Bianca felt a warmth spread through her at his words. Even though the necklace was fake, it symbolized their love, making it a treasure to her.
In a soft voice, Dave added, “About my cousin, I don’t really know her that well. She’s talented and grew up overseas. We hardly ever talked before.”
Bianca nodded and carefully placed the necklace back around her neck, seemingly unaware of the complex emotions in his eyes.
Inside, Dave felt a storm of guilt and helplessness. He never wanted to deceive her, but he saw no other option.
He promised himself that one day, he would tell her everything. If she got angry, he would do whatever it took to earn her forgiveness.
But something else troubled him. What were Skylar’s real intentions? Was her meeting with Bianca just a coincidence, or was it planned? A chill ran through him as he thought about it.
Later, while Bianca slept, he stood by the window and lit a cigarette. The faint glow of the cigarette flickered in the darkness of the night.
Once he finished his cigarette, he made a phone call.
The call was answered quickly. On the other end, a voice greeted him respectfully, “Boss.”
Dave’s voice was low and serious. “Keep an eye on Skylar. Report everything she does to me, especially if she’s around Bianca. Also, contact the director of Star Search and find a reason to fire Skylar. I can’t stand the thought of her being on the show any longer.”
He couldn’t handle the feeling of losing control.
To prevent any bad outcomes, he decided to cut off any possible connection between Bianca and Skylar.
Time flew by, and today was the debut of Star Search. Bianca couldn’t shake her nervousness.
At eight in the evening, Bianca invited Diana to watch the show with her after finishing her work at the office.
Once the show started, it quickly became a hot topic on Twitter’s entertainment section, with catchy headlines like “Blake,” “Starlight,” “Blake: The Male Everleigh,” “The Best Cover,” “Reese’s Virtual Performance,” “Reese Steals the Show,” and “Tidbits from Star Search.”
Bianca and Diana were overjoyed, nearly jumping with excitement. They hadn’t expected such an immediate burst of popularity!
Blake and Reese had become overnight stars.
Eagerly, they clicked on the video of the show and watched it seriously.
But as the show went on, Bianca’s excitement turned to worry. While scrolling through the comments, she noticed something wasn’t right. The editing felt choppy and disconnected, and the judges’ feedback seemed strangely pieced together as if it came from different parts of the filming.
Sophia only had nice things to say about Blake in her comment. She had really toned it down, leaving out any criticism or professional advice she had given earlier.
Feeling uncertain, Bianca clicked on the comments section and read through the discussions.
“Even though the company did well, Sophia’s praise felt a bit excessive,” one comment said.
“I totally agree! Natalie’s and Skylar’s comments seemed more fair.”
“Why is Sophia treating her own team differently? She was smiling and complimenting her trainees, but she didn’t hold back when it came to others. She wasn’t even trying to hide her feelings.”
“Was it to create drama for the show? We need an explanation!”
“To me, it looks like Sophia’s true colors are coming out. The company she’s with has a lot of bad vibes. Let me join in and spill the truth!”
Bianca felt overwhelmed by these comments. They seemed like pointless gossip. The show’s crew had really messed things up.
Diana was so upset after hearing Bianca’s explanation about the real situation that she was ready to confront the crew for answers.
While Reese was performing, they edited out her improvisation, leaving only Sophia’s supportive words.
This could make viewers think that Sophia had tipped Reese off about what to expect on the show, giving her special treatment.
They also cut out the part where Natalie was embarrassed, instead showing her in a more favorable light.
The trend on social media quickly shifted to a wave of harsh criticisms and insults aimed at Sophia. Fans and critics were clashing constantly.
“Was Sophia getting carried away after landing her role as the female lead in Vincent’s film? How could she openly favor the trainees from her company on the talent show? Did she really think the audience wouldn’t notice?”
“But what’s the problem with Sophia? She was just speaking her mind. Blake and Reese did a fantastic job, didn’t they?”
“As a judge, shouldn’t she be more careful not to raise any doubts? And it’s not like the other contestants were bad, right? She seemed to be using her position to promote her colleagues. That was really off-putting.”
“Honestly, feel free to criticize Sophia, but don’t bring Blake and Reese into it. I can’t wait to see their performances in the next episodes!”
Thanks to their incredible talents, Blake and Reese quickly gained a following, and more people started supporting them.
Sophia faced ridicule online, even from people who didn’t know the whole story. Despite her fans trying to defend her, she became a target for professional trolls, initiating public anger against her.
Some people went so far as to personally attack her and even demanded that the show’s crew remove her from her judging role.
Diana was furious and wanted to post a defense for Sophia on Twitter, but Bianca stopped her.
“Let’s hold off on that statement for now. We need to figure out what really happened and why the show’s crew acted this way,” Bianca advised.
Looking concerned, Diana replied, “So we just let them spread lies online? This isn’t just damaging Sophia’s reputation; it’s hurting our whole company!”
“Don’t worry, I’m on it,” Bianca comforted her, calming Diana, who was almost losing her cool.
“I’ll talk to Sophia. You can negotiate with Blake and Reese first. They’ve become the talk of the town, and every brand wants to work with them. It’s time to dive into choosing materials. Just remember to be careful.”
Bianca, calm and collected, made Diana nod in agreement.
Late into the night, when Bianca tried to reach out to the show’s crew, she heard nothing on the other end of the phone. So, she had to wait until tomorrow.
However, as the night went on, the situation didn’t get any better; it turned into a bigger problem.
The company’s account received many private messages from people demanding explanations for their lack of response.
“Spare us, Sophia Johnson, from the Star Search stage!”
“Sophia Johnson’s reputation is in ruins!”