Chapter 35
“No. I have a feeling that we’ll get an even bigger scoop,” the other person answered. “We’ll be losing out if we expose ourselves now. Let’s keep waiting for the time being.”
Alyssa still had no idea how the entertainment industry worked. The number of recording devices announced to the public never matched the actual number planted throughout the studio,
There was no shortage of paparazzi who obtained secret recordings before selling them off to the right buyer. It was how they kept getting huge scoops. Furthermore, there wasn’t much information left that
would actually qualify as breaking news, since most of it had already been exposed.
Megan was standing by in the waiting area.
“The person before you is going to leave the stage soon. Get ready, Elena.”
Following the orders of the staff members, Megan stepped onto the stage. Below the stage, Howard had
already risen to his feet and was preparing to leave. He didn’t usually turn up for such events and had only
made an appearance today to watch Alyssa’s performance.
Since Alyssa was done performing, it was also time for him to take his leave. He had only taken a few
steps when the third participant appeared on the stage, prompting Howard to glance at her.
“Our next contestant is Elena. She’ll be performing ‘Yesterday Revisited‘ for us.”
Howard recalled how Alyssa had told him that Elena was Jimmy’s kept woman upon hearing the host’s
announcement. He wasn’t sure why, but he found himself rooted to the spot as he watched the stage.
He had heard the people around him talking about the mysterious masked woman, but it was his first time getting a good look at her.
She stood on the stage and held the microphone lightly before she began to sing. A melodious voice
flowed from her lips. She had a unique singing style, giving the listener the impression that she was telling
them a story. She had only sung a few lines, but she had already captivated the entire audience.
Total silence descended upon the studio that had been filled with raucous noises just seconds ago.
Everyone was focused intently on the woman singing on the stage.
Howard frowned slightly. He couldn’t shake the feeling that her singing style sounded familiar to his ears.
He was struck with a realization in the next second. Her singing style was similar to Megan’s but was also
starkly different.
Elena’s style of singing was more mature compared to Megan’s. The storytelling quality of her voice was stronger. Her voice was also laced with a faint melancholy as if she had grown indifferent to the world after living through countless experiences, which only enhanced the captivating quality of her voice.
The sensations her voice stirred up weren’t heavy. It was light and fleeting, reminiscent of smoke, clinging
Chapter 35
stubbornly to a person and leaving a strong impression.
22
Howard scrutinized the masked woman on the stage, who was dressed in layers and layers of roses that
reminded him of a burning flame. She was different from Megan, whether it be the style of their costumes
or their figures. Elena couldn’t be Megan.
As the performance continued, her voice that had started out light in the beginning intensified as it intertwined with the music. She raised her voice higher and higher until she reached the climax of the
song.
Flames erupted all over the stage. The lights changed, casting the stage in darkness for a brief moment before a single spotlight illuminated the woman standing in the middle of the stage. She was holding a
violin.
Flower petals fluttered from the bottom of the violin. The woman moved her hands, causing an elegant but intensely sad note to reverberate around the studio.
The lights were focused on the woman. She removed some parts of her rose costume, allowing the changing lights to shine on her body, revealing the bruises on her skin that she had used makeup to cover up before.
Her entire body was covered in bruises, making for a shocking sight, especially when they were so dark against her pale skin. The bruises were most evident on her joints, and it became obvious that her injuries
had been quite severe.
Her injuries enhanced her performance at that moment, driving home the image of beauty existing even on the brink of death. On the other hand, the flames that were burning around her made it seem like she was being reborn from the fire.
The woman continued playing the violin as her red dress billowed around her. She was extremely thin, but she was also breathtakingly beautiful as she stood on the stage. As the sounds of the violin intensified, everyone’s gazes were completely focused on the woman.
Everyone shared the same thought as they watched her–they were witnessing a rose being reborn.
As the flames died out, the sounds of the violin also came to a stop. Despite the performance being over, the audience was still reeling from the shocking performance they had just witnessed.
Megan slowly put down her violin. When she looked up, she caught sight of Howard, who was standing a short distance away. They made eye contact with each other.
