Chapter 3

On the day of the drama competition, the school auditorium was packed to capacity. All the students and teachers gathered there, eager to see the wonderful performances from each class. Julian Hamp sat in a corner of the auditorium, staring intently at the stage, gripping the hem of his clothes tightly in his hands. He was both nervous and excited.

Ezra Brandon sat beside her, patted her shoulder, and said with certainty, “Don’t worry, everything’s taken care of. Elenice Walkerman will definitely make a fool of herself today.”

Julian Hamp nodded, his gaze still fixed on the stage. She saw Samuel Girard dressed in a magnificent prince’s outfit. With his tall and handsome figure and striking features, he stood at the center of the stage, instantly capturing everyone’s attention. Meanwhile, Elise Walkerman wore a Cinderella-like dress. With her delicate features and gentle demeanor, she stood beside Samuel Girard, forming a perfect couple.

Seeing this, Julian Hamp’s heart ached once again. She bit her lip and told herself that as long as Elenore Walker made a fool of herself, Samuel Girard would see her true colors and remember her again.

The play officially began. Samuel Girard and Elise Walkerman delivered their performances flawlessly, with fluent lines and natural expressions. They brought the prince’s tenderness and Cinderella’s kindness to life perfectly. The audience enjoyed the show immensely, bursting into applause and cheers from time to time.

Julian Hamp’s expression grew increasingly grim. She stared intently at Elise Walker, worried in her heart: Why hadn’t Ezra Brandon carried out the plan he had mentioned? Had he deceived her?

Just then, the plot reached the moment when Cinderella tried on the glass slipper. Elenice Walker picked up the slipper and bent down to put it on. Suddenly, her body froze, her brows furrowed tightly, her face turned pale, and she stumbled, as if suffering intense pain.

Julian Hamp’s eyes lit up instantly. She knew that Ezra Brandon’s plan had been carried out. A smug smile appeared on her lips as she thought to herself, “Elenore Walkerman, now let’s see how you’ll continue to act like nothing’s happened. Let’s see how you’ll try to steal Samuel Girard from me!”

The audience also noticed something wrong with Elenice Walkerman, and murmurs began to spread among them. Ezra Brandon sat nearby, a cold smile on his lips, his eyes filled with satisfaction. He had already arranged for two nails to be hidden in Elenice Walkerman’s crystal shoes. Once she put them on, her feet would surely get pricked. Then, she would be embarrassed in front of everyone, and the entire play would be ruined.

Just when everyone thought Elenice Walkerman would give up, she took a deep breath, endured the intense pain in her foot, and slowly put on the glass slipper. She took a handkerchief from her pocket, wrapped it around her foot quickly, then covered it with the hem of her long dress. Once again, a gentle smile appeared on her face, as if the pain from earlier had never happened.

“How could this happen?” Julian Hamp’s smile froze instantly. He stared in disbelief at Elenice Walker on stage. “She was clearly injured. How can she still continue performing?”

Ezra Brandon’s expression also darkened, his eyes filled with confusion and reluctance. “That’s impossible. I clearly put nails in her shoes. How could her feet not be hurt? She must be pretending!”

On the stage, the plot continued. Next was the moment when the prince danced with Cinderella. Elenore Walker’s feet grew increasingly painful. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her steps became heavier and heavier. She knew she couldn’t go on much longer. But she couldn’t give up. She couldn’t embarrass herself in front of everyone, and certainly couldn’t let Samuel Girard down.

Samuel Girard had long noticed something wrong with Elise Walkerman. He saw the sweat on her forehead and her stiff gait. He immediately understood what was wrong. Without making a sound, he stepped closer to Elise Walkerman and whispered in her ear, “Is your foot injured?”

Elenice Walkerman bit her lip and nodded, her voice weak: “There are nails in my shoes. I can’t walk.”

Samuel Girard frowned deeply, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. He knew that someone must have been deliberately causing trouble. The most likely person was Julian Hamp. But right now, he couldn’t pursue the matter. He had to finish this performance first.

The moment the music started, Samuel Girard suddenly bent down and picked up Elise Walkerman in his arms. Elise Walkerman let out a cry of surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, her face showing astonishment.

The audience was instantly in an uproar. Everyone stood up and cheered loudly. What was originally supposed to be a dance for two turned into a solo performance, with the prince holding Cinderella in his arms. Samuel Girard stood tall and graceful, dancing and spinning with Elise Walker on stage. His movements were smooth and elegant, and his eyes were filled with tenderness.

