Alex combed his hair, tidied himself up, and walked out of the Green Island Garden District. He called a taxi and went straight to the airport, intending to give Debbie a surprise by showing up in Chicago.
After buying the ticket, he waited for twenty minutes for his flight to be called, and then he received a call from Joe.
"Alex, I'm treating you to dinner tonight at 8pm. You have to be there," Joe said. He seemed very happy, but he didn't explain what was going on.
"Oh, I can't. I have something to do," Alex said. He was about to explain that he was going to Chicago to watch Debbie's talent show, but Joe didn't let him finish speaking.
"Suzan and I are engaged!" Joe announced.
"Really?" Alex asked. "And her parents agreed? That's great!" He was happy for Joe. He looked at the ticket in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to stay. "Okay. I'll definitely be there. Call the others, and I'll see you later."
Joe was like a brother to him, and this was wonderful news. It wouldn't be fair if Alex didn't celebrate with him. He would have to change his plans.
He felt a little guilty about Debbie, but he had to be with Joe, and Debbie had told him to stay in New York.
She probably won't mind, he thought.
He had no idea how much he would come to regret this decision.
**
At the talent show in Chicago, the mansion was brightly lit, making it look very elegant.
The stage was beside an artificial lake and the background was made from a large fashion poster with dozens of pretty girls.
The colourful lights, and the lakes and trees, made the place seem magical.
The seats for the four judges were directly in front of the stage, and there were dozens of seats in the audience for the most important guests, while the other two thousand spectators had to stand.
In a corner of the seating area, Charlie and Melissa were whispering to each other.
"Babe, I'll definitely record your performance," Charlie said. He had a camera hanging from a strap around his neck. "It's just a pity that you're not the lead singer. That country bumpkin has nothing on you. Janice must be blind."
"It's fine. So what if she's the lead singer?" Melissa said. "Don't forget, as the lead singer, she will be the one to take the blame if things go badly." She chuckled.
"Why do you say that?" Charlie asked. "Have you thought of a way to deal with her?" He knew Melissa too well. Not only was she not complaining about Debbie, but she seemed to be very happy about the situation. She had to be up to something.
Melissa glanced at him with a trace of mischief in her eyes. She lowered her head and took a brown bottle out of her pocket. She looked around vigilantly, hiding the bottle with her body, and then gently shook it in front of him.
"What's that?" Charlie asked.
Melissa smiled. She stood on her tiptoes and cupped his ear with her hand as she whispered to him. His expression grew more and more excited as she spoke.
Then he asked hesitantly, "Isn't that a bit too cruel? And if you make a fool of her on stage, won't that affect you too?"
"I don't care," she said stubbornly. "She stole my position as lead singer. And if I perform well, the judges might not care about her. Perhaps this is my chance to shine."
She smirked. "Go and sit down. The show is about to start. Remember to make me look pretty when you record me," she said as she walked away.
Debbie and the others were doing their final rehearsal under Janice's watchful gaze. When Melissa returned, Janice immediately called her over to rehearse with them. After half an hour of practice, Janice spoke to them, giving them some last-minute instructions. After that, she let them sit and relax to mentally prepare for their performance.
There was a lot of performers backstage, and everyone was feeling quite nervous.
"Debbie, here, have a drink," Melissa said, walking up to Debbie and handing her a bottle of mineral water.
"No, thanks," Debbie said. "If I drink, I might need the toilet when I'm on the stage." She was suspicious. Why would Melissa bring her a drink? She hadn't expected that. Could she possibly be doing it to get in Debbie's good books?
"It's fine," Melissa said. "It's not that long until we're due on stage. I bought an extra bottle and everyone else already has water. So, if you don't drink it, then it will go to waste. So, you may as well have it." She pushed the water into Debbie's hand, and she had no choice but to take it.
"Drink up," Melissa said. "It's good for you. Here, I'll drink too." She smiled, touched her bottle of water to Debbie's, and then drank half of it.
