COMMENT
Chapter 127
Yvette acted as though she hadn’t seen anything, her expression unchanged.
“I came back early today. How about we take a walk in the garden” she suggested.
Howard nodded. He still needed to use a wheelchair, but he was able to stand with some assistance now.
Taking a few steps was manageable, and he was happy to try. “Let’s go.”
Yvette stood up and wheeled him outside. Later, as Howard was practicing standing with a walker in the garden, a servant approached.
The servant stood behind Yvette and spoke in a low voice. “Ms. Young, the trash has been taken out.”
“Good.” Yvette nodded. “Anything suspicious?”
“Here you go,” she said.
The servant handed her a small, burnt fragment, about the size of two fingers.
Yvette took it, frowning as she examined it. It looked like a corner of a photograph likely a girl’s head, based on the hairstyle.
This must have been something Howard had frantically burned earlier. ‘A picture of a girl? Why? Who is she?‘ she wondered.
“Alright, it’s nothing,” Yvette said.
“Understood, Ms. Young,” the servant nodded.
She dismissed the servant, carefully storing the fragment away.
The date for the performance had been set, this Friday, at 8:00 PM.
Being scheduled at such a prime time showed just how much Brenda valued the event and her expectations for it.
Sienna felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. This was her first big stage performance, and it was a significant milestone in her career. There was no room for failure.
Ticket sales were all online now, and that night, Sienna forced herself to go to sleep after checking the ticketing site.
Brenda had told her beforehand, “Don’t worry about the tickets selling out. Lightning Dance has always been in high demand. Just focus on dancing.
“If the premiere fails, that’s when the real trouble starts for the dance studio.”
The next morning, Sienna woke up and checked the ticketing website. Everything was sold out.
“Wow.” Sienna covered her mouth, feeling a rush of excitement. She was truly standing on a great stage now–if she didn’t make a name for herself, she would have failed.
Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Cedric.
Cedric: [Congratulations, the tickets for the performance sold out.] The message was followed by a smiling emoji.
Sienna smiled softly. He was keeping an eye on it too.
Sienna: [Thank you]
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Chapter 127
Cedric: [Wishing you the best of luck with the performance. You’ve got this, Sienna.]
On the other end, Cedric set his phone down, thinking for a moment, then opened a group chat and typed a message.
Cedric: [This Friday, Lightning Dance performance, VIP private room tickets, who has time?]
He hit send, then waited for responses. Yes, Cedric had bought tickets.
He was pursuing Sienna, and there was no way he wasn’t going to support her during her first performance.
His original plan was that if ticket sales didn’t go well, he would buy up the remaining tickets himself. He could afford it and didn’t mind spending the money.
But he had miscalculated. Last night, he had stayed up watching the ticketing site, waiting for the clock to strike midnight, ready to grab the link. But there were many fast fingers out there
In the end, he only managed to secure a few VIP private room tickets. If he had been even a little slower, those might have slipped away too.
His phone buzzed again as the group chat came alive.
Thomas: [Sienna’s performance?]
Cedric: [Yes, please show your support.]
Yosef: [Sure, I’m free.]
Cedric: [Thanks, Yosef.]
Thomas: [I’m in too. What about Mr. Flynn? Why so quiet?]
Josiah, the one being called out, was holding his phone in one hand and sipping coffee with the other. He smirked faintly, unimpressed, as he tapped out a reply.
Josiah: [Sure. I’ve got nothing better to do.]
Cedric: [It’s settled, then. Thanks again, guys!]
Setting his phone aside, Josiah’s expression remained calm and composed, as if none of this mattered to him.
Beside him, Zach hesitated, stammering, “Mr. Flynn, most of the employees I contacted couldn’t get tickets. Only a handful managed to…”
So, Cedric wasn’t the only one worried about ticket sales. Josiah had preemptively asked Zach to arrange for Flynn Group employees to purchase tickets, covering the costs himself.
But since most of these employees weren’t theater enthusiasts and had no experience buying tickets for such events, they’d mostly failed.
The failure, however, was exactly what Josiah had hoped for. He seemed quite satisfied and cast a glance at Zach. “No problem. Tell them I appreciate their effort. Anyone who tried to get tickets gets overtime pay.”
“Understood, Mr. Flynn,” he said.
Zach couldn’t help but wonder. ‘Why does he look so pleased they didn’t get the tickets? Was he trying to succeed, or not?‘
By Friday, it was time for Lightning Dance’s show.
Coincidentally, Josiah made a quick stop at the restroom when he arrived. On his way back, he ran into Cedric.
Chapter 127
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Unlike Josiah, who came empty–handed, Cedric was holding a massive bouquet of roses, standing in the corridor that led from backstage to the main hall. There was no need to guess who they were for.
“Hi, Cedric.” As expected, Sienna appeared, wearing her performance outfit. She looked tall and elegant, her figure graceful.
“Sienna.” Cedric smiled shyly. “Am I bothering you?”
“Not at all.” Sienna shook her head with a smile. “Actually, I’m nervous right now. You’re just in time to help me calm down.”
“Nervous?” Cedric immediately tensed up as well. He tried to reassure her. “Relax. You’ve got this. You’re amazing.”
He’d seen her dance before. No exaggeration, Sienna lit up the stage.
“I know.” She nodded, her smile growing as she gestured toward the flowers in his arms. “Are those for me?”
“Of course.” Cedric quickly handed her the bouquet. “Wishing you all the best for your performance.”
Such a large bouquet must’ve cost quite a bit.
“Can you hold onto them for me?” Sienna leaned in slightly and whispered, “There are too many people backstage. I’m afraid they might get lost. What a waste that would be.”
Cedric blinked, stunned. ‘Am I being trusted with something important?‘ he wondered.
“How about this?” Sienna raised her hands toward the bouquet, still smiling. “They’re mine, right? Can I take just one?”
Of course!” Cedric nodded eagerly.
“Thanks.” She plucked a single rose from the bouquet with both hands. “Perfect timing. I need one for my performance.” She pointed to the bun at the back of her head. “I’ll wear it here. This one will do.”
As she spoke, she reached around, securing the rose into her hair bun. Then she turned to Cedric with a bright smile. “How does it look?”
“It’s nice.” Cedric nodded, then paused. “Actually… it’s a little crooked, and maybe a bit loose. Want me to fix it for you?”
“Oh, sure.” Sienna turned around and tilted her head slightly.
Under the soft hallway lights, Cedric adjusted the rose, securing it more firmly and straightening its angle.
“There. All set,” he smiled.
Sienna touched the flower lightly, her smile radiant. “Thank you
“Sienna! Done chatting with your friend?” someone called from inside.
“Coming!” Sienna replied loudly, then waved at Cedric. “I’ve got to go. See you later.”
“See you later,” he said.
Cedric stood rooted in place, a smile plastered across his face, unable to suppress it no matter what.
Not far away, Josiah, who had been spying on them, frowned deeply and looked away. He walked off briskly, as if trying to escape something.
In the private room, the curtain rose, and the performance began.
20:54 Mon,
