Back at home, Isabella had finished changing and showering. She sat quietly in the bathroom, lost in thought.
The bathroom door was gently knocked on, and Lucius’s deep voice came through, “Bella, why are you taking so long? Are you done with your shower?”
Isabella snapped out of her reverie. She acknowledged his concern and opened the bathroom door to step out.
Lucius’s eyes were full of care as he looked at her. Isabella smiled brightly at him, trying to lighten the mood, “Why do you keep staring at me? Do you think I look particularly beautiful?”
Lucius playfully pinched her nose and smiled, “My Bella is always the most beautiful.” He then pulled her into his embrace, his heart aching, “I’m sorry. I didn’t arrive in time and let you suffer.”
Isabella’s nose felt a bit tingly. She rested against Lucius, inhaling the fresh, clean scent of him, and felt her internal dis
Raising an eyebrow, Masha continued eagerly, “You won’t believe this, but during the morning meeting, everyone got a scolding from the training instructor. Apparently, Lysander Knight called us out in the company’s business newsletter, criticizing the trainees for being disorganized, divisive, and bullying newcomers. The instructor said that if any more incidents of internal conflict or cliques happen, the ringleaders will be fired.”Isabella suddenly understood. No wonder everyone’s attitude had softened toward her this morning.No one wanted to be labeled a troublemaker and risk getting fired.Masha grinned mischievously and nudged Isabella lightly. “Isabella, do you really know Lysander Knight? He seems to care a lot about you, like he’s got something special going on for you.”Isabella rolled her eyes at Masha, feigning annoyance. "You’ve got quite the imagination. Lysander Knight's comme
Sure enough, just a few days later, Cynthia saw her video go viral online, and she’s now the target of widespread criticism. Her reputation has plummeted.Cynthia was so furious when she saw the news and social media that she almost fainted.However, she deeply felt that there was someone powerful behind Isabella, secretly helping her. This person could command a storm, delete comments overnight, and stir up public opinion, manipulating the entire internet. This was no ordinary person.That evening, when Isabella returned home from work, she saw Lucius standing at the entrance of the house from a distance.The setting sun cast a golden glow on his well-proportioned and upright figure. His eyes were deep and dark, like a distant, profound sea with brilliant lights shimmering in the center.Like a warm light through thick fog, giving one boundless courage and hope.
Amid the array of unfamiliar and delicious dishes, Lucius deliberately pushed forward a seemingly ordinary slice of grilled bread topped with fresh tomatoesIsabella was enjoying her meal when she mumbled, “Where did you order this food from? It tastes really good. Hmm, but it seems a bit like the dishes we had at the wrap party the other day.”Lucius remained silent; These dishes were actually prepared and delivered by the top chef.Isabella picked up the most unassuming dish among the delicacies—the grilled bread—and took a bite. Her face immediately scrunched up. “It’s too sour, and there’s garlic skin in it. The chef’s other dishes are top-notch, but this one is a disaster. They must have added lemon.”Lucius, who had been eagerly watching her, saw his hopes dashed in an instant.Isabella was puzzled by the stark contrast in quali
Seeing Lucius preoccupied with the cat, Isabella, fuming, turned to leave. Just as she opened the door, Lucius closed it behind her.Isabella’s anger was still simmering. On her birthday, Lucius had given a gift to a cat instead of her, which was incredibly frustrating. She stubbornly gripped the door handle, ready to storm out, when suddenly a shimmering bracelet dangled in front of her.Lucius’s magnetic voice, filled with affection, drifted into her ear. “Silly, are you getting jealous of a cat? Trying to steal its collar? I didn’t know my Bella was such a big jealous pot.”“I had already prepared your birthday gift,” he said, taking her delicate wrist and placing the bracelet on her snowy-white arm.Isabella glanced at the bracelet and realized it was something she had admired once while passing by a mall. The price had been too high, so she had just looked and walked away.