Debbie was too embarrassed to refuse. She took a sip of water from the bottle as Melissa watched with a gleam in her eyes.
"Okay. We'll be going on stage shortly, so get ready," Melissa said, smiling mysteriously. "Don't let us down." She walked over to Katie and Olivia.
Debbie frowned. Melissa's behaviour was very strange, but she decided to forget about it. She needed to focus on the things she had to remember to do on stage.
At 8 pm, while Alex was celebrating Joe's engagement back in New York, the Sky's the Limit talent show began in Chicago.
The four judges sang a song together, and then they returned to the judges' seats as everyone applauded.
The host went up on stage to make a speech, and then the contestants began to perform.
Group after group sang and danced, and the two thousand spectators enjoyed every moment, completely engrossed in the show. They clapped and cheered, and some even had to wipe away tears. The performances were truly brilliant.
The atmosphere was electric, but the four judges were all more serious. They viewed the contestants a little more harshly, pointing out the flaws and shortcomings of each group.
As the time for Debbie and the others to go on stage drew closer and closer, Debbie became increasingly nervous. However, she was confident that she would be able to perform well.
But then she suddenly felt a slight pain in her stomach. She rubbed it lightly, thinking that she must have eaten something that disagreed with her. No doubt she would be fine in a moment. She tried to concentrate on what was happening on stage.
The four judges were all involved in the music industry, so they knew what they were talking about. Their comments were funny as well as insightful, and the contestants hung on to every word.
Meanwhile, the pain in Debbie's stomach became more severe, and she could no longer think about how to perform on stage. All her attention was focused on the pain.
"You guys are up soon," Janice told them. "Once you go on stage, don't think about anything else. You're just as good as anyone else here." She walked to the middle of the group, giving them final instructions. As she was speaking, she noticed that Debbie's face was pale, and beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead.
Melissa looked at her excitedly. The bottle of water she had given Debbie to drink earlier had contained a very high dose of a drug that she had bought online. A small amount would give someone an upset stomach, and she had given Debbie a much larger dose.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Rita asked in concern. She put her arm around Debbie's shoulder.
"I'm fine," Debbie insisted. "Maybe something I ate doesn't agree with me. My stomach is a bit sore, but don't worry, I'll be okay."
"A bit sore?" Rita asked, looking worriedly at her. "You're sweating." She looked at Janice and said, "I think Debbie needs to go to the hospital."
"That's right, Janice," Melissa agreed. "Debbie seems to be in pain, so she needs to go and rest. Don't worry. I can take over Debbie's position."
"Do you really think we can make changes to the group now?" Janice asked, frowning. She glanced at Rita and Melissa. The rules of the talent show were very strict, and they couldn't make any alterations.
Janice knew Debbie should rest, but it just wasn't possible.
"Debbie, can you hold on?" she asked worriedly, squatting in front of her.
"I'm fine," Debbie said. "I promise." She raised her head and forced a smile. She didn't want to let the others down, and she also didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.
"Okay," Janice said, gently caressing Debbie's face. "It's fine. It's only a few minutes until you go on stage, so it'll be over soon. Once you get off the stage, I'll take you back to the hotel."
At that moment, the host on the stage spoke again. "Judges, thank you for your wonderful comments. The next group is from New York, the city that never sleeps. Four charming young women with their own unique personalities. Let's welcome them onto the stage. Put your hands together for Dream Chasers!"
Melissa and the others started to walk toward the stage, but when Debbie stood up, her stomach hurt even more violently. Every time she tried to straighten up, her stomach would hurt twice as bad.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Rita asked worriedly, holding Debbie up.
Debbie smiled and slowly shook her head. She was in so much pain now that her lips twisted into a grimace. She forced herself to take a breath. The performance would only last for about ten minutes, so she could endure the pain for that long.
Rita wanted to say something, but there was nothing she could do. She took Debbie's hand, and they walked slowly toward the stage.