Chapter 68 She Wants to Withdraw

Finished

“I originally nned to have you two audition togetherst time, but since you didn’t show up and I ended up having somethinge up as well, I had to cancel it. Now that I’m free again, I figured I’d bring you both in today…”

Lacey sat stiffly on the couch, her chest tightening with a flood of agitation.

Why did Jean have to show up?

bWas /bshe too gentlest time?

While Taylor spoke, Jean casually observed Lacey’s expression.

At this bpoint/b, she’d more or less pieced it all together.

There was a 99% chance Lacey was the one who poisoned her.

And the motive wasughably simple: keep Jean bfrom /bauditioning for the variety show, so Lacey could swoop in and steal the bspot /b

bThat /blook on her face when Jean said she was perfectly fine? That shock wasn’t faked.

bClearly/b, she never expected Jean to recover so quickly. It threw her whole n binto /bchaos.

Come to think of it, she owed her recovery to Samuel.

If not for him, she might still be stuck bin /ba bhospital /bbed, in agony, with no diagnosis in sight.

Lacey’s heart was even nastier than Jean expected.

No wonder the host eventually btook /bmatters into her own hands. Girls like this deserved it.

“Jean, are byou /bready to start the audition now?” Taylor’s warm voice brought her back to the present.

jean looked over at him and smiled. “Of courseb./bb” /b

Lacey bstood /bas well.

This wasn’t going how she’d nned. She thought she’d already secured the gig.

But now Jean was here. And suddenly, the odds felt stacked again.

Still, Lacey wasn’t going down without a fight.

She had plenty of talents. She’d make Taylor see it.

Jean and Lacey stood side by side in the center of the office, leaving space between them.

Both expected they’d be asked to showcase their talents next-

But Taylor turned around and swiveled a monitor toward them instead.

Jean blinked.

It wasn’t a disy screen. It was a video call.

And the person on the screen–bWas /bEaston

He lounged casually in frame, his long, elegant hair falling near his eyes. When he spotted Jean on the other end, his sharp gaze wavered slightly.

Chapter 68 She Wants to Withdraw

contract–bthat’s /bup to Easton. He couldn’t bmake /bit in person, so we’re doing the audition over video.”

There really wasn’t any other way.

Taylor’s new show had managed to secure Easton thanks to some serious back–end wrangling by their investors

Finished

Truth be told, Taylor wasn’t a fan of using A–list celebrities in variety shows. Sure, the ratings were practically guaranteed, but in his eyes, the soul of a show had toe from the content–not the star power.

Still, if the investors wanted Eastonb, /bthen Taylor had to make it work.

But then bcame /bthe bhard /bpart

The show wasn’t a solo format–it was a duo bconcept/b. Each guest needed a partner.

Taylor had expected Easton to be picky, but not this picky.

Every single person Taylor suggested was rejected on the spot.

Don’t like

e them. Not a fit. Don’t bother.

Taylor eventually asked him outright what bkind /bof partner he was looking for. Easton didn’t answer. He just kept vetoing everyone else.

It was maddening.

Then, during a casual meeting, Taylor happened to y back a recording from the Hope Cup finals–the Sterford Academy stage y.

bEaston /bhad teased bhim /bat first, saying, “You really like watching high school kids y pretend, huh?”

But Taylor wasn’t embarrassed at all. He told him he thought bthe /bTree in the performance was surprisingly moving. Really vivid. The soul of the whole show.

Easton braised /ban eyebrow but didn’t scoff. He paused for a long moment, then said three words:

“bNot /bbad, I guess.

Coming from Easton, that was ba /bglowing review.

Usually, he didn’t even bother being polite. Just “no” or “not interested.”

For him to bsay /b“bnot /bbbad/b” meant he bdidn’t /bdislike it.

And that was huge.

Taylor immediately got his hopes up.

bMaybe/b—just maybe that Tree could be the one Easton would actually say yes to.

So here they were.

All of this, bjust /bfor Easton.

“All right,” Easton saidzily from the screen. “Let’s start. bShow /bme what you’ve got. bWho’s /bfirst?”

His head rested against one bhand/b, expression cool and bunreadable/b.

He blooked /blike a painting–so polished he didn’t feel real.

“I’ll go first,” Lacey blurted out, forcing herself to sound confident.

L

Chapter 68 She Wants to Withdraw

She threw herself into the performance.

Dancing Instruments. Anything that might impress.

Jean stood off to the side, watching without much interest.

When Lacey finally finished, Easton’s expression didn’t bchange/b.

He was still smiling politely–but there was no indication he liked or disliked what he saw.

Lacey stood frozen, waiting for feedback.

But Easton didn’t say ba /bword.

Instead, his eyes shifted toward Jean

He ulted his head slightly, lips curling

“Your turn, ssmate.” he said, voice calm and smooth.

Jean had to admit, his voice was nice. Deep, mellow, with a subtle maic pull

But being stared at by this guy gave her goosebumps.

Screw this.

bns /bwere changing.

Finished

She let out a barely audible sigh, then stered on an awkward smile. “Actually, I don’t really feel like being on ba /bvariety show anymore. I don’t bthink /bI’m the right tit

She paused “Would it be okay if I backed out?”

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