As Isabella followed Lysander Knight and the top executives to the spacious and well-lit executive elevator, she noticed its luxurious features: a small bar, comfortable leather sofas, and a relaxing atmosphere.“Please, have a seat. We’ll make it before clock-in time,” Lysander Knight said with a gentle smile.“Isabella breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was tired from standing, she noticed that the executives did not sit down and awkwardly said, “Vice President, I’m not tired. Thank you for letting me use the executive elevator.”Lysander Knight’s smile remained warm and sincere, “No need to be formal. It’s my pleasure to help you.”Isabella couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious under the surprised gazes of the executives. She wondered if Lysander Knight was like a savior sent to her.The elevator reached the 35th floor, and as the doors opened, Isabella ch
Cecilia and Karrie were frozen in place. Losing twenty points was equivalent to a death sentence for them. They had struggled and given their all for two years in the training camp, and now half of their points were being deducted, making any hopes of promotion seem impossible.Cecilia, who was always concerned about face, began to cry in public.Karrie also pleaded with a pained expression, “Vice President, we’re sorry. We won’t do it again. Please don’t deduct our points. We’ll definitely correct our mistakes.”Lysander Knight replied coldly, “When you were sabotaging someone else’s punctuality, did you consider the importance of these points?”He ignored the two women’s self-inflicted plight and turned to the mentor, instructing, “Skills are important, but we must also maintain ethical standards. Issue a penalty notice and announce it company-wide to set an example.”
The trainees in the pool watched Isabella with mocking expressions.Isabella’s face grew pale as she stared at the glaring water, her limbs growing ice-cold. Her forehead, palms, and back were covered in cold sweat.The image of her grandfather’s face, immersed in the icy river, flashed in her mind.Her grandfather had lifted her body out of the water, while he himself was pulled into the swirling current.She screamed for her grandfather, reaching out to grab him, but she could only watch helplessly as he disappeared, sinking into the river.Until she saw her grandfather’s cold, lifeless body...Since then, she had been afraid of water.Isabella took a step back, her eyes filled with terror.The laughter grew louder.Ignoring the mockery, Isabella turned and tried to flee the sw
Cynthia shivered under his gaze, feeling both embarrassed and furious, unable to respond.“Alright, Cynthia, apologize to your sister. After all, our worker was the one who bumped into Isabella,” Samuel interjected, trying to defuse the situation, and attempted to check Isabella’s shoulder.Lucius, however, pulled Isabella back, maintaining distance from Samuel.Samuel felt displeased but, seeing Isabella’s slightly reddened shoulder, offered, “Isabella, I’m sorry. How about I take you to the hospital to get checked out?”Isabella shook her head. She was about to tell Lucius it was time to leave when Cynthia interjected, “Go to the hospital? Samuel, don’t delay the competition.”She cast a dismissive glance at Isabella, saying, “Samuel was specially invited for this surfing competition. This opportunity is precious, and ordinary people don’t even have the chance to part
After hastily apologizing to Isabella, Samuel quickly redirected the conversation back to romance.Once he finished speaking, he let out a light sigh and was about to say something else to Isabella. However, after rambling on for a while without hearing any response from her, he glanced at his phone and realized she had already hung up.The post had been deleted, and this makeshift forum run by students didn’t have any backup features, so Isabella couldn’t use it to track down who was scheming against her.However, this person was indeed very suspicious, seemingly intent on ruining her reputation.Isabella was currently just an insignificant actress with very little fame; aside from Cynthia and her mother, who would want to target her like this?“Hello, are you Isabella Rivera from Next Girl?” A new person had entered the dorm room; it was Melissa.
