Chapter 1
"Amber, why aren't you saying anything?"
Seeing me trail off mid-sentence, Mike Brown, my assistant, opened his hand and waved it in front of my face.
I gradually collected myself and tore my gaze away from Hailey Wilson's fingers.
As a top-tier recording studio charged by the minute, no one could afford to waste time here.
I had no choice but to force myself to keep coaching Hailey, my boyfriend's mistress.
But once a person caught the faintest whiff of something off, they would unconsciously start noticing more and more clues.
For example, Hailey used the nasal singing style that Steven favored most. And the way she habitually closed her eyes and nodded along while singing, which flat-out violated the facial-expression management rules of a girl group member. Then there were those looks she gave me, always tinged with provocation.
Before, I told myself it was just a newcomer's defiance of authority, and I needed to be tolerant of her.
But now that I had connected all the dots, I was sure that she and Steven were intimately involved.
I took a deep breath to suppress the churning emotions in my chest.
Then I spoke in a calm, professional tone, "Hailey, this song is in a girl group style. You can't perform it with that soulful singing technique Steven uses."
A flicker of panic crossed Hailey's eyes. Right after that, her eyes turned red.
"I… I just wanted to try a different style."
"Use your own style. Stop chasing someone else's thing."
The moment the words left my mouth, her fingers started trembling uncontrollably.
In the end, this recording session still ended in failure.
Hailey's sections just wouldn't pass.
My irritation was so raw that, unlike with other rookies, I offered no comfort or encouragement.
Mike, who had been watching the whole thing, also noticed that something was off with me.
After coordinating with the recording studio, he ended the session early.
The whole group left the recording studio.
Hailey walked at the very front.
Downstairs, a black SUV was already waiting at the curb. She got in and drove off, leaving the rest of us standing there.
The other members of the rookie girl group hugged themselves against the biting wind and trudged toward the bus stop.
"I'm so jealous of Hailey! Did you see the bag she was carrying?"
"I did! It's the latest Hermès. I heard you need to spend over a million just on the pre-spend items to qualify for it."
"Her family must be really rich."
"Oh, please. If her family were rich, why would she be grinding it out as a trainee? It's her boyfriend who's got money and willing to spend money on her."
I listened to them in silence and touched the Hermès necklace around my neck.
This was a birthday gift from Steven.
When I got it, I was over the moon, even a little confused.
Steven had always sneered at luxury brands, always saying, "They are for those stupid rich people."
Why did he suddenly change his mind?
Now I finally understand. My birthday gift was nothing more than a random add-on that came with the handbag purchase.
I got in the car, took the necklace off while looking in the mirror, and tossed it aside.
The very next second, as if he sensed what I'd just done, Steven called.
