Chapter 57
As a contestant, Mira arrived at the venue early to make her final preparations.
But to her surprise, Celine and Liora were already there. The car had just stopped when she heard Liora’s shriek.
“Mira, what took you so long? Almost all the other contestants are here already p>
“It’s fine. I already did most of my prep at Ms. Brooks’s place,” Mira said with a smile.
“Let me tell you, almost all our classmates came today. Natalie’s here too. Look, over there p>
Mira followed Liora’s pointing finger and saw Natalie waving at her.
“Alright, that’s enough. Let Mira go get ready,” Celine interjected.
Liora stepped aside and glanced into the van. “Wow! Are these your dancers? Why are they all wearing monastery robes p>
“Shh! Keep it down. This is a secret for now. And they’re not monastery robes, they’re Taekwondo uniforms p>
Liora clutched her chest and glanced around nervously. “Okay, good. No one else noticed p>
Her antics made Mira and Celine laugh.
Celine was also a bit curious. “Are you guys going to be doing Taekwondo today p>
“It’s a Taekwondo dance p>
“I can’t wait to see it p>
“Me too p>
After chatting with her friends for a few moments, Mira and her team had to head backstage.
“Wait a minute.” Just as they were about to get in the van, they heard someone call out.
The voice was very familiar. Mira knew who it was instantly.
She ignored him and got into the van, but Celine said, “Wesley came all this way. Just hear him out. It’ll only take a minute p>
After all, their families were business partners. Making things too tense wouldn’t benefit anyone. Even if Mira planned to leave the Mercer family, there was no need to make things unpleasant.
“What do you want to say p>
“Mira, why are you giving me this attitude? I just want to tell you, no matter how much you and Mara fight, you’re still family you have to think of the bigger picture. During the competition, go easy on her, alright p>
“Are you done p>
won
Wesley nodded subconsciously. Mira waved for Kieran, who was standing nearby, to get in the van.
The door slammed shut, and the van sped away in a flash.
“Hey, they just left?” He thought the person next to Mira looked familiar. That’s right, it was Kieran!
Wesley grabbed his phone and quickly sent Mira a message.
In the van, Mira glanced at the incoming message. It was about how unsuitable Kieran was. She deleted it immediately and didn’t give it a second thought.
The talent show began, its prelude unfolding with a beautiful opening score.
Colorful lights danced with the
notes, weaving a dreamlike
atmosphere that held the audience
spellbound, a collective thrill surging through the crowd as the show began.
The performance order was decided by a random draw. Mira drew number eleven, right in the middle. Mara drew number six.
Nearby, Naomi was complaining about her bad luck, having drawn the first slot.
Contestants who performed later could adjust their acts based on the ones before them, but the first performer had no one to reference.
Her luck was so bad that even Mira suspected it was a deliberate arrangement, meant to use her high-level performance to set a tough standard for the judges.
But it didn’t matter much. Among the group of newcomers, Naomi was a real powerhouse. She and Sienna were the popular favorites for champion and runner-
up.
Further down the list were other talented contestants like Hannah. As the heiress of Mercer Vision Entertainment, Mara also attracted a lot of attention.
The promotional posters
prominently featured the rising star Naomi facing off against the prodigious Sienna, with violinist Hannah also in the lineup, and of course, the participation of Merger Vision Entertainment’s own heiress, Mara p>
In comparison, Mira was a complete unknown.
But this was the outcome Mira wanted, as it meant fewer rivals would try to
sabotage her.
As the beautiful opening music played, Naomi’s sweet voice and heartfelt
performance deeply moved the audience.
She sang a classic, nostalgic ballad, and the venue fell silent, as if everyone was transported back to a bygone era p>