Chapter 129
In these talent shows, there were always some folks who got a bit of extra TLC. Hedy was the public
favorite of this show, like everyone knew she was getting a little extra sugar from the producers.
But while Hedy was hogging the spotlight, there was another dark horse in the mix. She was flying
under the radar, gradually rising, and then boom! She skyrocketed to the top, taking everyone by
surprise.
That girl was Tania.
Eileen actually knew Tania from way back. She recognized her right at the start of the show. But Tania
didn’t make any noticeable mistakes, either early on or during public performances later on, so Eileen
kept her mouth shut.
Why on earth would a star like Aurora come to this little talent show to be a coach? Obviously, she had
to pave the way for her niece, Tania.
Eileen knew Tania because she used to play second fiddle to her. In a web series, Tania was the
leading lady, and she was the supporting actress. After Tania made her debut, she shot to fame and
started acting.
On set, everyone knew Tania was Aurora’s niece, and Tanja was quite proud of it. But this fact never
saw the light of day in the media.
You thought in the entertainment industry, with paparazzi everywhere, nothing stayed hidden? Wrong.
The paparazzi only exposed those stars with no connections. If you had power and influence, even if
you flaunted your secrets in front of the paparazzi, they wouldn’t dare expose them for fear of offending
the big money behind the stars.
At the end of the day, it was a dog-eat-dog world.
Back in the day, the rumors about Aurora and Mr. Chad, the general manager of the entertainment
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtcompany, were all over the place. The paparazzi, not wanting to tick off the big guy, turned a blind eye
to Aurora.
Did you think someone like Aurora had no skeletons in her closet? After all, even sweet little Bblythe
couldn’t stand her.
After Eileen spilled the beans, the room was buzzing.
The audience was absolutely pumped.
The production team was scared out of their wits! How come every time they taped, Eileen had to drop
a bombshell?! Could they even continue with the show?!
The production team quickly intervened.
Aurora looked like she’d swallowed a lemon, and Hubery was sweating bullets. In the end, he grabbed
the mic and demanded, “Ms. Lopez, do you have any proof to back up what you’re saying?”
Eileen shook her head. “I don’t have any proof.”
Hubery breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had the moral high ground. “Then please don’t make
unfounded accusations!”
Eileen just smiled. “I may not have proof, but I trust Ms. Aurora. Aurora, why don’t you tell us, is Tania
your niece or not? If you say she isn’t, I’ll believe you.”
Aurora turned pale as a ghost. She glared at Eileen with a look that could kill. Her hands clenched into
fists beneath the table.
Eileen lounged back, a slight smile on her face. “Go on, say she’s not. I trust you, Aurora. I would never
question your integrity.”
“Aurora…” Hubery mumbled at her side.
Aurora shot him a glare. Hubery knew very well that Tania was her niece, so why didn’t he just make
Tania the center from the get-go? Why did he wait until the last
minute to switch and cause all this fuss?
Well, he hadn’t seen it coming.
He was a coach, sure, but he was also shooting a TV series. He wasn’t really focused on the trainees,
except when they were performing on stage. He was usually on s
on set.
He wasn’t the only one. All four coaches were pretty hands-off. They had dance and singing instructors
to handle the details.
The only ones who were there all the time were the celebrity coaches, who were just small-time stars
and not too busy.
Hubery only found out that Tania wasn’t in the center when he video called the dance instructor a
couple of days ago. He panicked and made the sudden switch.
“Aurora, I’m still waiting, Eileen prodded her impatiently when she didn’t answer.
Aurora gritted her teeth, knowing she couldn’t deny it. If she did, and it was later revealed that she did
have a connection with Tania, it’d be like shooting herself in
the foot.
In the end, Aurora picked up the mic and said coldly, “Tania is my niece, but I can honestly say that I
never planned to give her any special treatment. I told her before I came that I wouldn’t be able to help
her much. If she wants to debut, she’ll have to rely on her own abilities. She said she understood.
Tania’s always been a kid with a lot of backbone!”
Eileen nodded. “I see. As long as you say so, I’m reassured. It seems you really haven’t thought about
favoring your own niece. It seems that Hubery, as a colleague of yours at the same company, also
hasn’t thought about giving your niece any special treatment.”
Eileen continued, “It seerns Tania really did earn her spot in the center because of her own abilities. It
seems all those dozens of titles Cecilia won were all fake. It seems our show is indeed fair and
impartial. I’m truly proud to be a part of such an inspiring and selfless show.”
Before Eileen could finish, Egbert, from the side, couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
When Egbert laughed, the audience also burst out laughing. Aurora and Hubery’s faces tumed even
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmgrimmer.
Eileen turned to Egbert, dead serious. “Mr. Reed, what’s the matter? How can you laugh at our
coaches, Aurora and Hubery? They’ve worked so hard. They’ve made up so many things to help their
family. Isn’t this irresponsible spirit something we should admire?”
Egbert looked at Elleen helplessly, holding back his laughter. “My apologies.”
Elleen spoke seriously, “You shouldn’t apologize to me but to those two. Don’t they have the right to
help their family? Is there anything wrong with them favoring their own kin? I don’t believe it. They did
nothing wrong. Since they weren’t punished, they must be right!”
“Eileen, are you finished yet?” Aurora was always proud of her status and had never quarreled with
Eileen. But now, she was on the verge of losing it.
Eileen coolly looked at her and nodded. “I’m done. The floor is all yours. Say whatever you want.”
Aurora didn’t look at anyone else. She held the microphone and just looked at Egbert. Her eyes
reddened as she said in a choked voice, “Mr. Reed, are you just going to stand there and let her bully
me?”
Aurora, seemingly mistreated, turned to Egbert first for comfort.
Suddenly, someone from the crowd shouted, “Long live the Spring Couple!”
Spring Couple was the name they got after starring in The Alley. Hearing the crowd’s cheer, Aurora
couldn’t hold back her tears.
The camera timely zoomed in on her face. Aurora was crying beautifully. As a professional actor, she
could cry on cue. Her eyes were even more pitiful as she looked at Egbert.
At this point, he picked up the microphone. He looked at Aurora and said calmly, “Ms. Aurora, you must
understand that no matter what happens, I will always stand with Eileen.”
Then he added, “Besides, shouldn’t injustices be spoken out loud? Her courage to speak the truth is
one of the reasons I like her so much.”