Isabella hadn’t kept up with the rumors circulating online. After leaving the training camp, she was eager to get home, took a flight back, and rushed to her house. With the start of the new school term approaching, she had been busy eating out and shopping with Lucius, completely forgetting to address the rumors.The rumors continued to spread like wildfire online.But regardless, other people were now being dragged into the mess, and Isabella knew she couldn’t let things continue to spiral out of control.After a quick lunch in the cafeteria with Celia, Isabella hurried back to her dorm and called Mr. Derek.“Mr. Derek, this is Isabella.”“Oh, Isabella, aren’t you still at the training camp?” Mr. Derek was surprised to receive Isabella’s call.“I was eliminated. Recently, there have been rumors circulating that I have an improper relationship with
Samuel continued to chatter about how he wanted to help Isabella as he walked alongside her up to the fourth floor of the dormitory.However, his so-called help amounted to nothing more than empty words, with no real action to back it up. It was as if he were blind, completely oblivious to the fact that Isabella was juggling bags in both hands, walking slowly while having to endure his incessant buzzing in her ear like a fly.Isabella had long grown accustomed to Samuel's annoying presence.If she responded to him, it would only encourage him to be even more persistent.So, she decided to pretend she hadn’t heard him at all, giving him no reaction.But the girl and her father following them up the stairs could no longer stand it. Her father pointed at Samuel and gently advised, “If you really want to help, you should take the girl’s things and carry them for her. Just t
Within an hour, he had gathered all the information into a report and sent it to Lucius’s phone. He also managed to block all negative comments about Isabella across the internet.He made sure that all terms related to her were blacklisted in search engines on major platforms, hoping this would quell Lucius’s fury.He worked efficiently; Lysander knew him well.It turned out that after the ‘Next Girls’ announcement, Knight Entertainment had quickly arranged for both Isabella and Masha to participate. To prevent Masha from overshadowing Isabella, they had even scheduled them to perform separately.Knight Entertainment had been trying to promote Isabella, but the subsequent editing had taken an unexpected turn.The staff misunderstood Isabella's background, assuming she only wanted fame. As a result, they failed to consult the higher-ups and allowed her to become 'controv
It was unexpected that ‘Next Girls’ had become a major hit, especially with Isabella stunning everyone on her debut stage. This had catapulted her into the spotlight, and the rumors surrounding her and Derek had further increased her fame. As they walked down the street, some people recognized her.But unlike other rising stars, Isabella had a unique status—she was both popular and controversial. Thus, when people saw her, they didn’t rush over for selfies or autographs. Instead, they simply took out their phones and began filming her.Isabella understood that if she chose the path of acting, she would inevitably face this kind of attention. She didn’t mind it for herself, but with Lucius beside her, who wasn’t part of the industry, she wanted to protect him from being photographed. She stepped forward and said to the two girls, “Hi, were you just filming us?”“No, I was just taking pictures of the scenery. I wasn’
During the second group assessment in the trainee camp, Isabella found that due to the reversal of public opinion, many people wanted to be in a group with her. Zinnia, Lylia, and Masha all joined her team.Coincidentally, the group limit was four members, and they delivered an excellent performance.After their performance, the scores would be combined with votes from fans online to determine which one-third of the hundred participants would be eliminated.Before the list was announced, to create an emotional atmosphere, the show’s production team allowed the trainees to call their family and friends, showcasing heartwarming moments.Seizing this opportunity, Cynthia immediately called her father, discussing how Isabella was in the trainee camp. As expected, her father reprimanded her, accusing her of doing things without informing the family.
"Isabella, you're still amazing," Cynthia comforted her, then secretly turned off her microphone. Leaning in closer to Isabella, she patted her head in a feigned gesture of comfort while actually saying, "Who would have thought? No matter how well you dance, everyone still doesn’t like you, and you won’t be able to debut anyway."Upon hearing this, Isabella gently pushed Cynthia away, yet smiled at her, responding in a tone that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Thanks for your concern, how have you and your stepmother been lately?"This caused the surrounding trainees to lean in as if they wished their ears could grow longer to catch every bit of juicy gossip."We're doing well. Dad asked if you realize your mistakes; you can come home if you admit them," Cynthia was taken aback and hadn’t expected Isabella to say that. After recovering, she continued discussing family matters."It's okay;
Everyone was working hard, but amidst the effort, there were still moments for relaxation and chatting.However, Isabella had no time for idle chatter.For three straight days, if she wasn't in the practice room dancing, she was on the rooftop singing.While others took breaks to joke and play, she stood in front of the mirror, diligently refining her movements and expressions over and over again.Even though she was an impressive A-group trainee, she worked even harder than those beneath her who performed worse.Yet, all people wanted to hear and see were their own opinions. The others, witnessing Isabella’s dedication, didn’t admire her hard work; instead, they thought she was just putting on an act.Some believed she must not have the skills to succeed, which was why she needed to train so desperately.Only Masha understo
After the initial stage recording concluded, everyone returned to the trainees' dormitories, which were assigned by group. Naturally, the A group had much better accommodations than the others.Isabella was paired with a trainee named Zinnia, who had a powerful soprano voice.Both were somewhat introverted, greeting each other before getting back to their own tasks. The atmosphere in their dormitory was quite peaceful, unlike the noisy chatter in other girls’ dorms.Meanwhile, Masha and Cynthia were assigned to the same dormitory.Since everyone had seen Masha sitting with Isabella earlier, and both were from Knight Entertainment, it wasn’t long before the others gathered around to gossip about Isabella.Today, Isabella’s impressive performance had indeed made her the center of attention.“Isabella is truly outstanding; she’s very dedicated,” Mash