An hour later, as the countdown to the event began, three thousand students and faculty started taking their seats. Karlee instructed Darnell to take all the handbags backstage.
As Darnell took the items backstage, his phone vibrated. He glanced at a text message and then made a call to Garrett.
Afterward, Darnell stayed backstage to assist Karlee.
Backstage was bustling with people, including students and guests performing the opening acts, who were taking deep breaths to relax. Karlee also felt a bit nervous.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Darnell took out tissues and water, gently wiping Karlee’s face while speaking softly, “Here, have some water to calm your nerves.”
“Just imagine everyone in the audience as giant watermelons, then you won’t be scared. Wait, didn’t Jefferson say you’ve seen it all and are one of the top ten hosts? Why are you sweating?”
“I’m not nervous about hosting. I’m worried about tonight’s performance being ruined.”
Karlee glanced over the list of skit names hastily put together by Lisa and a few students. As she recalled the awkward performances of those students, her anxiety grew. She couldn’t shake the worry that the show might not go as planned.
“These skits are replacing Caleb Tomlinson and Yaretzi Elwes’s performances. I’m really anxious. There’s still no news from Alexander. I don’t think they’ll show up.”
Darnell had seen those skits too. It wasn’t that Lisa’s chosen students were bad. It was just that time was too tight.
The flow of the performances and their coordination weren’t up to par for an event like this.
“Don’t worry. I’m here.”
To ease Karlee’s concerns, Darnell smiled gently, “I can assure you that Makenna Frances will come to save the day.”
Karlee looked at Darnell curiously. “Why are you so confident? She’s a superstar.”
“Karlee, he’s bragging. Makenna Frances is probably already on a plane leaving. There’s no way she’ll save the day.”
Lisa walked over at some point, glanced at her watch, and said, “Try to talk a bit more on stage later to buy some time.”
“I’ll also ask each act to extend their performance slightly so that the event doesn’t feel too empty. This will give my brother time. He’ll handle those two.”
When she saw Lisa’s bossy attitude towards Darnell, Karlee’s expression turned cold. “Don’t worry. I play it by ear.”
Lisa didn’t say anything more but gave Darnell a cold smile. “Makenna Frances? Ha! Who do you think you are?”
In Lisa’s eyes, if her brother couldn’t get the superstar to appear, what made Darnell think he could?
Darnell didn’t respond and simply closed his eyes to rest.
At 7:30 PM, the party began.
“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.”
Karlee appeared on stage with several hosts in glamorous outfits, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. She looked like a proud princess, radiant and dazzling.
At that moment, Darnell saw no trace of arrogance or rebellion in her. She exuded grace and poise as if she were a fully grown woman.
Karlee was not only beautiful but also eloquent and in control of the situation. She quickly engaged the audience with a few witty remarks.
The atmosphere soon became lively. Karlee then politely introduced the first program-the University of Whiteville’s brass band of teachers.
A melodious song filled the air with joy and excitement, providing a delightful auditory feast for everyone present.
When the performance ended, Karlee played some games with a few leaders and alumni in the front row. The interaction was enjoyable for everyone involved and earned her silent approval from many leaders.
Next up was Shawn’s group with their “Cool Basketball” performance. Despite being beaten badly by Darnell in a one-on-five match earlier, their performance was still visually pleasing.
Especially the spinning colors on the basketballs resembled fire dragons in the night…
Amidst applause, Shawn’s group politely exited the stage.
Following that were several singing, dancing, and skit performances. The three songs originally scheduled for Caleb Tomlinson were replaced by two skits.
“Where’s Caleb Tomlinson?”
Perhaps due to the dullness of the skits or because they had waited too long for their favorite stars to appear, some people started checking their program lists.
“When is he coming on?”
“I’m waiting for his performance.”
“Yeah, I want to hear him sing!”
