The Bargain Undercover

Her Enemy Bites the Bait

On the other side of the desk, Xander pinched his nose bridge, explaining more, “Eliana, you have the top technique, but that isn’t the only standard the board is interested in.”

It seemed Xander misunderstood. He thought she was naive to think that technique was all that mattered, but just to the opposite, she came back to him because she knew too well the hidden rules in this personnel game, and she needed to find a way to stay in the game, no matter what it might take.

“Yes, Director Lane, I understand that. If I had one powerful backer, just one...” Her watery eyes fixed on him intently, her voice vulnerable. “Director Lane, please help me. I’ll do anything.”

Xander raised one eyebrow.

Eliana was sure that he got her this time, though he might think he had misunderstood.

So, she made it clearer. “I’m willing to do anything for you.”

This was such a bold move, but it was worth the try. The worst case would be Xander refused, and then she would be kicked out of the company as soon as her apprenticeship ended, just like what would happen if she did nothing.

Thoughts rattled in her head as she carefully observed Xander’s expression.

A trace of shockness flashed across his eyes. He furrowed his brows slightly. “How old are you?”

Eliana answered, “Nineteen.”

“Yet you know how to take shortcuts.” There was slight sarcasm in his tone.

Eliana knew it would be a tough move, and she was prepared. She lowered her eyes, the vulnerability in her voice just right. “I’m sorry, Director Lane, but I’ve tried every means before I come to you.”

“Have you?” Xander narrowed his eyes.

“I mean every normal means,” Eliana immediately added. “But no one else was willing to help me.”

Silence stretched between them for a century.

Eliana had no idea what Xander was thinking, but when he finally broke the long silence, his voice was still calm. “Are you sure?”

Eliana looked up and met his deep gaze. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what he meant. Was he going to agree? Then why was there loathing in his eyes?

But Eliana had no other choice.

She realized two things at a very young age. One, no one was trustworthy. Two, she had an attractive appearance.

So, along her way, she made friends only to make herself look gregarious, and she dealt with her pursuers only to take advantage of them. She had been interest-driven and had never really trusted or loved anyone. But who else wasn’t? Love was a big fraud. Under its sugar coat were just benefit exchanges.

However, offering her body to a man in exchange for interests was the most risky move she had ever made. Scheming b***h as she was, Eliana was still nervous.

She hid her uncertainty and looked into Xander’s eyes. “I’m sure.”

Hearing her answer, Xander stood up, slowly walked around the desk, and stopped right next to her, his shadow looming over her.

Then, he reached out to pinch her chin, forcing her to turn her face toward him.

“Once a week. At my place,” he said in a deep low voice.

And then it started.

Eliana still remembered the first time she went to his villa. Such a big place to live had been beyond her imagination. The unpretentious furniture, the spiral staircase, and the lakeview outside the window... ‘One day, I will get here as well,’ Eliana thought. Then, she showed an obedient smile to Xander. “Um... Director Lane, how do you want me to...”

To get here, her first step was to offer Xander a nice service today.

Xander didn’t answer. He just reached out to take off her knitted dress with no trace of uneasiness or awkwardness.

When his cold hand touched her warm skin, she trembled and flinched for a second.

“Scared?” Xander glanced at her with disgust in his eyes. “Too late now.”

“I’m not,” Eliana denied, wanting to move closer to him.

But Xander stopped her approach, flipped her over, and pressed her down on the sofa roughly.

He had no mercy toward her. Every move of him was feral. She could tell that Xander disdained her, but if so, why did he still agree to do this with her?

She kept wondering, including this time.

However, no matter what Xander thought of her, he gave her what he had promised. She successfully stayed with Millwich Ballet Theatre after her apprenticeship ended, and three months later, he assigned her an important role in the Christmas season, preparing to promote her next year.

He gave her all she asked for, so she could bear with anything he did to her on this sofa.

Finally, Xander retreated from Eliana, and the coldness of Christmas Eve came back to her skin. She got up, put her clothes on, and took her stuff that Xander handed over as he ordered, “You can leave.”

Xander was very cautious. He would keep her stuff while they were together, making sure that she couldn’t record any evidence about their secret relationship.

Also, Xander never had her stay the night. Every time, they did their business, and she left.

But this time, she couldn’t just leave like this.

“Director Lane, I have something to show you. May I use my phone?” she asked for his permission.

Xander thought for a while but nodded in the end, watching as she took out her phone from her purse and unlocked it.

She showed him a video.

The screen was all dark in the beginning, but soon, the sound of someone inputting a passcode was heard. Then, with a click, the iron locker door opened.

Lyla’s face emerged on the screen.

Lyla looked around cautiously. Making sure no one was in the changing room, she quickly took the pointe shoes from the locker, put in a new pair, and closed the locker door.

“That’s my locker. She exchanged my pointe shoes for an unfit pair again right before Nutcracker tonight.” Eliana pouted her lips and looked up at Xander, aggrieved. “She wanted me to mess up my first solo.”

This was Lyla’s second try. Her first try was a month ago after the casting of Nutcracker was announced.

That night, when Eliana was getting ready for her performance, she put on her pointe shoes and felt something wrong right away.

They were so big, not the pair she had been wearing for months.

“What’s wrong, Ellie?” a ballerina asked.

“These are not my shoes. Look, they are so big.”

“Did someone take yours by mistake? Where did you put them?”

“Right in front of my locker.” As Eliana looked over at her locker, her gaze brushed past Lyla, who was sitting in the corner quietly.

Eliana’s sharp instinct immediately sensed something off.

Lyla was tying her shoelaces with her head lowered, seemingly hadn’t heard their conversation, but her glancing over from time to time gave her away.

‘Why is she acting so strangely?’ Eliana couldn’t help but wonder.

In the end, she and a few colleagues, Lyla included, looked for her pointed shoes everywhere but found nothing in the end. Fortunately, Eliana still finished her Corps de Ballet dance that night in her unfit shoes.

But this incident made her vigilant. Did someone exchange her shoes on purpose? Since then, she had been locking all her stuff.

In the meantime, Lyla’s reaction that night still lingered in her head. She started to pay more attention to Lyla, only to find Lyla peeking at her whenever she input the passcode to her locker.

Lyla was definitely up to something. Eliana felt insecure having a bomb around that could explode anytime.

Staying around and doing nothing was not Eliana’s style. Soon, she thought of a way to set up a trap for Lyla to jump in.

Whenever she opened her locker, she would move slightly sideways, making sure Lyla could see what passcode she put in. But that was just a bait. Eliana hid the pointe shoes she had been wearing in the restroom. If Lyla opened her locker, she would only steal the old pair Eliana had deliberately left there, and in the meantime, be filmed by Eliana’s phone hidden in the corner of the locker.

Soon, the fish bit the bait.

Eliana’s phone recorded everything. Finally catching Lyla, she was relieved but also felt a chill run down her spine.

She could have messed up her first solo if she had been less vigilant. While dancing a simple Corps de Ballet dance in unfit pointe shoes was still possible, dancing solo in Nutcracker wasn’t.

Lyla wanted to ruin Eliana’s career.

Eliana had to get rid of her.

“Director Lane, I finally got the evidence.” Eliana grabbed Xander’s index finger, begging him, “Can you terminate her contract?”

Last time when she told Xander what Lyla had done, Xander said he could do nothing without evidence.

So, this time, she brought evidence.

Xander casually glanced at the video.

Then, he retracted his finger, his answer striaghtfoward.

“No.”