Gratitude welled within Hailee as she resolved to repay Elliana’s defense with a vital revelation she’d just intercepted. She swept her gaze across the surroundings, verifying no listening ears lurked nearby, and then leaned in with hushed urgency. “Ms. Marsh, I need to warn you. I overheard Haley and Paige whispering about plans to sabotage you during the recording.”
Though Elliana had anticipated such plots, appreciation softened her features. “Thank you for the warning. Let’s go.”
With swift determination, Elliana gripped her suitcase handle and strode toward the waiting bus.
Hailee hesitated briefly before falling into step behind her.
After stowing their luggage, the two boarded the vehicle and materialized back into the live broadcast.
The bus doors sealed shut with finality, and the journey to Ublento Art Museum commenced.
Tension permeated the vehicle’s interior while the live chat spiraled into chaos—comments veering wildly off-topic, completely derailing the show’s intended trajectory.
No one had foreseen such immediate complications. Paige’s expected dominance over Elliana had reversed into repeated failures, and Vivien, meant to be her accomplice, had foolishly been whisked out of the scene.
The livestream couldn’t afford dead air—enthusiasm needed maintaining, or viewers would abandon the broadcast in droves.
Since Paige and Raylan still needed to perform their melancholy scene over Vivien’s injuries, Haley couldn’t ask them to enliven the atmosphere now, forcing her attention elsewhere. Her gaze landed on Kent first. “Kent, why not entertain everyone with a song?”
Haley surmised that Kent, playing a key role in Paige’s love triangle, seemed the perfect choice. A love ballad dedicated to Paige could elevate the broadcast’s mood while refocusing attention where it belonged.
Yet, the moment the suggestion left Haley’s lips, Kent’s eyes blazed with horrified disbelief.
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Internally, Kent unleashed a stream of curses. What incompetent producer had the show hired? Didn’t they know about his tonedeafness?
Haley missed his silent panic entirely. “Just perform your hit single, ‘Irresistible Charm.'”
Kent teetered on the edge of a meltdown. That “hit” belonged to another singer entirely—released under his name after his ascent to fame, purely for profit. His celebrity status was built on fabrication, every performance merely elaborate lip-syncing. The prospect of singing live before countless viewers spelled certain catastrophe.
Oblivious to his distress, Haley beamed with satisfaction and instructed the crew, “Cue Kent’s music.”
Though desperate to verbally eviscerate Haley, Kent found himself trapped as the music began. With no escape, he cleared his throat and braced himself.
Just as the introduction neared its end, Kent seized a water bottle, and the moment his cue arrived, he erupted into violent coughing. The hacking fit nearly turned him inside out.
Anticipation dissolved into disappointment as viewers flooded the chat with dissatisfied comments.
After coughing until crimson stained his cheeks, Kent raised apologetic eyes. “Sorry, I don’t think singing is possible for me today.”
A sardonic smirk curved Elliana’s lips. What a spectacular disaster of a performance… Just then, her phone vibrated against her hip. A message from Matthew illuminated the screen. “Lexi, I’ve forwarded Luciano’s complete itinerary from the past forty-eight hours in the attached file.”
Elliana opened it to discover confirmation of Luciano’s visit to Merritt’s exclusive club.
Matthew continued, “Lexi, we’ve secured surveillance footage from Luciano’s other destinations, but Merritt’s club remains impenetrable. Their cybersecurity exceeds our capabilities.”
“I’ll handle this personally,” Elliana replied.
With the other guests deliberately shunning her and Hailee momentarily called away, Elliana made use of the isolation to infiltrate Merritt’s network through her smartphone. Using Matthew’s timeline, she swiftly located footage of Luciano’s meeting with Merritt—Paige conspicuously present.
In the footage, Merritt admired a canvas before him with evident satisfaction. “My sincere gratitude, Mr. Scott, for delivering this painting personally.”
In response, Luciano’s smile dripped with obsequiousness. “Serving you is my greatest honor. This represents my finest work yet. With Miss Jones’ name attached, victory at the Starry Oil Painting Competition is assured.”
Nearby, Paige blossomed with delight as she extended a substantial check toward Luciano. “I appreciate your work, Mr. Scott. I anticipate our continued collaboration.”
Elliana downloaded the damning evidence, meticulously erased her digital footprints, and exited the system.
At this time, the bus rolled to a stop at the Ublento Art Museum, where Luciano awaited, dressed in artistic finery and surrounded by an admiring crowd.
Paige, who had maintained her facade of melancholy throughout the journey, suddenly illuminated with excitement and rose eagerly.
As passengers disembarked, Paige deliberately lingered behind. Once beyond the camera’s reach, she seized Elliana’s wrist with surprising force.
Elliana regarded her with unruffled composure. “What do you want?”
Paige arched her eyebrows, undisguised arrogance saturating her expression. “Elliana, I have a few words for you…”
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