The Bargain Undercover

Pave the Way

Morning sunshine spilled its golden glow across the floor, causing the dancers to shimmer as if they were sprinkled with glitter. During the coffee break, standing in the corridor, Ophelia looked at Eliana in disbelief. "You said POSE invited you to be the endorser?"

Eliana nodded. "They texted me last week."

Ophelia gasped, covering her heart, "My heart broke! I've recommended myself to them three times, but they refused me every time!"

Roselyn patted Ophelia on the shoulder. "I was there not long ago. I can relate."

Ophelia sighed, "But being refused happens all the time. Ellie is just an exception."

"Friends, I'm just lucky," Eliana said. She also couldn't believe it when she got the text from POSE. She knew she had given everything to come this far, but as she crashed through the walls one by one in the darkness and finally saw the sunlight, it still felt so unreal.

"Damn it! I'm so jealous of you!" Ophelia grabbed Eliana's shoulders and shook her. "POSE is my favorite ballet shoe brand!"

Eliana soothed her, "You're really becoming a big influencer. Why don't you reach out to them again?"

Ophelia shook her head. "Just did. But they only need one endorser for their upcoming products, which-I now realize-is you."

"Oops." Eliana suddenly felt bad. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be!" Ophelia put on a confident smile. "I'll be a bigger influencer to make them regret picking you instead of me."

Eliana smiled, "For sure."

"Speaking of that!" Ophelia leaned closer to them. "Do you guys have any videos of yourself dancing when you were young? I want to post them as a series where my fans can guess who the kid in the video is."

"That'd be fun!" Roselyn was excited. "I still have the video of my first ballet competition."

Ophelia nudged her arm. "Send it to me."

Eliana told her, "I may still have the video of me trying ballet for the first time."

Roselyn was shocked. "Your parents even recorded that? So sweet!"

It was hilarious for Eliana to hear that because her parents weren't sweet at all.

"Not my parents." She told them half of the story. "When I was nine, I spent my winter vacation with one of my mom's friends, who was a part-time ballet teacher. She took me to a ballet class, noticed my talent, and recorded it to show my mom. That's how I began dancing ballet."

The other half of the story was sad. She didn't spend her winter vacation with a stranger occasionally. When she was young, her father was largely absent, and every winter or summer vacation, her mother would send her to stay with a relative or friend, claiming she was too busy with work to care for her. It was difficult for a child to deal with different unfamiliar adults, but the good point was her talent in ballet was discovered.

But she would keep the sad half of the story in her heart, not intending to tell them.

Hearing the story, Ophelia ordered her, "Find that video and send it to me. I'll post yours first."

"No, you should post others' first." Roselyn suggested, "All your fans know you and Ellie are close. If you posted hers first, they'd figure it out right away."

"You have a point. I need to find someone I'm not so close to." Ophelia looked around and then shouted in the direction of the bulletin board, "Hey, Alex! Could you come over?"

"One second!" Alex raised a finger. "I'm checking the casting announcement."

"For the winter season? Is it out already?" Roselyn walked toward the bulletin board with Ophelia and Eliana following her.

Seeing Eliana, Alex smiled, "How are you, Ellie?"

"I'm good. How are you?" Eliana smiled back. Alex had never asked her about the rumors involving her and Xander, even though Eliana believed he had heard about them since they were widely circulated within the company. She wasn't sure what he thought about it, but he spoke to her as naturally as ever.

Alex leaned toward her. "I saw your name. You'll have a fruitful winter season this year."

Eliana also saw her name listed in various dances, alongside several key roles. It meant Xander still valued her, paving the way for her to become Principal by giving her significant opportunities. However, it felt like there was a vast expanse, as distant as the Milky Way, separating them now. She hadn't gone to his place for weeks, and they hadn't spoken a word since he took Roselyn to the business banquet.

Now that the rumors about them were fading, should she wait for him to contact her, or should she take the initiative to contact him?

Eliana had no idea.

Weeks passed, and it was again the day she was supposed to go to Xander's place, but instead, she was heading home alone. As she walked through the hustle and bustle, a sudden wave of loneliness washed over her, making her feel as if she had just experienced a breakup. It confused her, as she had never been in a relationship with Xander. She wondered if it was the exchange of benefits that had given her a sense of security, knowing she would receive something in return as long as she was willing to give.

Now that he had stepped back, her anchor of security was gone, leaving her exposed and vulnerable to the cruelty of the world.

And she was scared.

A few minutes later, she realized that this sense of scare wasn't just a hallucination. Someone seemed to be following her.

She turned around immediately with alert.

Office workers passed by with earphones in place. Kids were laughing and running with their grandparents looking out for them from nearby. Students came back home from school with backpacks on their shoulders. Nothing seemed unharmonious, although it was getting dark.

Eliana thought maybe she was just tired. She shook off her messy thoughts, turned back, and entered the shabby apartment building.

The rehearsal for the winter season had begun. Eliana concentrated on her part and smoothly progressed. Fiona seemed to be really satisfied, praising her, "Your technique becomes stronger again."

"Is it?" Eliana was surprised, as she hadn't realized how much she had progressed through the daily training.

Fiona encouraged her, "It is. Keep going. Director Lane will see that."

She was hinting that Xander might promote her to Principal if she successfully completed the winter season.

And that made her super motivated.

Each day was exhausting, and she felt completely worn out every night as soon as her head hit the pillow. But she enjoyed such a fulfilling life.

However, in the middle of one night, a series of heavy knocks on her apartment door jolted her out of her sound sleep.

In a daze, Eliana half-opened her eyes, wondering if she had heard it wrong.

It was so quiet around, and she was about to fall asleep again.

Suddenly, the heavy knocks sounded again.

Someone was banging on her door with full strength in the middle of the night. Eliana was startled and sat up, completely awake.

"Who is it?" she asked.

No one answered.

The knocking ceased.

The room fell into dead silence.

Eliana stared at the door in the dark, fear creeping over her. She didn't know if the person was still outside, and she didn't dare to check.

The silence was long enough to make her believe that whoever had been outside had left.

Maybe someone came to the wrong door. Nervous, she slowly lay down again.

Just before her head hit the pillow, another series of heavy knocks came. This time, the person pounded on the door even harder, causing it to shake.

Eliana leaped out of bed and hurried to the kitchen to grab a knife. Keeping her distance from the door, she shouted even louder than before, "Who is it?"

Silence fell again.

She didn't dare to approach the door, facing it with the knife in her hand. One minute passed. Two minutes passed. Five minutes passed. There was no sound from the other side of the door anymore, but Eliana still didn't move. She wasn't sure how long had passed, but after her adrenaline faded, making her feel tired and sleepy, she finally went back to her bed. Just to be safe, she put the knife under her pillow.

For the rest of the night, the knocks didn't return, but she was unable to fall into a deep sleep again. Anxious, she drifted in and out of light slumber, waking frequently until morning arrived.

The next day, when she told Ophelia what had happened the previous night, Ophelia thought about it and said, "Maybe someone got drunk and knocked on the wrong door."

"Maybe." That seemed to be a plausible explanation, as the cheap building Eliana lived in had no security system at all. Regardless, since Eliana hadn't slept well the previous night, she felt tired throughout the entire day.

During lunch break, everyone left the classroom to get some fresh air. Eliana preferred a quiet spot for her lunch, so she stayed alone in the stairwell, avoiding the crowd.

When she finished her lunch and was about to go back to the classroom, she heard familiar footsteps coming downstairs.

Her heart immediately skipped a beat.

Even after all this time, she could still recognize who it was just by the sound of his footsteps.

She turned around.

And as expected, she saw Xander.