Adelyn composed herself and replied, "It was good."
Alia blinked. "Good?" She studied her, clearly waiting to hear more from her —sothing that would help her understand better what had really happened during the audition.
But when Adelyn said nothing even after a mont, Alia drew her own conclusion.
She assud the girl was putting on a brave front.
And no matter what, she couldn’t bla her.
After all, she had witnessed herself that Adelyn had been deliberately targeted.
Anyone in her position would have faltered.
Reaching out, Alia placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle pat. "It’s okay. You found the courage to step onto the stage —that alone is brave enough. Freya and I are proud of you. Even if you don’t get this role, we are sure that soon enough you’ll bag a better opportunity than this one."
Adelyn was slightly taken aback.
For a second, she didn’t understand what had prompted Alia to say that.
But then —
She did.
Alia simply didn’t believe her.
For a mont, Adelyn considered explaining. She even parted her lips to speak —but then stopped herself.
Even if she did explain, Alia likely wouldn’t believe her anyway.
So why bother?
Pressing her lips into a thin line, she settled for a faint, restrained smile, letting her assu whatever kept her at peace.
"Okay, now that you’re done," Alia continued, her gaze shifting as she looked around for any crew mber, "I’ll check with the staff and see if we can leave now —or if we need to wait until all the auditions are over."
"We don’t have to," Adelyn said.
Alia turned back to her.
"Producer Polson asked us to head back first," Adelyn explained/ "He said he would personally call Sister Freya later."
Alia paused. "He stopped you himself and said that?"
Adelyn nodded.
Alia gave it a brief thought and then her expression soured slightly, and she let out a quiet huff. "Of course, he’ll call and explain what happened today to Sister Freya. But how is that supposed to help us? The auditions are done, and you clearly weren’t able to perform your best. With that, will we even have a chance to persuade him to reconsider you?"
The words ca out before she could stop herself.
But the monts he caught sight of Adelyn’s face, she quickly cut herself off.
"... It’s fine. Let’s not talk about this matter anymore."
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her car keys and handed them over. "Take this and head to the parking area. I’ll inform the crew and be there in a bit."
"Okay," Adelyn nodded.
Then, without adding anything further, she turned and walked out of the building.
Alia watched her leave for a second before turning in the opposite direction to find the crew.
It was a small formality.
But even in her low mood, she chose to follow it.
———
What neither of them noticed was that throughout their entire conversation, soone had been watching from a distance.
A pair of eyes, fixed intently on Adelyn, trying to confirm her presence there.
Unblinking.
Unmoving.
And when Adelyn moved —
He followed.
Neither Alia nor Adelyn had noticed him, but soone else did.
Maria.
Confusion crept across her face when she saw him stepping out of the car.
"Dr. Colsen," she called, about to hurry over and inform him that Clara was still inside for her audition.
But before she could reach him, he had already walked past, heading in another direction, without sparing her a single glance.
Maria halted.
Wait ...
Wasn’t Dr. Colsen here for Ms. Scott?
She turned and looked at the figure, which was walking farther and farther away.
Then where was he going?
"Is he leaving for sothing important?" she wondered.
But then, when she turned and noticed, his care was still there.
Which ant —
That wasn’t the case.
But then what else?
"Maybe he went to get sothing for Ms. Scott," she muttered to herself, rembering how every ti he gets Clara her favorite snacks.
With that, she didn’t think much of it and turned back toward the audition hall.
It was already ti.
She was sure Clara would be done in any minute.
And true to her guess, just as she reached the door, she saw the crew preparing another candidate to enter.
The next mont, the door opened, and Clara stepped out.
Maria quickly rushed to her side, switching on the portable fan in her hand.
"Ms. Scott, you’re done. Should I call and inform CEO Scott?"
"..."
Clara didn’t respond.
Her brows remained furrowed, as though she was trying to grasp a fleeting mory she couldn’t quite catch.
"Ms. Scott?" Maria called again, concern creeping into her voice. "Is sothing wrong?"
Clara turned to her suddenly. "Maria, did you see the woman who stepped out after I went in?"
Maria paused for a second and then nodded. "Yes, she ca out a few minutes after you entered. I saw her."
"How did she look?" Clara asked almost imdiately.
The question caught Maria off guard.
Still, seeing the seriousness on Clara’s face, she answered carefully, "She looked ... alright. But nothing compared to you. You are—"
"Maria," Clara cut her off, irritation creasing her brows. "I’m asking how she looked. Was she soone we’ve t before? Or —"
Maria quickly shook her head, a little startled by her tone. "N-no. She was a completely new face. We’ve never seen her before."
Clara’s expression only grew more intense.
"Did you —"
"Ms. Scott."
Before she could ask more, a voice interrupted her from a distance.
Clara turned.
It was the sa crew mber she had spoken to earlier —the one she had made the request to.
As he approached, he spoke apologetically, "There was a small misunderstanding earlier."
Clara’s brows furrowed.
"You have co looking for your family mber," he continued, "but we got it wrong. The person inside wasn’t the one whose na I called."
Clara’s heartbeat subtly quickened.
"There was a last-minute change in the list," he added. "Ms Adelyn was actually scheduled to audition for the lead role and was there in a different room."
Clara froze.
The world seed to tilt for a second —
Her steps faltered as the na echoed in her mind.
Adelyn.
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