Tessa caught a glimpse of Grace’s eyes, and suddenly a cold wave of panic washed over her.


    10 vouchers


    Back in the Dance Association, even when Tessa argued with Grace just because of her own status, Grace had never given her that look before.


    It <b>was </b>almost as if Grace was about to give up on her as a student.


    Tessa’s heart skipped a beat–she was getting anxious.


    “Ms. Chase, this was my fault–I’m sorry,” Tessa said, her voice trembling.


    She was so uneasy, she’d even begun speaking to Grace in formalnguage.


    But her fans didn’t take it seriously at all. They thought their queen was being bullied, so they started treating Grace even worse.


    “Sis, you don’t need to apologize to her. Not everyone’s fit to be a real teacher,” one of them scoffed.


    “For real, you did nothing wrong today! You were just looking out for the show, but now your own teacher won’t stand up for you–instead she’s backing some random girl who probably can’t even dance? What, just ‘cause she’s got cash? Wow, she’s even selling out her own stage. We don’t need teachers like that!” another fan


    spat.


    “Don’t worry, queen–we’ve got your back today. No one’s humiliating you with us around!” a third fan called


    out.


    ”


    ”


    Tessa was starting to regret letting these fans in.


    No matter what, Grace was her teacher. If this mess made its way online, people wouldn’t care about her side. of the story–they’d just call her “disrespectful” and “ungrateful.” With that kind of reputation, how could she ever work with directors in show biz again?


    Besides, Grace was basically royalty in the world of dance.


    Only an idiot would dare cross Grace.


    With that in mind, <b>Tessa </b>spoke up seriously to her fans.


    “Guys, she’s still my teacher, okay? Please don’t talk about her like that,” she said, sounding unwavering.


    She was clearly determined in her attitude.


    Seeing their queen suddenly get serious, the fans finally kept quiet.


    They weren’t mad at Tessa for turning stern so abruptly—if anything, they admired her more. They thought it showed just how much she respected her teacher and valued tradition.


    Xylia listened to Tessa’s words, and she felt a coldness settle deep in her heart.


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    Tessa had only told her fans not to say those things about Grace–she never actually refuted their nder.


    Deep down, Tessa couldn’t deny she agreed with her fans.


    Grace noticed the resentment flickering in Tessa’s eyes, and a chill ran through her heart.


    She had devoted herself to teaching every one of her students, never expecting that, at heart, Tessa would hold such feelings toward her.


    She said coldly, “Anyone not involved, leave right now. And if what happened on stage today gets out, I’ll pursue legal action against anyone responsible for leaking it.”


    Grace’s fury was in for everyone to see.


    Tessa was burning with resentment–she just couldn’t let it go.


    She knew it. The moment Xylia arrived, Grace’s world shrank down to just her–nobody else even existed


    anymore.


    Tessa still remembered how, after winning her third straight lead dancer spot, she’d gone to Grace’s office to get her to sign an application.


    She’d caught snippets of conversation through the half–open office door.


    She heard Grace saying, “Xylia’s talent is truly exceptional. If she hadn’t left the scene, maybe she could’ve joined us for this dance performance.”


    Then, another voice asked Grace, “But Tessa’s been our lead dancer three times in a row. With skills like hers, she’s surely up to being the main dancer in your show, isn’t she?”


    Grace’s voice was tinged with weariness and sorrow.


    “Tessa’s good, but she just doesn’t measure up to Xylia<i>. </i>Xylia’s the most gifted dancer I’ve evere across<b>,</b><b>” </b>Grace admitted.


    Tessa could still remember the crushing humiliation of standing in front of Grace’s office that day. From that point forward, she made a silent vow–she would never allow Xylia to set foot on that stage again.


    And as for Grace, Tessa no longer saw her as a mentor. In her eyes, Grace was nothing but another selfish, favoritist adult.


    Sost year, when Grace just couldn’t help herself and tried to get Xylia to join her on tour, Tessa immediately went to Connor and spilled her worries. If Xylia got that chance, then all those years Tessa had spent wing her way up in the dance world would mean nothing–she’d be left with absolutely nothing. She was desperate. She couldn’t lose everything, not her career, not now.


