderson, there are cameras everywhere. You should be careful of your actions."Melanie was so furious that her veins bulged and came close to hitting Faye. "Ms. Anderson …" Her star student was in a slightly better state compared to the others, so he got up and hurried over
Even as Faye and Cedric walked away, Melanie couldn't recover from the shock. She refused to accept the reality. How could Cedric be with that woman? On top of that, he even called her "Mrs. Shaw".She felt like her world was crumbling. Even when they were called onto the stage to perform, she couldn't focus on the performance, let alone care if her students were well enough to perform. Throughout the performance, she was distracted and barely managed to finish it. The entire team was scattered and a mess, failing to be in sync. The judges frowned and shook their heads. Even the audience noticed their mistakes and began whispering to one another. "Why would people like that perform on stage?""Yeah. They can't even compare to the other contestants.""I thought that the leader was the founder of some dance studio. I remember that she used to be great …""Jorn Elite Studio, right? I've heard of them. But according to rumors, this studio is supposed to rival Avery's studio."
Tracy and Marie were far more impatient than Faye anticipated. Faye initially thought they would try to cause trouble after the competition concluded. But as soon as Marie finished her performance and waited for the judges to grade it, she couldn't stay still any longer. "Ms. Stewart, I remember your back was injured a month ago. If you don't mind me asking, how did you manage to recover within a month and perform so splendidly?" She smiled. "I have a close friend who was supposed to participate in this competition but injured her back as well. She hasn't even recovered yet and can't even do the simplest dance move."As she spoke, the audience started whispering to one another. Some even glanced at Avery's back, checking if she was bleeding after performing with an injured back. The opening dance was complicated and required the performer to move swiftly. Even a healthy individual would struggle to perform it with such perfection. Dancers needed to move their bodies a lot as
Faye returned from the restroom and saw Tracy and Marie chatting backstage near the entrance to the stage. Faye smiled and recalled how Tracy dropped by to leave something important for her to keep.She turned and returned to the dressing room, reaching the box Tracy had left behind. Tracy had placed the box on a small cabinet beside the makeup mirror. Faye took the box and opened it to find another box inside. She narrowed her eyes and opened the inner box to find lipstick and a box of a certain brand's jewelry.Apart from these, there was nothing else. Faye felt that something was off. Did Tracy really go through the trouble of bringing this just for safekeeping?Faye put everything back into the box, closed it, and sat on the chair. She was unable to shake the strange feeling. Before she could figure it out, Cedric approached and took the box from her. He opened it and took the lipstick. As he opened the cap, a knowing expression appeared on his face.Puzzled, Faye ask
What would happen if Faye touched it?Cedric lowered his head and taught Faye the consequences of his actions. Though Faye knew this wasn't the time for them to get intimate, she had long learned the pleasure of being with a man. As she came into contact with his irresistible taste, she couldn't resist his temptation. After one kiss, she felt weak, like she was melting into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and their bodies were pressed tightly together. If the phone wasn't ringing, Faye felt like she would have caved and devoured Cedric whole right there and then. When she pushed Cedric away, she caught sight of the lust in his eyes and knew that he felt the same. Her heart raced, and she hastily adjusted her clothes before grabbing her phone and stepping out of the room. The phone had stopped ringing. After calming down, Faye intended to return the call when her phone rang again. It was from Alina. "Faye, the competition will end after two more contesta
Avery looked at Marie and smiled. "Are you really worried that I'll fool everyone, or are you worried that I'll reveal the shameful things you've done?""Nonsense!" Avery's words momentarily unsettled Marie."Did Avery find out about the truth? Did Hannah, who's mentally unstable and easily frightened, sell me out?" Marie thought. "But so what? Even if Hannah confessed, she can't provide any evidence."Moreover, Marie had personally gone to the police station to find Hannah. Hannah wouldn't dare to make baseless accusations if she still cared about her mother.Little did Marie know that Avery intentionally led her to the police station. As long as Hannah was involved, she would definitely go there. Once she did, she would get caught. However, Marie was currently unaware that she had fallen into a trap. Marie raised her chin arrogantly and looked at Avery disdainfully. "Did I say something wrong? Didn't you admit that a substitute performed the opening dance? "You refuse to
When she decided to have Faye replace her, Avery knew what she would face after that, so she was prepared. She didn't explain everything to evade responsibility but to prevent Faye from being condemned. On top of that, Faye was the person she trusted most and only agreed to perform to help her. Everyone had the right to know since she wasn't the one who performed. Faye's marvelous performance shouldn't be acknowledged as Avery's, so Avery wasn't scared of being insulted or condemned. This was the result of her actions, and she was willing to bear the consequences of them. However, as Avery stood quietly, waiting for the storm to rage upon her, someone from the audience shouted, "Who was the person who danced?""Who would have known that there's someone who can dance better than Ms. Stewart? Ms. Stewart, since you've explained this much, don't keep any more secrets!""Can the lady who danced just now come up to the stage?""I want to know what kind of woman can perform such
Faye went down, and the staff also escorted Marie away. Avery took a deep breath, bowed deeply to the camera and the audience, and sincerely apologized. Immediately, a wave of journalists eagerly started asking questions, but the on-site staff stopped them. Even so, Avery still heard various angry inquiries and insults. She knew that it was much better than she had expected. She had made such a choice, prepared for various outcomes, and accepted it calmly.Avery smiled as she descended from the stage and returned to the judge's seat. Meanwhile, the originally dark stage screen suddenly showed a series of images. Avery didn't pay attention at first until the discussions and inquiries around her suddenly stopped. She couldn't help but raise her gaze to find footage from her past training, including scenes of training while she was sick, playing on the screen.Avery froze for a moment, bit her lip, and looked at various shots of herself on the screen. Sorrow washed over her