Dana scowled, finding the argument annoying yet, she was ready to blast at Cassidy. But Cassidy seeing the storm coming decided to surrender.
Cassidy let out a laugh. "Fine, fine, you win," she said, not wanting to argue any further. "But if you're the one who wrote that song, then you're an amazing songwriter," she added, hoping to lighten the mood with a joke.
Dana still seemed surprised by Cassidy's behavior. It was as if Cassidy had no idea who Christian Churcho was, even though he was a famous name.
Meanwhile, in a car parked outside the mall, Dorian sat in the backseat, obscured from view by the car's tinted windows. In his hand was a notebook and pen, and beside him was a guitar. He was scribbling down words and humming tunes, lost in his thoughts.
As Dorian scribbled down lyrics with his left hand, his right hand kept the rhythm with gentle taps on the guitar strings. He wrote the first line: "Make me your ancient scar, so I cannot be forgotten."
He wrote the next line: "Or make me a tune, a tune that gives you peace."
He paused for a moment, pen hovering over the page, trying to think of what to write next. "Make me a lullaby, a lullaby for…"
"I wonder," Dorian said, his deep, rough voice filling the car. "Do you prefer a lullaby of love, or a lullaby of memories?"
His gaze was fixed on the window, as if expecting an answer from the world outside but he was speaking to the driver.
The driver felt the pressure of Dorian's question, and his mind raced with possible answers. Before he could respond, Dorian dismissed the question, saying, "Forget it. I shouldn't have asked. You're not into music like I am."
He returned to his notebook and continued thinking of which among 'memories,' and 'love,' to put on his lyrics, still uncertain though.
The driver exhaled a silent sigh of relief, grateful to have been spared from having to give an answer. His relief was hidden behind a professional façade, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, as Dana and Cassidy walked down the mall steps, Dana thought of another way to test Cassidy's knowledge of singers. "Do you know Allen Sugar?" she asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
Cassidy's face lit up. "Who doesn't know Allen Sugar?" she exclaimed, her voice animated with excitement. "He's such a great singer!"
"Definitely!" Dana agreed. "He's got some really amazing songs. Have you heard 'Lullaby'? It's one of his best!"
Confused, Cassidy said, "Lullaby? I'm not familiar with that song. Hehe, that means the albums I haven't heard all. Do you know the lyrics?"
Dana took a deep breath and began to sing. However, it was not Dana who knew these songs and artists. Vance, who inhabited Dana's body, was the one who knew.
Dana sang the lines of the song from memory, just as Vance had known them:
🎶Make me an ancient scar
So I cannot be forgotten
Or make me a tune
A tune that brings you peace.🎶
The words of the song, along with the melody, captivated Dana, and her gaze drifted to the nearby car, whose tinted windows reflected the world around them. She couldn't resist looking at her own reflection, her voice still rising and falling with the notes of the song.
🎶Make me a lullaby
a lullaby for memories
Make me a lullaby
a lullaby to take you back
To the days we used to dance in the rain...
Eh eh eh…
A lullaby...🎶
When Vance was content with how much, even though little, that he had sing through Dana, he reluctantly tore Dana's eyes away from her reflection and turned to continue her walk.
With a contented smile, Dana continued her stroll with Cassidy by her side, who looked completely dumbfounded by what she had just witnessed.
"Wait a second," Cassidy exclaimed, still trying to process what had just happened. "You've never sung that good before. Where did you learn to sing like that?"
Dana smiled and shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are," she said, trying to act nonchalant. But deep down, it was Vance who was enjoying the fact that he could sing like that, and that no one would know the truth - he was singing through Dana.
Meanwhile…. "Hey, did you hear that?" Dorian asked the driver. "I thought I heard someone singing my song."
The driver turned to Dorian, puzzled. "I didn't hear anything, Mr. Gray," he said. "Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"
Dorian's tone was calm but there was a hint of urgency in his words. "You didn't hear someone singing a song?" he asked the driver. "It was a song I haven't released yet, but the person singing sounded just like it. Same rhythm, same words. It's like they were singing straight from whatever was in my heart."
He paused, waiting for the driver's response.
The driver could sense Dorian's anticipation, so he said, "Young Master Gray, I don't mean to doubt you, but it's not possible for someone to sing a song you haven't released yet. Not to mention one that you haven't even finished preparing."
He paused, seeing Dorian's crestfallen face, then added, "But I'm sure it's just a case of mistaken identity. It's impossible for someone to sing your song before you do." He looked at Dorian in the rearview mirror, hoping his words would lift his spirits.
Seeing as Dorian wasn't saying a word, he added hesitantly, "I've heard of something called a guardian angel. They say they exist in spirit, but they can sometimes appear and guide people through their words. I've even heard they can sing, in order to deliver messages. But, of course, it's all just a legend..."
He trailed off when he noticed Dorian glaring sharply at him.
"I don't need you to make up stories for me," Dorian snapped. "I need to figure out what's going on here."
Dorian reached for the door handle and prepared to get out of the car. He needed to find out who had sung the song. He knew he wasn't hallucinating or imagining things.
The lyrics were exactly as he had written them, and even the parts that he was still undecided about. He had been debating whether to call it "Lullaby of Love" or "Lullaby of Memories," and then, out of nowhere, someone sang it with the exact same lyrics. It was too much of a coincidence.
Just as Dorian was about to open the door, the driver tried to stop him. "No, no, no, no, no," he said, a pleading tone in his voice. "Mr. Dorian, please don't go outside. I promise you, it's not worth it."
Dorian stared at the driver, his expression hardening. Why was the driver trying to stop him from getting answers? Does he want to lose his job?
Suddenly, the driver made a proposal. "I'll go outside and look for the person who was singing," he said. "Was it a girl or a boy?"
"A female voice, and please, she was just close to this car," Dorian replied, accepting the offer automatically. "She can't have gone far."
When Dorian said "please," the driver couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. The young master had never been one to use such a word.
Noticing this, the driver hurried out of the car and began searching for the female voice. He had no idea what she looked like or where she was, but he knew he had to find her, no matter what.