As the niece of a renowned dance master, Michelle had been learning dance since she was a <fn8fd1> Content originallyes from Find1Novel</fn8fd1>
child.
Unfortunately, even though she was born with certain advantages, Michelle didn’t have much
talent.
After getting into college through her art achievements, Michelle knew she could never live up to her aunt’s legacy.
She decided to change courses and try her luck in showbiz.
This time, she rushed over to apologize, not just because Rhea chewed her out, but also because Alexei had cut off several of her opportunities.
She might not be the brightest, but she knew how to y the game.
Michelle looked at Alexei. “If Natasha forgives me, will you let me off the hook?”
She was taking a leap into showbiz. She really didn’t want to crash and burn before she even got her foot in the door.
Alexei didn’t really care.
The only reason he took action against her was because he wasn’t sure if she was using the name as his fiancée to gain advantages.
Instead of wasting time with exnations, he simply cut off her resources. Anyone who needed to understand would get the message.
He didn’t go all out since he still had respect for Rhea.
If Michelle knew the truth, she’d probably be crying injustice.
She’d had a crush on Alexei for ages, so she was well aware of how ruthless he could be. She was a bit of a coward.
The only time she dared to make a move was after hearing about that birthday party that rocked the entire upper crust.
In a moment of reckless curiosity, she tried to use a fake engagement to test the waters and see if she could chase away Natasha.
But before she could even get a few words out, she got shot down hard.
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Most of the time, she kept her head down in public. She didn’t even dare to admit she knew Alexei.
Alexei said, “The resources you lost before were a lesson for you. There’s no getting them
back.
“But if you can finish the task Natasha gives you, there’s a reward in it for you.”
Michelle, who’d looked totally defeated a second ago, suddenly perked up.
She blurted out, “I can do it.
“I swear I’ll get it done!”
Once again, she looked at Natasha, her eyes sparkling with hope.
Natasha didn’t really have anything against Michelle.
The first time they met, Michelle was a bit arrogant, but she didn’t insult Natasha.
She just acted like a spoiled kid. She cried so hard it was almost pitiful.
This time, she seemed pretty sincere about her apology.
‘You’re trained by Rhea? Howe I have never heard of you?” Natasha asked.
Michelle scratched her cheek awkwardly. “My aunt said she’d just give me some pointers in private since we’re family.
If she told people I was her student, it’d be too embarrassing for her.”
In fact, Rhea didn’t just stop her from using Alexei’s name. She wouldn’t even let Michelle drop her name for clout,
Part of it was about talent, and the other part was just to keep things fair.
So Michelle always kept things on the down–low while she was learning and applying to schools. Almost nobody even knew she was rted to Rhea.
Natasha actually found this quite convenient.
It was better that no one knew. It made things way easier for her.
Michelle hugged herself, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy.
For some reason, that creepy feeling was back again.
5:23 pm ￡
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Two dayster, a scream rang out from the vi. “It hurts!”
Michelle held onto her lower back, her pretty face scrunched up in agony.
However, the strict Natasha showed no mercy, still pressing Michelle down even harder in the stretch.
She evenined out loud, “You’ve been dancing for years, and you’ve already forgotten your basics before you’ve even got a shot at being a celebrity?
“No wonder Rhea doesn’t want to acknowledge you as her student.”
Tears streamed down Michelle’s face.
She thought, ‘Do you have to roast me like this?
‘I didn’t forget anything. You are just expecting way too much.’
Michelle spun twice to the music, and Natasha raised her slender baton, tapping Michelle’s elbow.
She said, “Raise your arm up a bit more. Your fingers are all
wrong.
“Watch your face. Fix your expression.
“You still want to be a superstar? With that kind of expression control, you think you’ll make it?”
Two hourster, Michelle copsed onto the floor, feeling like her soul was floating away.
“I’m so tired,” she whimpered.
Natasha let a sly smile curl at her lips as she twisted open a water bottle and set it within Michelle’s reach. She took a swig from her own bottle.
