Roadwork nearby had left the streets in poor condition, and the hood of Annabelle Leighton’s crashed Maserati rattled and banged.
Annoyed, she slapped the steering wheel. "I’m definitely making Shane Sterling buy a new car this ti!"
Isla Prescott didn’t hear a word Annabelle Leighton said. Her mind was consud by the phrase "trading sex for power."
Those words had hit her hard.
She had joined her new company full of hopes and dreams, thinking it was a dream factory where she could truly shine. But in reality, it was just a brokerage for trading sex for power. How could she possibly accept that?
Annabelle Leighton pulled the car over. "I’m hungry. Let’s find sowhere to eat. We can talk over a al."
Isla Prescott nodded numbly. She followed Annabelle Leighton out of the car and into a salad shop.
The shop was empty. Annabelle Leighton picked a table by the window, called over the owner, and ordered a smoked salmon and avocado salad.
"What do you want?" Annabelle Leighton asked.
Isla Prescott shook her head. She had no appetite at all.
"You have to eat sothing," Annabelle Leighton said, then looked to the owner. "Sir, could you recomnd a light, refreshing salad for her?"
"Of course. Our mango shrimp salad is very refreshing. Would you like to try it?"
"Yes, that one," Annabelle Leighton decided for her.
After the owner left, Isla Prescott sat in silence for a few monts before she couldn’t hold back any longer and leaned toward Annabelle Leighton.
"Miss Leighton, can you please tell what’s going on?"
Annabelle Leighton took a sip of fresh-squeezed juice. "Let see... Where to begin..."
The story, if it were to be told from the beginning, started when Shane Sterling ca to Annabelle Leighton asking her to find soone.
The person Shane Sterling asked Annabelle Leighton to find was a dancer nad Chloe Kerr. She was one of the ritopia Song and Dance Troupe’s new recruits from last year. The girl had a captivating presence and was an exceptionally skilled dancer. Soon after joining the troupe, she perford as the lead in a number for ritopia Broadcasting’s New Year’s Gala.
Coincidentally, the Sterling family’s seldom-seen youngest son, Ezra Sterling, also attended the gala that night. Backstage, Chloe Kerr found his hearing aid, and that’s how they t. They added each other on WeChat and began to chat frequently online.
Ezra Sterling fell for the gentle and thoughtful Chloe Kerr. But before long, Chloe started ignoring him. She stopped replying to his ssages and then, without any warning, blocked him completely.
He was an innocent young man, already insecure about his disability. Being so abruptly cut off by soone he liked was utterly devastating for him.
Ezra Sterling locked himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink. A doctor diagnosed him as showing signs of depression.
Shane Sterling had always doted on his younger brother. After finding out what had happened, he sought out Annabelle Leighton, who was in the sa dance troupe, to ask about Chloe Kerr.
When they t, they discovered that Chloe Kerr had stopped coming to work at the troupe right after she cut off contact with Ezra Sterling.
Shane Sterling also sent people to Chloe Kerr’s hotown. Her parents had divorced long ago, and both had since remarried and started new families. They rarely kept in touch with her. Chloe had been raised by her grandparents, who didn’t have a phone. All they knew was that their granddaughter was working in ritopia and hadn’t been ho to visit in a very long ti.
"So Chloe Kerr is missing?" Isla Prescott asked anxiously.
"Yes."
"Did anyone call the police?"
"They did, but she still hasn’t been found."
"And you suspect her disappearance has sothing to do with Wendy Bell?"
Annabelle Leighton nodded.
Because before Chloe Kerr, there had been several other mbers of the ritopia Song and Dance Troupe who were rehearsing one day and then suddenly stopped showing up for work the next, without any explanation. All of them had one thing in common: they had all gone out on "social engagents" with Wendy Bell.
Of course, not everyone who went on these outings with Wendy Bell disappeared. The ones who didn’t either found their careers at the troupe suddenly taking off, or they started flaunting new wealth, their lifestyles taking a significant leap.
Isla Prescott’s grip tightened on her cup.
The situation was terrifying. The more she considered the details, the more horrifying it beca. In fact, it was horrifying even at a glance.
"We also suspect that the ritopia Song and Dance Troupe is actually a platform for the Aevis Group to scout young won for its clients."
"So when you stole the performance spot for the company’s anniversary celebration... you were trying to save ."
"Yes. I’m a Leighton. They wouldn’t dare touch or cross ."
Annabelle Leighton had secretly saved many newcors by "stealing resources" like this, but no one understood her true intentions. No one dared to ask her what was really going on, either. They all just assud she was arrogant and domineering, looking down on them because of her family’s status. That’s why she was actually pleasantly surprised when Isla Prescott ca to confront her.
"Thank you, Miss Leighton," Isla Prescott said with genuine gratitude.
If not for Annabelle Leighton, she might have been a lamb to the slaughter just last night.
’Thinking back on it, it all made sense. No wonder Wendy Bell hadn’t promoted her own cousin, Yara Jennings, yet kept giving *her* one opportunity after another. It turned out those "opportunities" all had a hidden price tag.’
"Don’t ntion it," Annabelle Leighton said with the air of a righteous heroine. "Now that you know the inside story, I’d advise you to get out of here. The troupe is not a place you want to stay in for long."
"What about you, Miss Leighton? Are you planning to stay at the troupe?"
"I’m not leaving, not for now. Ezra hasn’t been doing well lately. I have to help him find Chloe Kerr. I need to find her, dead or alive. He needs closure before he can move on."
The Leighton and Sterling families were on good terms. Annabelle Leighton and Ezra Sterling were around the sa age and had grown up together. Because Ezra was born deaf and mute, Annabelle’s mother had always told her to look after him. As a result, Annabelle felt a natural-born instinct to protect him.
’Besides, this wasn’t just about Ezra; many other people were involved. Now that I’m starting to uncover the truth, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.’
Isla Prescott lowered her gaze, silent for a mont. Then she suddenly looked up at Annabelle Leighton. "I’ll stay and help."
Annabelle Leighton couldn’t help but study the woman across from her in a new light.
’She was truly beautiful—an ethereal sort of beauty, almost poetic. But her eyes showed she was no re porcelain doll. How to describe it? Annabelle thought for a long ti before a fitting phrase ca to mind. "She’s a mix of moonlight and wild rose—soft, but with thorns that refuse to yield."’
"Why do you want to stay and help?"
"I owe Sean a favor. Since this is about his brother, I want to do my part to help."
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