The Bargain Undercover

The Winter Crystal

The city dazzled with neon lights and bustling crowds, even late into the night. Eliana was sitting quietly in the passenger seat of Xander's car, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

The lights and shadows brushed past Xander's profile alternately. He hadn't been talking along the way. It made Eliana a bit nervous, wondering what he wanted.

He couldn't just be driving her home.

There had to be a reason he sent the others away and kept her.

Did he believe Lyla or her? Eliana didn't know. The lingering effect of the sleeping pill was still in her system, making her tired and weak. She stared blankly at the front until Xander asked her, "How was the sleep?"

Eliana sat straight with a jerk, answering, "Pretty nice. It's been a while since I slept so soundly last time."

With that, she waited, thinking the real question would be coming after the small talk. At this moment, she was like a student who cheated in the exam, afraid of being caught by her teacher.

But Xander said nothing more.

A bad feeling lingered in Eliana, making her keep guessing what he wanted. When the car stopped at the red light, a thought suddenly flashed across her mind like lightning, chasing away the dark mystery in her head.

"Director Lane! Sorry! I totally forgot I should go to your place today..." She looked at Xander with watery eyes.

Too much had been going on recently, and she had lost track of time without noticing it.

Xander shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

Eliana offered him, regardless of how tired she felt, "Let's go to your place now. It's still early."

Xander didn't even look at her. "You're tired."

Eliana showed him a bright smile. "I'm energetic after the long sleep."

Xander said again, "Don't worry about it."

It seemed he really meant it.

Since he had refused twice, she stopped pressing. However, his cold refusal made her worry and took her back to the initial question: what did he want by driving her home?

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the community where she lived. It was an old, remote area. She rented a small apartment here for cheap.

Xander pulled up in front of her building.

"Thank you." Before getting out of the car, Eliana asked, "Would you like to come upstairs for a drink?"

Xander refused, "Have a good rest."

Till this point, he still hadn't said anything about the drama today. Eliana relaxed a bit, thinking that perhaps he was simply fulfilling his responsibility as the Artist Director to take care of his dancer.

"Good night, Director Lane." She said as Xander was about to leave, "Thank you for everything today."

Xander gave her a deep gaze. "Eliana, you don't have to thank me."

It gave Eliana's heart a sudden stop. What did he mean? Did he believe Lyla rather than her? She used every reason to tell herself not to dodge his tense gaze, forcing a smile. "Of course I do."

"Good night." Xander said nothing more and drove away, leaving Eliana in the dark, clueless.

***

Summer blinked away as green leaves started to turn yellow. Eliana didn't feel how fast time flew until she was promoted on the closing day of their summer season.

"I have a strong sense of deja vu," Ophelia said as she posted the picture of her and Eliana at the closing party. [Eliana Carey! The youngest First Soloist at Millwich Ballet Theatre!]

Eliana felt it as well. And the scene when she was promoted six months ago was still so clear in her head.

The biggest difference was that she started to be noticed by the ballet industry this time.

As a way of showing their admiration, people often labeled the dancers they noticed. Eliana earned the moniker "the Winter Crystal" for her pure appearance and impeccable ballet technique. However, this attention came with scrutiny. Every movement in her dance was analyzed meticulously. People seemed to enjoy this cycle of admiration and critique, and it was what all the outstanding dancers needed to go through.

It gave her pressure, but on top of that, a thrill. She loved seeing people's expressions when they realized that her dance was flawless, and her self-confidence, rooted primarily in her ballet technique, fueled every part of that experience.

She could even imagine what it felt like when she realized her dream of being a Principal Dancer now, because it felt so close.

"Look! Who's that?" someone near them asked with surprise. And someone else exclaimed, "Is that Lyla?"

It attracted Eliana's attention.

She looked over at the door of the hall. There stood a skinny woman. Her cheeks sunk, and her eyes were red, looking as if she had cried too much.