“If you want to quit, now’s your chance, I can always find someone else,” she teased.
As soon as Michelle heard that, she sprang up from the floor like a shot.
“Absolutely not. I can do it. I can keep practicing!” she insisted.
Her dreams of stardom, her shot at movie roles, her chance at big–name endorsements depended on nailing this dance.
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5:23 pm
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With her weak spot firmly in Natasha’s hands, Michelle would keep dancing as long as she
was alive.
She powered through all the way into the night, and by the end, her legs were so wobbly she could barely stand.
By now, her moves were finally looking legit, but Natasha still wasn’t satisfied.
“You’ve only got five days. You have to push your dancing to the absolute limit,” Natasha said.
‘If you can’t stun everyone the moment they see you, then this whole move is pointless, she thought.
Michelle shed an OK sign.
She thought, ‘God knows I never worked this hard, not even when my aunt was training me.
“Did you reallye up with this choreography yourself?” Michelle asked Natasha, her eyes wide with disbelief.
She might not be the best dancer out there, but after years of learning from Rhea, Michelle had developed a sharp eye for quality.
She could say this choreography was even more impressive than what a lot of top choreographers could pull off.
She felt that no wonder Michelle was stunned for ages and couldn’t help sighing after realizing Natasha was Alexei’s girlfriend.
If Natasha had kept dancing back then, with her skills, she’d totally be a star in the dance world by now,
Just a personal hobby, nothing serious,” Natasha said, totally unfazed.
Michelle <b>just </b>gave her a silent thumbs–up, seriously impressed by how chill Natasha was
about it.
Right now, Michelle was seriously d she’d backed off when she did.
She couldn’t match Natasha in looks, couldn’t keep up with her brains, and now even in the one thing she was proud of, she was getting totally steamrolled.
If she’d kept stubbornly clinging to Alexei, she couldn’t even imagine how much she’d be suffering right now,
The door to the dance studio swung open, and Alexei showed up at the entrance, looking so
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drop–dead gorgeous it could make anyone forget to breathe.
“Time to eat,” he said.
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Natasha got up from the floor, and Michelle quickly grabbed her little bag, forcing a smile.
She said. “I’ve got dinner ns with some friends, so I’ll skip this time. I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow, though!”
Without waiting for a response, she bolted out of there like she was being chased by a ghost.
Just yesterday, Michelle would’ve sworn on her life that Alexei would never cook for anyone.
But the truth was, not only did he cook, he did it with surprising ease.
Natasha didn’t like having a bunch of people around the house. Except for the cleaningdy who came regrly, she handled most things herself.
When it was just the two of them at home, Alexei usually took care of the cooking.
Natasha was totally used to it, but when Michelle saw that table loaded with a feast for the first time, her jaw nearly hit the floor.
For some reason, even though she’d always been pursuing him, now that she was actually up close, she suddenly got cold feet around him.
The vibe was icy and the pressure was intense. Having dinner with him was pure agony, like she was being interrogated or something.
Michelle would rather starve than go through that kind of torture again.
She thought, ‘Maybe I didn’t know what I was doing when I was pursuing him in the past.
Watching Michelle bolt out the door, Natasha couldn’t help butugh.
“Alexei, you really are terrifying,” she teased.
Alexei, lookingpletely unfazed, gathered up the water bottles around the room and asked her, “Then why aren’t you afraid of me?”
Natasha actually stopped and thought about it for a moment.
Back when they first met, aside from thinking he was kind of a hassle and maybe a little dangerous, she realized she’d never really been afraid of him.
“Maybe it’s just the timing, she said.
5:24 pm A
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The night they first met, Natasha was totally caught up in her own drama, <i>so </i>much so that she barely noticed what was going on around her.
When Alexei showed up, she just assumed he was some perv and dragged him straight to the police station.
But he’d also helped her out of a few tough spots.
Meeting like that really took the edge off all that intimidation that came with his reputation.