The Bargain Undercover

“Good job, Eliana.” The stage curtain had just closed. Eliana Carey was about to go off the stage when Lyla Romilly called out to her. She turned around. “You too, Lyla.” Lyla didn’t respond, her gaze brushed past the pointe shoes on Eliana’s feet. Eliana stood still, her eyes curved into a smile, focusing sharply on Lyla. A short silence stretched between them. Just when Lyla was about to say something more, a male voice cut in. “Ellie, good job!” Alex Hiliam trotted to her and opened his arms. “Thank you!” Eliana gave him a slight hug, the bells on her costume tinkling. “Sorry, I’m all sweaty!” Through his shoulder, she saw Lyla walk away. ‘Did I catch her this time?’ Thoughts were running through Eliana’s head when she heard Alex continue, “You look so pretty in this costume, and you did so well! I’m so happy for you!” Yes, she did so well. Before dealing with Lyla, she might as well spare a few minutes feeling proud of herself. On this snowy night of Christmas Eve, their grand opening for the Christmas season, by dancing Coffee in Nutcracker, Eliana finally stood out from the whole big group of Corps de Ballet. This had been her first critical role since she joined Millwich Ballet Theatre nine months ago. “Mr. most handsome Soloist, your compliment means the whole world to me!” Eliana showed Alex her sweetest smile. Dancers brushed past them and went offstage, while Alex stood still, touching his nose subconsciously. “Hey, um... We’ll go grab some snacks. Will you join us?” Eliana pouted her lips and apologized, “Sorry, but I really have to go home now.” The stars in Alex’s eyes extinguished, though not too obvious, still enough for Eliana to notice with her sharp cat eyes. How many times had she refused him recently? Three? Or four? She couldn’t remember, but it seemed time to offer him some sweets. “But!” Before he could say anything more, she added, “I will make up to you.” Alex was intrigued by her promise. “Make up how?” “You will know.” Naughty lights flashed across her eyes, making her look like a spoiled cat who planned to steal snacks when her owner wasn’t watching. Giving out her promise, Eliana quickly went off the stage, her smile fading. She walked through the crowd with her head low and came to the female changing room. Almost everyone had left. Outside the window, snowflakes were falling down, reflecting the neon lights of the city. Eliana quickly opened her locker door and took out her phone. She checked it. And then, she showed a relieved smile. *** As the cab headed from downtown toward a suburban affluent neighborhood, the hustle and bustle of the city was gradually replaced by tranquility, but with Christmas lights and stuff decorating the neighborhood, the holiday vibe didn’t fade at all. Eliana looked out through the cab window. She was quiet along the way, only saying “Merry Christmas” to the driver when she arrived at her destination. Getting out of the cab, she was standing in front of one of the few villas that stayed away from the holiday vibe. This was where she had been visiting once every week for the past three months. A snowflake kissed her lip and melted away. She took a deep breath, walked to the villa, and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door was opened. Xander Lane looked down at her, his shadow domineering. December nights froze. Eliana tightened her down jacket and showed her brightest smile, her voice cheerful. “Merry Christmas, Director Lane.” Xander nodded and moved sideways, signaling her to get in. Eliana walked into the villa, took off her down jacket and scarf, and peeked at his cold face. She had never seen smiles on this face. Actually, not only her, but no one else in Millwich Ballet Threatre had ever seen their 25-year-old Artist Director smile. Eliana wouldn’t worry if they were just colleagues, but she needed feedback from him to know how she was doing. “Remove your clothes.” When she came out of the shower and was about to ask what he thought about her first solo performance, he made his order. No extra words, just straight to the point. Eliana swallowed the small talk she had prepared and walked to him like a pliant cat, her claws retracted. She let him take off her clothes, press her down on the sofa, and use her as he pleased. After all, this was about him, not her. It was a simple benefit exchange between two adults. If she wanted him to help her climb the career ladder, she had to serve him right. All this started three months ago. Eliana wasn’t born into a ballet family. It was just a coincidence - not pleasant though - for her to try ballet at the age of nine, and then her hidden talent in ballet blossomed. In the following years, she swept the board at major ballet awards and was admitted into the best ballet school in Millwich. When she was nineteen, she graduated as a top student and successfully got an apprenticeship at Millwich Ballet Theatre, a world-famous ballet company. It had been like a plain sailing. However, the real challenge had just started. Power, money, connections, family background... Outside school life, ballet wasn’t just ballet anymore but a mix of ballet and many other factors. All the top-rate ballet dancers gathered here, appearing peaceful on the surface, but underneath, they were like hungry beasts battling for one small piece of meat. In this fierce battle, Eliana’s competitors were fully armed, while her only weapon was her ballet technique. So, she sharpened it day by day, hoping to win the battle with it. She had to win. She had to be the one standing under the spotlight on the stage, bowing to thunderous applause. That image was her sole anchor of security in life, and she was determined to do whatever it took to get there. So, after her six months of apprenticeship, when Xander called her to his office and told her that the company had decided not to extend her offer, her whole world shattered. She stattered, “But... But Director Lane, I...” “You did great.” Xander looked at her, his tone flat as usual. “But the board decided to keep only one of you five apprentices.” Eliana felt strengthless. “Who is the lucky one?” “Ophelia.” She had vaguely known it must be Ophelia Aiken, whose father was one of the sponsors of Millwich Ballet Company. So, how many Pirouettes Eliana could do didn’t matter anymore. But as long as there was a sliver of hope, Eliana wouldn’t give up. At lunch break that day, she stood alone in the stairwell, holding her phone against her ears. The ringing tone pierced through the quiet air with her pounding heartbeat. A century later, Delbert Benn finally picked up. Eliana immediately gathered all her spirit and said in a cheerful tone, “Hello, Daddy!” “What’s up?” It was noisy on the other end of the phone. Delbert never had patience in her, so she cut straight to the point smartly, her voice aggrieved. “Daddy, what should I do? An apprentice in our company stayed because her father sponsored our summer season. I want to stay, too. Can you help me? Please!” Delbert didn’t want to say any extra word. “How?” “Could you talk to our Artistic Director about sponsorship? Daddy! Help me once, please!” “No,” Delbert refused her without hesitation. “Please! Only you can help me now!” Eliana knew it was a piece of cake for Delbert, the vice president of Physiofit, the biggest domestic physical therapy company. But she also knew that Delbert would refuse. In her nineteen years of life, Delbert had been absent and never helped her once, and she knew why. Deep in his heart, he belittled his illegitimate daughter, so he wouldn’t waste any effort on her. But she still had to try. “I gotta go.” With that, Delbert hung up the phone. The dreadful quietness around swallowed Eliana again. She looked down at her darkened phone screen for a few seconds, and then closed her eyes. She wasn’t surprised that Delbert refused her. She was just tired. She had been fighting alone for too long. But on second thought, being alone might not be a bad thing. Anyone else could betray her, only herself wouldn’t. She had made it this far. She couldn’t give up yet. There was one way left. It might be risky, but it was worth trying. When she opened her eyes again, the weakness inside vanished, leaving only determination. She left the stairwell, went back to Xander’s office, and knocked on the door. Xander was expressionless to see her coming back, only waiting for her to speak up. Eliana knew exactly what she wanted from him, and to get that, she had to make him feel for her. So, she smartly shifted her mode, letting her fragility take over. “Director Lane, I don’t want to leave.” Xander repeated, “It’s the board’s decision.” She knew that the board got to decide on headcount, but Xander still had a say. “Please, don’t let me leave.” She looked at him like a pitiful kitten who couldn’t find her owner. “I’ll do anything.”