It took Eliana a while before she recognized that it was Lyla.

"My goodness!" Ophelia recognized her as well, whispering in Eliana's ear, "She lost so much weight!"

"What is she doing here?" Eliana frowned. It was impossible for Lyla to be invited to their parties anymore, and at this moment, she was pleading with the bodyguard at the door. Eliana narrowed her eyes and stared at Lyla, reading her lips.

It seemed she was begging to meet Xander.

Did she want to rejoin MBT? Shameless. A surge of rage welled up within Eliana, almost palpable enough to scorch the air around her.

Even Lyla seemed to have sensed it, turning her head. The second she saw Eliana, her gaze became vicious as if she wanted to tear Eliana apart.

The air became tense.

"Alright, girls, wanna go check the desserts?" At this time, Roselyn Green, a Principal of MBT came to stand right in front of Eliana, breaking their fierce eye contact.

Before Eliana and Ophelia could answer, she grabbed them, one by each hand, and turned around to leave.

Until they came to the dessert place where Lyla couldn't spot them anymore, Roselyn let go of their hands, sighing. "Ellie, I know you hate her, but you'd better be careful. She's been rejected by many dance companies recently. You know how crazy she can be."

Eliana focused on her second sentence. "So she's here today to beg Director Lane for another chance."

"Probably." Roselyn nodded.

"She still has the face to rejoin us? How shameless!" Ophelia was pissed.

"Will Director Lane agree?" Eliana looked in the direction of the door, wondering.

Roselyn shook her head. "That's not our call."

"He can't! And she shouldn't have come!" Ophelia was indignant.

Roselyn shrugged. "She needs this job."

Eliana asked, "Why would she? I heard her parents just bought her a new house and a car. She doesn't lack money."

Roselyn told them, "It's not about money. It's because she wants her parents' love. They have two kids but only love the son."

Eliana asked, "Because he's a boy?"

Roselyn smiled bitterly, "Obviously."

Eliana and Ophelia looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Roselyn continued, "That's probably why she pushes herself so hard. She thought her parents would notice her and love her if she was outstanding enough."

Eliana felt being stabbed by Roselyn's words.

She could relate to that because her mother had always attributed her father's coldness to her not being excellent enough, a belief she had once deeply internalized, spiraling into a whirlpool of self-blame. It took her years to escape that whirlpool, but Lyla seemed to be drowning in it, and she could imagine how painful it felt.

"But that doesn't justify what she did to Eliana. She almost ruined Eliana's career!" Ophelia's words dragged Eliana back to reality.

Roselyn nodded. "I agree. And after Eliana, we could all be her new target."

After talking about Lyla and socializing with their sponsors and guests, Eliana went outside to get some fresh air.

The autumn air carried some chillness, brushing past Eliana's skin ruthlessly. She lifted the hem of her long dress and walked aimlessly around, and then, she heard a female voice.

"Please, Director Lane! Help me!"

It was Lyla.

As Eliana had expected, Lyla wanted to rejoin MBT and came to beg Xander.

Would Xander agree? Wondering, she sneaked closer. They were talking behind around the corner, so she stood on the other side, keeping some distance.

Xander refused, "Lyla, drugging your colleague is unforgivable."

Lyla almost cried. "I know! I'm sorry! But other dance companies have heard about it more or less, and none of them wants me! Director Lane, please! You are my only hope!"

Xander paused for a few seconds.

To Eliana, it felt like a few years. She couldn't wait to hear Xander's answer and kept praying in her heart that it would be a refusal. She had gone all out to get rid of Lyla, and she didn't want it to be in vain. Lyla was poor to some extent, but she shouldn't be the one to pay for that.

Finally, Xander spoke again, "Lyla, go home."

"I'm not!" Lyla still refused to give up.

And then, Eliana heard Lyla speaking in a lower but more determined voice.

"Director Lane, please let me come back. I'll do anything."