?Chapter 101:


    “Sure.”


    Rachel had been about to refuse, but Brian was already on his feet, bowing slightly and extending his hand toward her like a true gentleman. “I don’t know how to dance. Let’s skip it.” It wasn’t an excuse.


    She genuinely had no idea how to dance.


    She had never been exposed to it growing up, and as a result, her movements always felt stiff and uncoordinated. The first time she had ever been drawn to the idea of dancing was in college—when she had seen Brian and Tracy moving effortlessly across the floor together.


    It had been during her sophomore year at a university-hosted ball.


    Everyone had been free to invite a partner to dance. To avoid awkward refusals, the event organizers had set a rule: if a student agreed to participate, it automatically meant they had to ept any invitation to dance.


    When Rachel learned that Brian had signed up, she hadn’t hesitated to join as well.


    There was just one problem—she didn’t know how to dance.


    Having never learned as a child, she had no choice but to seek out a teacher. But dance lessons weren’t cheap, and good instructors were hard toe by. After asking around, she had finally managed to book an appointment with a highly rmended teacher. The fees, however, were astronomical. She had spent everyst cent of her savings on the lessons.


    Even that hadn’t been enough. She had also borrowed a significant sum from her ssmates.


    Rachel had never tried dancing before, so her initial movements were notably stiff. A week into practice, she had made minimal progress, and the results were disheartening.


    gα?ησν????s is where your journey begins


    With the ball fast approaching, she dedicated all her spare time outside of studying to practicing her dance moves. She tirelessly rehearsed the steps day and night, even while eating, running them through her mind repeatedly.


    Ultimately, after countless hours of persistence and hard work, she began to understand the basics. She often found herself practicing alone in therge rehearsal space. Wearing high heels for extended periods and theck of adequate rest led to a series of painful blisters on her heels. Each time she popped a blister, another would soon form.


    She treated each new blister the same way, and before she knew it, she had lost count of how many she had endured. Her motivation to continue through the pain was fueled by the anticipation of dancing with Brian at the ball.


    The event was set to start at 7 p.m. that night. Determined to secure a dance with Brian, she arrived early to get in line. It was essential to be at the front, as the poprity of invitees like Brian meant those further back in the line might not get a chance at all. Luckily, she was early enough to secure a spot. Preferring not to stand out, she opted for thest number avable.


    Unexpectedly, the evening’s first dance featured Brian and Tracy as partners. Their presence on the dance floor captivated everyone. Tracy’s gown struck a stunning bnce between elegance and allure, drawing all eyes to her. Her hair cascaded down like fluid silk, and her figure moved with effortless grace.


    The audience broke into loud apuse and cheers for the pair.


    Looking down at her own dress, Rachel suddenly felt it was starkly modest.


    Even more embarrassing was her own dancing. She had believed herself to be considerably improved, but next to Tracy, she felt hopelessly in, a mere shadow among radiance.


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