Realizing Caleb Tomlinson’s segment had passed without him appearing, the audience began murmuring among themselves. Some fans soon started chanting,
“Caleb! Caleb!”
Those eager to see Yaretzi Elwes also joined in, “Yaretzi! Yaretzi!”
If not for Karlee and several female hosts being eye-catching enough and security being strong enough, there might have been chaos.
Several leaders frowned and glanced around before looking back at the stage. These old foxes clearly sensed something was amiss.
Karlee smiled sweetly. “I know everyone wants to see stars, but important figures always come last in an event like this.”
“If you want them to come out early, does that mean you think they’re not important?”
The audience burst into laughter at her words. Much of their restlessness dissipated.
Seizing the moment, Karlee continued, “Besides our current students and faculty members here tonight are many accomplished alumni.”
“Should we also invite an alumnus here tonight to sing for us?”
She looked toward a burly middle-aged man in front. “Mr. Egerton from Red Star Manufacturing Corporation has a net worth of billions. I bet you’ve seen countless speeches from him in media but never heard his heavenly voice.”
“What do you all say? Should Mr. Egerton sing us a song?”
Three thousand students and faculty shouted in unison, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Karlee added, “Mr. Egerton, these are all your juniors. Won’t you show us your talent?”
Laughing heartily, Mr. Egerton replied, “You’re flattering me, but for everyone’s happiness, I’ll sing a song.”
With that, Mr. Egerton confidently took the stage with a microphone, singing a song that instantly lifted the atmosphere in the room.
However, as soon as he stepped down, the crowd began to chant again, “Caleb, Caleb! Yaretzi, Yaretzi!”
Clearly, they were not easily swayed or forgotten.
At that moment, Lisa hurried over to Karlee. “My brother just called. Caleb Tomlinson and Yaretzi Elwes refuse to come. They say they’re too shaken up to perform.”
“If we absolutely need them to save the day, it’ll cost us five hundred thousand for one song, and if they each do three songs plus a duet, we’d have to pay them five million,” Karlee seethed.
“That’s daylight robbery!” she exclaimed, her anger flaring.
She could afford the money, but she didn’t want to be taken advantage of. “Tell them to take a hike. There’s no way I’m paying five million, not even five hundred thousand.”
“Those greedy jerks are definitely not trustworthy. I suspect whatever scare they experienced at school was probably staged by them,” Lisa added.
Karlee’s expression turned icy as she looked at Lisa. “Have Alexander tell them to get lost.”
The core organizing team sighed in unison, their faces reflecting the same helplessness.
Meanwhile, the two hosts on stage were struggling to keep up with the increasingly loud crowd chanting. “Caleb, Caleb, Yaretzi, Yaretzi.”
“We want to hear Caleb sing folk songs! We want to hear Yaretzi sing love songs!”
The clamor grew louder, the excitement spreading like wildfire, with some audience members even starting to bang on their chairs, chanting, “Caleb, Caleb! Yaretzi, Yaretzi!”
This uproar not only made the hosts uncomfortable but also left the school administration frowning, and it deterred the other performers from taking the stage for fear of being pelted with eggs.
Karlee and the other organizers looked visibly distressed, while a few teachers responsible for student activities headed backstage to figure out what was going on.
Letting out a long breath, Karlee said, “I’ll go up and handle it-”
At that moment, several security personnel suddenly appeared at the entrance of the stage, setting up microphones and lighting, along with scattered dry leaves.
Lisa and the others were taken aback, while the three thousand students and teachers in the audience grew curious, unsure of what it all meant.
“Karlee, what’s this program about?”
With Alexander absent, Karlee found herself as the leading figure, and a few girls looked at her with curiosity.
Karlee shook her head slightly, her face a mask of confusion. But in her line of sight, she spotted Jefferson, busy with preparations.
Then, a man in a white outfit stepped forward and took a seat on a tall stool at the center of the stage, a guitar in hand.
Karlee gasped, “Darnell?!”