Novel Square
Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Merry bulged her eyes in disbelief, her heavily made–up face giving her an almost ghastly appearance.
The man standing before her towered at an impressive height, enveloped in a trench coat with a hat pulled down to shield most of his face. Yet, at that moment, he gazed at her with astonishment, his almond–shaped eyes wide with shock, even the tiny beauty mark under his eye seemed surprised, especially after her calling him “honey.”
Lia called him what? Honey?
Damn it! Bland thought he was a goner.
Anyone could see that the boss of “Pioneers Group” was flirting with Lia, but she had a thing for him.
This was a disaster! He might as well drop dead on the spot!
His words came out stuttering, “Lia?”
It was only when the man spoke that Merry realized what was happening. She clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.
Oh my God! It was really him, her idol, alive and in the flesh!
She wanted to reach out and touch him but didn’t dare, instead hopping around excitedly on the spot. Her usual gift of gab deserted her. Merry couldn’t utter a single coherent sentence.
They just stood there, staring at each other, neither knowing what to say until the sound of footsteps. approached. Yates and the rest of the Flames rushed over.
Hearing the footsteps, Bland realized others had arrived.
He turned to see a demure girl standing in the doorway, in a preppy school uniform with a ponytail, her dewy eyes fixed on him, her delicate features outshining any movie star’s.
Yates stood silently by her side, while Flame No. 1 stared at Bland, unable to see his face clearly due to the distance and the hat from his trench coat. He blurted out, “Boss Cordelia, is this the jerk who’s been messing with you? Guys, let’s give him a lesson!”
Bland and Merry were both confused.
That was when Bland realized that the girl standing before him wasn’t Cordelia. The real Cordelia was at the door. Relief washed over him, and he felt like he’d been brought back to life.
But if Cordelia was at the door, then who was this in front of him…?
As Merry saw her idol looking her way, she moved to step forward but then noticed him wrinkling his nose in distaste and retreating. Merry realized then that she was heavily made up. She immediately covered her face.
Normally, she wouldn’t feel ashamed of her dramatic makeup since she didn’t care about the opinions of those. who didn’t matter to her. But Bland wasn’t just anybody. He was her light.
She hurriedly stepped back.
Suddenly, a camera flash went off in the distance. A reporter was nearby!
Bland put on a sly grin as he said, “Catch you later, Lia.”
He’d been adorable when chatting online. But in person, his voice carried none of that cutesiness without any hint of coquetry, but was instead alluring and almost devilish!
He was already caught up in rumors. The last thing he needed was more scandalous photos. Now that he was exposed, the best course of action was to make a quick exit.
Pulling his hat down further, Bland concealed most of his face. With a final glance at Merry and his long strides, he vanished from the floor.
Silence fell over the members of Flame Union. They exchanged looks until Flame No
1 burst into laughter, mimicking Merry’s voice, “Honey?”
Merry was dumbfounded
Oh no! What had she just called her idol? She was mortified!
On the way back, a deflated Merry lamented to Cordelia, “I didn’t remove my makeup before he saw me! My idol must think fin nuts. How could I just blurt out ‘honey‘ like that? It was supposed to be an inner scream!”
Cordelia was speechless.
Merry continued, “Ugh, I have an audition this afternoon. Maybe I should bail? I can’t face him now, she whined, then remembered the pencil case that had hit her idol. “I should… I should…”
Cordelia braced herself for Merry to either toss or smash the pencil case in frustration, but Merry declared, “I’m going to cherish it forever. This isn’t just any pencil case. It’s touched my idol’s head!”
Cordelia couldn’t follow the twisted logic of a die–hard fan.
After a communal lunch, Merry had to leave for her audition and was too nervous to go alone. She dragged Cordelia along for moral support.
The others were playing extras and skipped the next class. Cordelia, having nothing better to do, agreed to accompany her.
Before leaving, Merry went to the restroom to remove her makeup. Without proper remover, she scrubbed her face multiple times with facial wash, revealing her fair complexion beneath the heavy layers.
Merry’s features, both classical yet sharp, her sharp eyes giving her a striking presence. She peered into the mirror at the unfamiliar yet familiar reflection and psyched herself up for the audition,
Waiting outside the restroom, Cordelia ran into Latham who was about to head downstairs. At the sight of Cordelia, he paused, always feeling a pang of pity for this student. Not wanting her to feel bad, he explained, “Cordelia, about the audition… I was going to recommend you, but it requires someone who can play the piano. Don’t take it to heart, okay?”
Cordelia merely nodded, indifferent. She’d rather spend time tackling a stack of SAT practice tests than acting. When Merry emerged, makeup–free and looking refreshed, they headed to the third floor of the academic building for the audition.
They arrived to find the other candidates already gathered. There were girls recommended by their teachers, all with good looks and piano skills,
As they approached, a stage manager noticed Cordelia and brightened up. “Are you here to audition too?” Hayley, who accompanied Juliana, scoffed. “She’s just here with a friend!” Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
The stage manager looked disappointed but was clearly captivated by Cordelia’s look and presence, which fit the role perfectly. He persisted, “Why don’t you give it a try?”
Cordelia shook her head.
“Why not?” the stage manager pressed, but before Cordelia could respond, Hayley interjected, “She’s never even touched a piano. How could she act?”
With that, the stage manager sighed in disappointment and moved on.
The camera was set to capture a seamless, sweeping shot of the pianist, moving from the distance right up to her poised fingers dancing over the ivory keys. The role demanded authenticity. The actress had to play the piano.
The stage mananer finally turned
hint of surprise in his voice.
After a beat, he glanced back at the other girl waiting in the wings. She bore an uncanny resemblance to Merry It was none other than Leila!
Hayley couldn’t resist a jab, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “So, it’s either going to be Juliana or Leila who gets this shot. Merry, you’re just embarrassing yourself here, aren’t you?”