    That car ident? It was all Tessa’s doing. And the person she wanted to destroy most was Xylia.


    Connor didn’t disappoint. He pulled every string he had to toss Xylia in prison. Worse still, he ordered the


    <b>10 </b>vouchers


    guards to “teach her a lesson–cut the tendons in her hands and feet, dy her medical care, and make absolutely sure she’d never be able to dance again.


    Every time Tessa saw Xylia looking hopeless and shattered, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction. Watching her rival fall so far? It was pure bliss for Tessa.


    But now, even though Xylia waspletely crippled, Grace was still acting like she was the only one who really mattered.


    And to make things even worse, Grace had publicly kicked out Tessa’s fans, just for Xylia. It was a full–on humiliation–like mashing Tessa’s pride right into the ground.


    Honestly, how could Tessa not be fuming?


    That simmering jealousy finally ignited into a zing fire inside Tessa. She stepped forward, locking her eyes on Grace with a mix of usation and heartbreak.


    “Ms. Chase, I’ve always respected you,” Tessa said–her voice steady, but you could hear the hurt bubbling underneath. “But you’ve never really seen me. They’re my fans. Can’t you at least let me keep some dignity in front of them?”


    Tessa was finally letting all her pent–up resentment and frustration burst out, unable to hold it back any longer.


    Xylia noticed the fans clustering protectively behind Tessa, their phones tantly pointed and recording every second.


    Her gaze grew frosty. If Grace said even one wrong word, with Tessa’s insane online clout, her fans would have Grace drowning in rumors before anyone knew what hit them.


    Xylia couldn’t stand the thought of her teacher taking the fall for no reason. No way would she let Grace get dragged into this mess.


    Xylia quickly moved between Grace and the cameras, making sure no one got a direct shot of her teacher. She shot the fans a cold look and said, “Unless you want to get pped with awsuit for illegal filming and leaking private info, I seriously suggest you cut the recording right now.”


    The fans behind Tessa didn’t show a shred of shame when they got caught. Scoffing, they shot Xylia a look full of disdain.


    “We’re filming to stand up for our queen, what’s it to you?” one of them snapped.


    “Yeah, seriously–take a look at yourself! Why the hell would we want to record you? Like we’d waste phone storage on that. You’d just mess up our screens,” another mocked.


    The fans‘ words were downright vicious, but Xylia was no stranger to this kind of drama–she took it all in


    stride.


    Back in Jupiton, she’d faced humiliation way worse than these pathetic little jabs. This was nothing to her now.


    “Since you’re iming it’s all about filming your queen, how about you let us all see your camera roll?” Xylia


    interjected before the fans could get a word out, shutting them down cold.


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    “Why do you think you get to go through my photos? That’s my private business!” one of the fans snapped.


    “You entered the rehearsal without authorization,” Xylia said coolly. “If you can’t prove you haven’t filmed anything, we’ll have to call the police for trespassing and trying to leak confidential material. And you’d better realize just what this stage stands for.”


    Xylia’s voice was measured, deliberate.


    Grace was a legend in the National Dance Association–every single show she put on carried the honor of the nation itself.


    Tessa and her fans instantly caught the threat in Xylia’s words–the implication that messing with this performance wasn’t just some minor drama. The fans nched, fear flooding their faces, while Tessa clenched her jaw and shot Xylia a look, her eyes zing with barely–contained hatred.


    “What if I take responsibility for them?” Tessa finally cut in, her tone firm.


    Her fans were genuinely moved–their queen had their backs.


    But inside, Tessa knew the truth. She wasn’t doing this to protect her fans; she just couldn’t stand the thought of losing face in front of Xylia.


    Xylia’s tone remained light and indifferent. “With your status, Ms. Schultz, vouching for them shouldn’t be an issue–so long as you’re certain your fans won’t upload today’s footage online, drop it on your superchat, or pass it around to their friends. If you can truly guarantee that, then there’s nothing to worry about.”


    She paused, a sly smirk ying at the corner of her mouth as she looked at Tessa. “So, Ms. Schultz, are you really willing to stake your name on it?”


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