The other actors on stage also reacted quickly, immediately adjusting the pace of their performances. Working together with Samuel Girard’s impromptu skills, they turned this unexpected interruption into a more romantic and moving performance. The applause and cheers from the audience continued non-stop.

Julian Hamp sat in the audience, trembling with anger, tears welling up in her eyes. She never could have imagined that things would turn out this way. Ezra Brandon’s plan not only failed, but it also made Samuel Girard and Elise Walker even closer, turning them into the perfect couple in everyone’s eyes.

“Why? How could this happen?” Julian Hamp turned around, staring angrily at Ezra Brandon. His voice was choked with emotion. “Didn’t you say you’d make sure she lost face? You lied to me!”

Ezra Brandon also had a very displeased expression on his face. He stared intently at the stage, his eyes filled with resentment and anger. “I have no idea how she’s managed to hold on this long. It seems like Elenice Walkerman is far stronger than I thought.”

“I don’t care! I can’t just let this go!” Julian Hamp stood up abruptly and rushed backstage. She wanted to find Samuel Girard and demand an explanation: why was he protecting Elise Walker in the first place? What did he think she was to him?

Ezra Brandon watched her retreating figure, a sinister glint in his eyes. He knew the plan had failed, but he wouldn’t give up so easily. Samuel Girard, Julian Hamp, Elise Walkerman—you all owe me something. I’ll make sure to get it back from each of you.

In the back stage, as the play had just ended, Samuel Girard carefully set Elinor Walkerman down and quickly removed the crystal slipper from her foot. When he saw the two nails inside the slipper and the bloody wounds on Elinor Walkerman’s foot, Samuel Girard’s face turned pale with anger.

“Who prepared the props?” Samuel Girard’s voice was cold, tinged with suppressed anger, as he glanced at the boy responsible for the props.

The boy was so scared that he trembled all over. He rushed forward and, upon seeing the nails in his shoes, his face turned pale. “Chairman, it wasn’t me! There were no nails in the shoes I prepared. Someone must have replaced my shoes!”

“Who changed it?” Samuel Girard demanded sharply, his voice filled with barely contained anger.

The boy shook his head, his voice trembling: “I don’t know. The props were always kept in the cabinet backstage. I have no idea who replaced them.”

Samuel Girard took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger. He turned to Elise Walkerman, his tone softening instantly. “I’m sorry that you had to go through this. Let me take you to the infirmary to get your wound treated.”

As he spoke, he bent down, picked up Elenice Walkerman once again, and headed toward the infirmary.

“Samuel Girard, stop right there!” Julian Hamp’s voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, filled with hysterical anger. She stood there, pale-faced, her eyes cold as she stared at Elise Walkerman in Samuel Girard’s arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Samuel Girard stopped in his tracks, turned to look at her. A hint of guilt flashed in his eyes, but he spoke firmly, “Julian, stop it. Elenis is injured. I need to take her to the infirmary.”

“Injured? I think she’s pretending!” Julian Hamp stepped forward quickly, reaching out to push Elenore Walker away. “Let her go. Someone else can take care of her. You shouldn’t go!”

“Julian Hamp, don’t go too far!” Samuel Girard snapped, holding Elise Walkerman tightly in his arms and taking a half-step back. “Elise is really hurt. Can’t you be reasonable for once?”

“Understanding?” Julian Hamp laughed, tears streaming down his face. “In your eyes, am I really the one who lacks understanding? Samuel Girard, you’ve forgotten our promise, forgotten that you said you’d marry me. You’ve forgotten all the good things you’ve done for me in the past. Now, you’re protecting a woman you’ve only known for a short time. How am I supposed to be understanding under these circumstances?”

Samuel Girard watched her cry bitterly, feeling overwhelmed with guilt. But he couldn’t just ignore Elenice Walkerman. Taking a deep breath, he said, tiredly, “Julian, it’s not what you think. I’ll take Elenice to the infirmary, and then I’ll explain everything to you, okay?”

“I don’t want your explanations!” Julian Hamp shook his head and reached out to pull on Samuel Gillard’s arm. “You must let her go today. Otherwise, I won’t leave!”

Samuel Girard frowned, realizing that now wasn’t the time to argue. He glanced at Julian Hamp, his tone tinged with resignation. “I’m sorry, Julian.”

After saying that, he hugged Elenice Walkerman and quickly passed by Julian Hamp, heading straight for the infirmary. Julian Hamp reached out his hand, but failed to catch his sleeve. All he could do was watch as his back disappeared through the doorway. At that moment, her heart shattered completely. She knew that perhaps her relationship with Samuel Girard was truly over. What she didn’t know was that behind this drama on stage, a even greater twist was waiting for her.