As we walked down the hallway of Starlet Entertainment, I noticed a girl surrounded by two assistants and several bodyguards making her way inside. Her confident stride and the attention she commanded made me curious.
"Who is she?" I asked Rose, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"You don't know her?" Rose asked in surprise.
"No," I replied dryly. "Why would I be asking you if I did?"
"Well," Rose started, lowering her voice, "she's Tina Knight, the heiress of the Knight family. And..." Rose hesitated, glancing around before leaning closer. "She's also rumored to be the secret wife of Noah Anderson."
Her words hit me like a lightning bolt. Tina Knight? Heiress of the Knight family? Noah's wife? None of it made sense. I might not have revealed my own identity to the world, but If there was one thing I was certain of, it was this: there was no Tina Knight in my family. The Knight clan was small now, with only my grandparents and a few distant relatives remaining. Moreover, I was the only direct heir—my parents had no other children but me.
So who was this impostor? And how on earth could she be claiming to be Noah's wife.
"Wait," Rose suddenly stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowed as she turned to me. "Aren't Crystal and Noah Anderson super close? Wouldn't you have attended their wedding? How come you don't know her?"
"Because she's not his wife," I said firmly, my voice steady but sharp.
"What?" Rose's eyes widened in disbelief. "But I heard her assistant talking. Apparently, one of the managers revealed that Tina is Mrs. Anderson. Could she be fooling everyone?"
I shook my head, my mind racing. "I don't know what game she's playing. I don't even know what 'Knight family' she's claiming to come from, but one thing I can guarantee—she's not wife of Noah Anderson."
Rose sighed, glancing back at the girl with a mix of disbelief and disgust. "The industry is so scary. How far will people go to become famous? These people have no shame."
Her words hung in the air, and I couldn't help but wonder why was she using my life as part of her charade?
"We should reveal her lies to the manager," Rose said suddenly, her voice filled with indignation.
I stopped her with a shake of my head. "There's no need. If she wants to parade around like this, let's see how long she can keep fooling everyone. It's better for us to stay out of this drama and focus on our work. She can claim all the identities she wants, but at the end of the day, she's just a fake."
Rose hesitated, then nodded. "You're right. Let's go and mind our own business."
We turned back toward the studio, leaving the chaos behind. Inside, I settled into my chair and began reading through the lyrics of the songs I had chosen. I let the words flow over me, imagining how they could sound. As the melodies formed in my mind, I began humming softly, experimenting with different tones to find the perfect match.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. "Rose, let's go to the equipment room," I said, standing abruptly. "I think I've found the melody we need."
"That fast?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes," I replied confidently, already heading toward the door.
The company had a massive equipment room filled with all kinds of musical instruments. It was one of my favorite features of Starlet Entertainment—unlike other places that relied heavily on pre-recorded backgrounds or professional autotune, they encouraged artists to create their own raw melodies. It gave me the freedom to experiment and let the music flow naturally.
In the equipment room, my eyes immediately went to a beautifully crafted violin resting on a high cabinet. I walked toward it, picking it up carefully. Closing my eyes, I let the lyrics replay in my mind, feeling the emotions they carried. I began to play, letting the melody pour out of me. Each note resonated in the room, filling the space with a haunting yet beautiful tune. For a moment, I forgot everything— It was just me and the music
As the final note faded, I opened my eyes to see Rose clapping enthusiastically. "Wow, Lyla! That was amazing. I recorded the tune—we can start adjusting it."
I smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "Good. Let's refine it and make it perfect."
As we walked out of the equipment room, I accidentally bumped into someone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," I said quickly, taking a step back.
"Can't you see where you're going? You could have hurt me!" a high-pitched voice shouted, the irritation in her tone making it unbearable to listen to.
I looked up, and the irony of the situation hit me like a wave. Just an hour ago, I had learned about Tina Knight, and now here she was, standing right in front of me. The world really is small. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I said, "It's not just my mistake. You should've watched where you were going too. I had just opened the door; I couldn't have known someone was right in front of it."
Normally, I avoided conflict and kept my temper in check, but something about this girl—knowing her background and her lies—stirred a natural anger within me.
"Oh really, miss?" she sneered, crossing her arms. "Do you even know who I am? I could make you disappear from this company, so you better watch your mouth!"
Her arrogance was overwhelming, but I refused to let it intimidate me. Smiling faintly, I replied, "Really? I didn't know we had magicians in this company who could make people disappear."
Rose, standing beside me, burst into laughter, and Tina's face turned beet red.
"You!" she snapped, pointing an accusing finger at me.
"Yes, me," I said calmly, staring her down.
Before she could say anything more, a manager appeared, walking briskly toward us. "Tina, there you are. I was looking for you in your studio," he said, his voice professional but hurried. He glanced at me and offered a polite smile. "Hi, Lyla. Everything okay?"
"Yes, sir," I replied, my tone neutral.
"Good," he said, turning back to Tina. "Let's go and discuss the song you want, along with the music and the MV concept you'd like to put together."
With that, Tina turned on her heel and followed him, her arrogance still visible in the way she walked. Finally, the headache was out of sight.
Rose leaned closer and whispered, "You handled that well. I thought she might explode."
I smirked. "She's not worth the energy. Let's get back to work."