Class 3-1 had scored 9.5 out of 10, the highest score so far.After Class 3-1 left the stage, it was Class 3-18's turn to perform.Eden moved to the audience seating.Joy, who was right behind Ewan, had trouble seeing in the dim backstage area. As she was about to get on stage, she accidentally stepped on something, lost her balance, and tumbled down the stairs.Ewan was shocked and quickly helped Joy up. "What happened?"Joy bit her lip, her foot throbbing with pain and tears welling in her eyes. "I can't move.""What are we going to do? We can't perform without you!" Ewan said anxiously.The Class 3-1 students, seeing what happened, walked away without a second glance, showing no concern for Joy’s injury.Joy lowered her head and suddenly remembered something. She shouted, "Jasmine!"Jasmine, who was leading the group, stopped in her tracks and looked at her in confusion. "What is it?""Why did you trip me?" Joy demanded angrily.Jasmine looked stunned before responding de
After Class 3-1 left, everyone in Class 3-18 wore dark expressions.Joy lowered her gaze and, after a long pause, glanced at Eden. "I think it's best if I dance. You haven’t practiced the routine, and Jasmine’s comment was just a joke. My foot is swollen, but I can handle it."Eden handed her mobile to Joy. "I'll do it.""But you don’t know the dance moves," Joy said, on the verge of tears.She regretted not paying more attention, falling for Jasmine’s trick. Now, Eden had to step in, and Joy felt sorry.Eden patted her shoulder reassuringly and then turned to Ewan and the others. "Keep up with the dance routine and just ignore me."Ewan thought for a moment before replying, "Sure. We can’t back out now. Stay in the back and try to stay out of the judges’ view. I know all of Joy's moves, so I’ll adjust my position as needed."They each had fixed positions, and usually practiced their own moves. Ewan knew Joy's choreography, but he had never danced with the music. But with no oth
After a while, Ewan looked at Eden with excitement. "Chief, is there anything you can't do?"Eden gave him a brief glance. "Oh, plenty."Ewan nodded eagerly. "If you can dance so well, why didn’t you join us? We could have had you perform solo. It would have been an easy win!""Not interested!"Eden had a lot on her plate these past few years. She had been trying to find a cure for her grandma's toxin, which took up a lot of her time with traditional medicine research. Plus, managing criminal operations from Audair City to Rielton was challenging and could take a whole month when things got busy. On top of that, she was dealing with the Jerred investigation and school, all while juggling immense pressure. She wasn’t in the mood for a cultural festival."Fine," Ewan said, understanding her attitude. "Anyway, Class 3-18's victory is all thanks to you."Eden glanced at the time. "I have other plans, so I’m heading out now."Alain wasn’t picking Eden up today. The Wards were hosting
Eden kept her eyes lowered, looking like she was in a bad mood.Peter watched her for a while, then patted her shoulder. "You don’t need to worry about what happened back then. No one could have predicted that. I was concerned you’d never be able to get past it."Peter's thoughts wandered, and he became somewhat agitated. He lit a cigarette and said, "I was partly responsible for what happened. If you keep blaming yourself, I’ll feel guilty."Eden looked up, pursing her lips. "You don’t need to feel guilty. I’ve come to terms with it a long time ago.""Really?" Peter looked at her. "Ever since you took control of Audair City's criminal underworld, you’ve made it your mission to find those people and avenge their parents. But it's not that simple. We’ve worked hard for seven years and still have very few leads."Eden turned to look at the streets outside, her voice soft. "I’ll find them. I need to do it for Mr. and Mrs. White.""Do you think Tyler and Talia want you to find them?"
Sinead had an eye for detail. She had picked out a pure white dress with embroidered details at the waist. It was a fitted dress that accentuated Eden's slender figure.Eden's waist was already quite slim, and the dress highlighted her curves beautifully. With her fair skin and flowing hair, she looked so stunning that anyone who saw her might want to hide her away to keep her all to themselves.It was also the first time Eden had seen herself in such a dress. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she was taken aback. Maybe she could get used to wearing something like this. However, the neckline was a bit low, so she worried she might reveal too much if she wasn’t careful.She turned to Sinead and asked, "Isn't my neckline a bit too low?""No, it's just right. You haven't seen some of the even lower necklines. An evening dress needs a certain look, and too high a neckline wouldn't work," Sinead said with a smile.The more she looked at Eden, the more she admired her.Her
Once they left the salon, Sinead took Eden to get her hair styled.Eden wasn’t a fan of anything too elaborate, so she opted for a simple cut and a basic hair treatment.With plenty of time before the party, they returned to Skygarden to collect the evening dress.Remembering how the salon incident might have upset Sinead, Eden decided to give her a bottle of skincare cream."You don’t need to go back to the salon. This cream works really well too."Sinead looked at the small bottle in her hand. It didn’t seem like it could have much effect, but to avoid disappointing Eden, she nodded, "Should I apply it now? I haven’t had my makeup done yet.""It shows results quickly," Eden said calmly.Sinead, still a bit skeptical, went to the bathroom and followed Eden’s instructions, applying the cream to her face.As she was aging, the wrinkles around her eyes had become more pronounced. She applied some cream to those areas and also to a small scar on her neck from a burn she’d sustaine
Eden started earning money after that and also began making money from missions once she joined the Agency. That was why she stopped working on the skincare cream.However, she still made a few bottles for some loyal customers who had a good relationship with Ryan. She only had two bottles left: one for Sinead and one reserved for a client who had booked it through Ryan.Sinead was speechless.So why had Eden said it was just ten dollars?Realizing something, she asked, "Did you tell me it was ten dollars to avoid making me feel pressured?"Eden smiled but said nothing.Meanwhile, Alain’s messages kept coming through.Eden glanced at them and quickly typed a reply.
Alain arrived at the entrance as soon as he got the news. The moment he stepped out, he saw the young woman who had become the center of everyone's attention.Even he was captivated.Eden, who had always worn black hoodies and seemed to have nothing else in her wardrobe, looked like an angel in a white gown tonight. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.As Eden walked toward Alain, she seemed less than pleased, her frown deepening. She had never liked being the center of attention, and the way everyone was staring at her only made her mood worse.When she reached Alain and looked up, her expression softened.He was in a form-fitting suit that highlighted his slender figure. Standing there, he looked graceful and elegant, attracting plenty of attention from others, especially women. Eden could hear their gasps of astonishment.She smiled, noting how Alain could draw so much attention from women.Alain studied her for a moment, then composed himself. With a glint in his eye, he took