"I believe you''re confused," I said calmly to Anthony, keeping my voice low. "I''m just a herbalist from a local clinic."


    The crowd around us was growing, with more concertgoers arriving for Kathleen''s performance. I needed to defuse this situation quickly.


    Anthony Harding scoffed. "Don''t y dumb. I know exactly who you are. The man who dared to challenge—"


    "Anthony," I cut him off sharply. "This is neither the time nor ce for such conversations."


    His eyes narrowed. "So you admit it then?"


    ra tugged at my sleeve. "Liam, what''s he talking about?" Her voice trembled slightly, eyes wide with confusion and wonder.


    I ignored both questions, pulling out mymunication talisman. "Let me contact Kathleen about those passes."


    "As if she''d actually respond to you," Anthony sneered, but uncertainty shed in his eyes.


    Maia crossed her arms. "I''m starting to think ra got conned by some fake healer pretending to have connections."


    I activated the talisman, sending a simple message: "Outside the east entrance. Three passes needed."


    A moment of tense silence followed. Anthony smirked at ra and Maia. "See? Nothing. He doesn''t know—"


    My talisman glowed bright blue. Kathleen''s voice emerged clearly: "Coming now. Stay where you are."


    The smug expression dropped from Anthony''s face. Maia''s jaw fell open. ra beamed triumphantly.


    "You were saying?" I asked Anthony, tucking the talisman away.


    "That doesn''t prove anything," he muttered, but his confidence was clearly shaken. "Anyone could—"


    "There she is!" someone shouted from the crowd.


    A small figure approached us, wrapped in arge ck hoodie with dark sunsses and a mask covering most of her face. Despite the heavy disguise, the way she moved carried a natural grace that attracted attention.


    "Liam," she said softly as she reached us. "Sorry for the wait. I was finalizing costume changes."


    ra''s eyes widened to saucers. Even with the disguise, Kathleen''s distinctive voice was unmistakable to a devoted fan.


    Anthony stepped forward aggressively. "Prove it''s really you," he demanded. "Take off the mask. Anyone could be under there pretending to be my sister."


    I shifted slightly, positioning myself between them. "Back off. She''s in disguise for a reason."


    "It''s fine, Liam," Kathleen sighed, reaching up to pull down her mask and remove her sunsses. "Hello, little brother."


    The transformation was immediate. Several nearby people gasped as they recognized her face, and Anthony paled visibly.


    "Kathleen," he stammered. "I didn''t think—"


    "Clearly," she cut him off coldly. "Always making scenes, aren''t you? Just like father."


    ra stood frozen in awe, while Maia looked like she might faint.


    "I—I''m Kathleen''s biggest fan," ra finally managed, her voice barely audible.


    Kathleen''s expression softened as she turned to ra. "Any friend of Liam''s is wee backstage. I''ve heard about you." She smiled warmly, then turned back to re at her brother. "You, however, can find your own way in. If security lets you."


    Anthony''s face flushed crimson with humiliation. "You can''t be serious. I''m your brother!"


    "And he''s my healer," Kathleen retorted, nodding toward me. "The one who saved my career when your father''s rmended doctors failed."


    I noticed more people gathering, phones raised, whispering excitedly. This was rapidly bing the scene I''d hoped to avoid.


    "We should move inside," I murmured to Kathleen.


    She nodded, but Anthony wasn''t finished. His embarrassment had transformed into fury.


    "Hey!" he shouted, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "Everyone! Kathleen Harding is here! Right here!"


    The reaction was instant. Heads turned, excited squeals erupted, and I saw the crowd begin to surge toward us like a wave.


    Instinct took over. Before Anthony could shout again, I stepped forward and delivered a sharp p across his face, stunning him into silence.


    "Idiot," I hissed. "You want her trampled?"


    His hand flew to his reddening cheek, shock and rage warring in his eyes.


    Kathleen quickly pulled her disguise back into ce. "VIP entrance. Now," she ordered, grabbing ra''s hand and pulling her through the crowd.


    I followed, keeping Maia close as the excited murmurs spread through the gathering fans. Security guards moved swiftly to block the forming crowd as we slipped through a side door marked "STAFF ONLY."


    Once inside, Kathleen removed her disguise again, revealing a face flushed with anger and adrenaline.


    "My brother is an absolute fool," she muttered. "Thank you for shutting him up, Liam. That could have been dangerous."


    ra stood trembling with excitement. "I—I can''t believe I''m meeting you. Yourst album changed my life."


    Kathleen smiled genuinely. "That''s sweet of you to say." She nced at me. "Liam didn''t mention he was bringing such an enthusiastic fan."


    "ra saved me from a difficult situation recently," I exined simply. "This is my way of thanking her."


    Maia still looked shell-shocked. "I''m sorry I doubted you," she managed to say.


    Kathleenughed. "Most people underestimate Liam. It''s their mistake, every time." She winked at me, then checked her watch. "I need to finish preparing. The show starts in fifteen minutes."


    She handed us three VIP passes onnyards. "These will get you anywhere in the venue. You want to watch from backstage or take your seats?"


    ra clutched her pass like it was made of pure gold. "C-can we see backstage first?"


    "Of course." Kathleen led us through a series of corridors bustling with staff and equipment.


    The backstage area was organized chaos—costume racks, sound engineers, dancers practicingst-minute moves, and staff rushing in every direction.


    ra took it all in with wonder. "This is amazing!"


    While ra and Maia marveled at the behind-the-scenes activity, Kathleen pulled me aside.


    "So," she said quietly, "that little girl seems quite attached to you."


    I raised an eyebrow. "She''s a friend."


    "Mmm." Kathleen smirked. "She looks at you like you hung the moon."


    "She''s just grateful for the help I''ve given her."


    Kathleen leaned closer. "If you say so." Her voice turned more serious. "Listen, I reserved a seat for you in the front row. Section A, seat 21. Just in case you want to watch the show."


    "I wasn''t nning on staying," I admitted.


    "Stay," she said firmly. "I have a new song tonight. I think you''ll appreciate it."


    A staff member approached, whispering urgently in Kathleen''s ear.


    "I have to go," she said. "Enjoy the show, Liam. And thank you again." She squeezed my arm before hurrying away. <cite ss="in-imprint-a">Check for thetest updates on My Virtual Library Empire (*).</cite>


    ra bounced back to my side. "Liam! I can''t believe you know Kathleen Harding! Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "It never came up," I said simply.


    Maia shook her head in disbelief. "And she actually seems to like you. The tabloids always paint her as this cold, untouchable diva."


    I shrugged. "People are rarely what the public thinks they are."


    ra''s eyes were shining with excitement. "What else don''t I know about you? Anthony called you the Heaven Defier. What does that mean?"


    I sighed. That was a conversation for another time—preferably never. "Nothing important. Let''s find our seats."


    As we made our way to the VIP section, I considered Kathleen''s invitation. I hadn''t nned to stay for the concert, but something in her eyes when she mentioned the new song made me curious.


    Perhaps watching one performance wouldn''t hurt. After all, with Adrian Whitlock''s deadline looming tomorrow, this might be myst opportunity for something resembling normality for a very long time.


    "Section A, seat 21," I murmured to myself.


    I decided I would stay. Just for a little while.