Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 72: Escorting His Princess

He pulled back from her arms, his face stunned as he looked up at her, checking what sort of expression she was making as she dropped those words.

The look in those blue eyes was no longer cautious or subdued like how she usually looked at him, but sharp and icy now, if not outright dangerous, like she was ready to strangle whoever had turned him into this broken, sobbing creature right now. He couldn’t recall ever seeing her make such a terrifying expression, and he was a terrifying being himself.

"I... I’m sorry for making you feel that way," he stammered, unsure what the right thing to say to that frightening face was. How could she possibly hold him and soothe him so gently one moment, then switch into murderous mode the next?

"Tsk, that’s not even what I meant. Forget it." She released him and stood from the couch, giving up. Of course this stubborn man wouldn’t share any of his many secrets with her so easily. "I should get back to the concert hall, or Dani and Esko will have a heart attack. Have some rest then, Instructor."

"No, wait," he called, pushing himself up from the couch. "I’m coming with you."

She shot a doubtful glance over her shoulder. "Eh... you’re sure you’re okay to go?"

"Do I not look okay now?" he asked flatly.

Dark lines ran down her face. "Well... you look fine," she said, though in her mind what she really wanted to say was, "Nope, you don’t look fine at all. Not even a bit."

"Give me five minutes. I’ll take a quick shower and get changed. Then we go." He downed the chocolate in the cup in one go, making her wince in fright, then slipped back into his bedroom.

Who on earth drinks chocolate like that? She pinched her temples, repeating meditative phrases in her head. Esko had told her to stay calm until showtime. She needed to get herself back into zen mode.

Exactly five minutes later, Antony stepped into the living room again.

He was wearing simple long, dark beige skinny-fit pants and a cravat in a matching shade, but it was the waistcoat over his white shirt that made the outfit shine. It was made from a shimmering golden paisley fabric that matched the gold of his eyes. With his hair neatly combed and styled, he looked like a prince stepping straight out of a fairy tale castle.

Kaija’s mouth fell wide open. All her meditative effort from the past five minutes had vanished without a trace.

"Let’s... let’s go!" she called, turning abruptly toward the door while her company for the night was still buttoning his cuffs so innocently, so obliviously to the effect he had on her.

He raised a brow, eyes glinting with amusement at her fumbling steps. But as soon as his thoughts drifted to the two half-brothers he’d inevitably encounter tonight, especially the older one, his face flattened back into its usual sternness. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Get your shit together, Antony," he told himself, swallowing down the fear crawling across his nerves. "If you’re not going to face your demons tonight, you’ll never get free from their shadow for the rest of your life."

He left all the lights on instead of switching them off like he usually did, then followed Kaija out of the room.

When they reached the concert hall, the first half of the show was about to end. The staff was setting up the stage for the final performance before the break.

Kaija and Antony met up with Dani and Esko in the waiting room.

Half of the room had cleared out by now, since half of the contestants had already finished their performances and taken seats among the audience. Those who remained, however, couldn’t hide their shock as they saw Antony walk inside.

Unlike Kaija, who hadn’t been around long enough, all the artists present knew Antony was once the legendary producer AK.

They’d heard rumors that he’d produced the instrumental track for a trainee, and some had even caught glimpses of him at the rehearsal yesterday, but seeing him walk into the waiting room with that trainee now confirmed everything.

And not just that, Antony was dressed up today, like he was escorting his princess to a ball. With rumors circling the campus about how Antony had carried a trainee girl princess-style between buildings for a week straight some time ago, they were now certain the relationship between these two was beyond professional.

"What are y’all staring at?" Antony muttered, frowning.

All gazes snapped away at once, some back to their abandoned conversations, others to the large screens hanging on the walls. They were broadcasting the show straight from the stage outside.

A thundering round of applause erupted from the speakers. The MC had just announced the last performance before the break, and that slot belonged to Liisi.

Liisi was wearing a black bodysuit tonight, paired with fishnet tights and a ballerina skirt made of soft feathers around her slender waist. Her pink hair was styled up and hidden beneath an oversized swan-feather headband, her makeup striking with sexy red lips and dark eyeliner.

The stage was set with dark willow trees and shrubs, and all the lights had dimmed except for the spotlight shining directly on her. She looked like a black swan queen standing in the middle of the dark forest she ruled, an entirely different concept from the cute, lovely image she’d always been known for as an idol.

Kaija’s face twitched. Was that why Liisi had ripped that poor black dress into pieces? Because she’d planned on wearing a black outfit too?

Professionally speaking, the black swan concept and ballet-style choreography for that song wasn’t a bad idea at all. If Kaija had still owned the song, she’d probably have gone for something similar, given how deep and haunting the piece was.

On Kaija’s left, all the color had drained from Dani’s face. Her fingers squeezed her cup so tightly the lid nearly burst off.

On Kaija’s right, Antony didn’t look any better. Just the air surrounding him right now was enough to turn water into ice.

Only Esko slurping instant noodles on the bench remained completely unruffled. He was, after all, the only one among the three of them entirely clueless about the song-stealing incident.

Kaija sighed. This was going to be a long, long night.