Semua Bab Off Camera : Bab 41 - Bab 50

Connie's povI sat cross-legged on my bed, the soft glow of my phone screen the only light in the room.Kyrian was stretched out on his side, one arm tucked under his pillow, his breathing deep and even.It had been like this for the past few nights—us sharing the space but orbiting each other carefully.On camera, we played the part.Stolen glances during group challenges, my hand brushing his during dinner setups.Enough chemistry to keep the rankings from tanking completely.Off camera?We were... figuring it out.Or at least trying not to let the silence swallow us whole.My thumb hovered over Hori's contact.I wanted to text her everything.The knot in my chest that wouldn't loosen.The way Daniel’s presence echoed in my head every time I closed my eyes.But I couldn't.Not yet.Some things were better left buried until I had a plan that didn't blow up both our lives.The door creaked open softly.Kyrian stirred, sitting up slowly, his dark hair messy from sleep.He rubbed a hand

Connie’s POV It would be hard or even impossible to ignore Daniel’s crude acts, especially since I had tasted the consequences firsthand. I might have been unable to protect myself from the scumbag but Sasha still had time. I could shake things up, make sure she remains safe. To achieve that, the only way was to root out the source of the problem. Daniel Hardman. The problem was that he wouldn’t sit idly about. I couldn’t sleep that night. The pressure to do something engulfed me. My eyes darted towards Kyrian who looked fast asleep. I wondered what he would do if he were in my shoes. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TIME FOR BREAKFAST!” I jumped out of bed like I had just had a terrible nightmare. Kyrian was in the room, shocked by my sudden action. I was breathing hard while hoping I had heard wrongly. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, COME TO THE DINING ROOM FOR BREAKFAST!” the voice echoed again. It was Pat for sure. I turned to Kyrian, seeking answers, “Why… Why am I in bed at this hour? It i

Connie’s POV As much as I’d like to storm out of the room without answering the question, I understood the camera was on me and viewers all over the world were watching at this very moment. I couldn’t fuck this up or else Vress might as well carry out his threat. I took a deep breath to relax and I flashed a smile. “What happened between both of you was an unfortunate incident. It’s truly regrettable that it had to end up with violence,” I said lightly. “Good. At least you know Kyrian acted wrongly,” Roderigo replied, tongue in cheek. “There shouldn’t be two immoral people in one pairing, the organizers did their job well.” The smile on my face disappeared instantly. “Now don’t be cocky,” I told him. “What?” he gasped. “You keep speaking without prudence. Little wonder you got your ass kicked by Kyrian,” I retorted. “Come to think of it, you are both men. Don’t you feel ashamed?” Roderigo stood up, breathing hard, “Keep shut, Connie! I will lose my temper if you continue this

Kyrian’s POV “I wish I could say the same about you,” I replied with a smile. Sarah didn’t look a bit surprised with the reply. It was as if she had expected it.“You are still feisty,” she said. “Do you like that too?” I asked.“Not really,” she shook her head sideways. “This thought of mine might be old-fashioned but I think only women deserve to be feisty and sassy. It is a girly thing and I don’t like girly girls.”“Finally, there is something you don’t like about me. My heart is very much gladdened,” I replied naturally. She chuckled, “Gladdened? The last time I heard that word was seven months ago in a church service. No one ever uses it in real conversations.”“People do, maybe not your circle of friends,” I said. “Exactly. My friends are really trendy and fun,” she replied. “But you know what? I like my men being old-fashioned. It gives off some kind of fatherly vibes, as if they’re older than their age.”I chuckled, “If I didn’t know your dad, I would say you have daddy i

Connie’s POV I had meant to play hard to get but as it was no longer possible, I accepted Kyrian’s offer to walk home. We didn’t talk much on the way and that was mainly because he was busy on his phone. I considered that really disrespectful but I didn’t confront him about it.Anyway, we were notified that we would all be having dinner together with Pat. The latest development didn’t faze me a bit, I had no reason to care. When it was time for dinner, all of us gathered at the dining hall. We were expecting Pat but she didn’t arrive until most of us were halfway into our meals. “Ladies, Gentlemen,” she called. If she was looking for attention, she had gotten it by now. “To make things more fun, we have added a new program every night. Conversation at dinner, I will be taking charge of it as you must have expected. It will start tonight.” “It's short notice,” Roderigo muttered. “Some of us already have plans for tonight.” “We won’t take your time,” Pat replied. “It’s only for thir