LOGINIt hurt—a bone-deep, soul-carving pain that wouldn't stop bleeding.Because the grown-up girl on that stage no longer belonged to him. She no longer danced just for him...The moment the prelude began, Liam Martin's eyes turned bloodshot. His hands clenched into fists, pressed against his trembling lips—the pain shot through the back of his hands.Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Chloe Bishop's body began to move slowly. Her red-and-white dress fluttered with each graceful motion.Justin Taylor watched her with concern. Thankfully, her movements weren't vigorous—fluid and gentle. Bending backward, swaying her hips, lifting her legs—every motion flowed like water.Gradually, the worry in his eyes gave way to admiration, and admiration turned into sheer awe.Solo dance—especially slow dance—was extremely demanding.Chloe Bishop's flexibility, her breath control, and her rhythm were all impeccable. Most of all, her expressiveness effortlessly drew every pair of eyes in the room.A
Truth be told, Xavier Grayson didn't fully understand why he was here either. Just three days ago, the woman on that stage had dumped him.He told himself he'd come mostly out of concern—after all, she was still pregnant. He was afraid something might happen to her. That was all. It definitely wasn't because he wanted to see her. Definitely not...At that moment, the camera gave each of them—Xavier Grayson, Jin, Liam Martin, and Justin Taylor—a close-up. The online comments erupted again:"Oh my god—all of Chloe Bishop's rumored boyfriends are here!""No, no, no—did the person above forget about Seth Rollins?""They're definitely here for Chloe Bishop. None of them showed up in the previous episodes. And each one is more handsome than the last!""For sure. I can practically smell the money from here. The big shots who showed up today are literal walking money-printers. So jealous of the women at the venue tonight.""Also, Chloe Bishop is absolutely stunning. Even I—a woman—feel my hea
Gwen Grayson watched the stage, her profile delicate and serene.She had a sweet, cute face—especially when smiled, her warmth was infectious. Truth be told, being with her had never been unpleasant.Since they'd parted, though, she seemed to have grown much quieter.Nora Fatehi caught Tayne Marsh's gaze and immediately shifted to block his view, turning to face him with a tight, forced smile and a hint of warning in her eyes.Tayne Marsh curled his lips coldly and calmly looked away, his attention returning to Ava Adam on stage.Ava Adam's expression wasn't particularly pleased. Though Enna had heaped praise on her, and Enna said she'd improved since last time, Qasim remarked that her expressiveness still fell short of Scarlett Johnson's.Every judges' comment influenced the audience votes. Ava Adam hadn't expected to win over Enna, only to have Qasim show up and throw a wrench in things.Meanwhile, the director signaled Chloe Bishop to get ready—she was scheduled to go first in the
After finishing her makeup, Chloe Bishop sat down for an interview with the production team.When the staff member asked who she would choose as her opponent, Chloe Bishop answered without hesitation, "Ava Adam."The staff member asked, "Why?"Chloe Bishop replied very seriously, "She said she wanted a fair and square competition with me."Soon, it was 8 PM. Chloe Bishop and the other two challengers were arranged in the same waiting room, which had cameras installed. They could watch the stage through a monitor.The first dancer took the stage—she performed a routine with solid fundamentals, but the judges gave her only modest praise.Then came the second, the third...Since it was solo dancing, the standards were extremely demanding. Three contestants came and went without any real surprises—until Scarlett Johnson appeared.Dressed in a flowing white gown, Scarlett Johnson stood gracefully at center stage and began to dance.When still, she was like a white lotus untouched by mud in
Chloe Bishop just wanted to dance and leave—she didn't want any extra drama.Qasim immediately cleared his throat and said sternly, "Why are you only arriving now? Hurry up and get on stage for rehearsal. Check the lighting and see if anything needs adjusting. This is live, so don't mess up—wouldn't want to lower the show's standards."Enna quickly added, "Don't think you can skip rehearsal just because you're talented. I've sung your praises plenty—don't embarrass me. Now go with the director.""Yes, yes, I'm going right away."Chloe Bishop nodded repeatedly and followed the assistant director onto the stage.Some of the dancers wanted to sneak a peek at her skills, but the director and Enna immediately stopped them and told them to go get changed and do their makeup instead.Her rehearsal drew nothing but praise from the crew. To achieve the atmosphere she wanted, she worked with the lighting team to adjust a few cues.The result was absolutely stunning.At 7 PM, the audience began
And so, the day of the challenge round arrived.Chloe Bishop dug out her old dance costume from the bottom of her chest, had the servants dry-clean and press it. When she put it on, it fit perfectly—hugging every line of her figure flawlessly.She stood before the mirror. The reflection staring back no longer had the youthful innocence of her sixteen-year-old self. Her body was fuller now, more womanly. Clad in the red-and-white costume, she carried both grace and presence.That version of her from six years ago felt impossibly distant—like something from another lifetime. Back then, she'd just met Liam Martin. She'd danced this piece for him.And now, everything had changed.Nora Fatehi and Gwen Grayson arrived early, and the three of them headed to the Peach Blossom Cup venue together.The competition was a grand affair—huge sums had been poured into the stage production alone. From afar, the dazzling lights already gleamed with spectacular brilliance.Among variety shows, the Peach
Chloe Bishop slowly shifted her finger, pointing directly at the maid standing beside Sienna. "It was her. She’s the one who pushed me."A wave of confused derision swept through the crowd. First she says it was Sienna, and now she’s targeting a maid? Does she even know where she is? Does she have
The whispers turned into a roar of condemnation. Emboldened by Xavier Grayson’s lack of intervention, the relatives grew louder."To shift the blame onto someone else just because you made a mistake... thank god there was a witness, or Miss Sienna would have been wronged beyond measure.""So this i
Chloe blinked up at him, her heart still hammering against her ribs. "What for?"Xavier’s face was uncharacteristically heavy, his voice dropping an octave. "I’m taking you to the hospital."Chloe couldn't help but let out a small, weary laugh. "Xavier, it doesn't work that fast. It's an ointment,
Faking a faint?In the high-stakes theater of the Grayson family, it was a classic move, but a desperate one. Sienna lay there, fuming beneath her "unconscious" mask. The maid’s testimony was a masterpiece of revisionist history—painting herself as a victim of coercion when she had been salivating







