Chapter 20 Chloe pulled into Octmond Villa and parked the car. At the same time, another vehicle rolled to a stop at the gate. It was Michael's He'd just come from a business party and had one too many drinks. Seeing how tipsy he was, Melanie had insisted on accompanying him home, worried something might happen on the road. Through the car window, she caught sight of a sleek, head-turning luxury car parked out front. 1a She recognized it immediately-a limited -edition model released just a few months ago, with a price tag of 5 million dollars, The Rhodes family had no shortage of luxury vehicles, so she wasn't exactly shocked. But this one? It was clearly a women's model. And there were no women in the Rhodes family. Just as the thought crossed her mind , Chloe stepped out from the driver's seat. "She is driving that car?" Melanie had looked into her before-Chloe, the neglected daughter of the Lancaster family, raised in the countryside and never favored. There was no way the Lancaster family would buy her something this extravagant Obviously not. Melanie pushed open her door and walked up "Miss Lancaster Chloe gave a polite but detached nod, then continued toward the house. Melanie couldn't help herself. "I thought someone as young and innocent as you would be a little more… simple. I didn't expect you to accept such a lavish gift frorn the Rhodes family. Chloe stopped. She turned her head slightly and gave Melanie a cool, unhurried glance. For reasons she couldn't explain, Melanie felt a sudden, inexplicable pressure settle over her. Chloe was only eighteen. And yet, she gave off an aura that was hard to handle Chloe's lips curved into a faint , amused smile. "Maybe you should take a good look at yourself before passing judgment, Melanie." Her tone was light, but her words landed hard. Chloe had a sharp memory. After just one trip through the mall yesterday, she'd memorized most brand tags and price points. The outfit Melanie was wearing cost over 10 thousand dollars. The shoes? Nearly 3 thousand dollars. The handbag in her hand? A little over 40 thousand dollars . As for the earrings and bracelet-combined, they had to be worth half 300 thousand dollars at least Could an ordinary secretary afford all that? Of course not. Only one explanation Michael , that clueless idiot, bought it all for her. Just then, Michael-still slightly drunk-opened his eyes from the back seat. Pressing a hand to his temple , he stepped out of the car. "What's going on?" Chloe didn't respond . She simply turned and walked into the house. Melanie but her lip. Her voice softened. "I just thought. It's not appropriate for her to accept when I said that Michael frowned. "Go apologize to her? 1/3 expensive gifts. But she seemed upset P P = Chapter 20 Melanie looked at him in disbelief. "Michael, you want me to apologize?" "She was the one you offended first," he said plainly. Melanie bit down hard on her lower lip. She had no choice but to follow him inside. They entered just in time to see Chloe heading up the stairs and stepping into the largest bedroom on the second floor, That room, according to Dominic, had once belonged to the late matriarch of the Rhodes family. She thought, And Chloe… is now staying there? Does that mean Tristan intended for her to be the next lady of the Rhodes family ? Then what does that make me ? Melanie stared in stunned silence as Chloe closed the door, blocking her view completely. Her voice trembled. "What exactly is Miss Lancaster's status in this family!" Michael paused , choosing his words carefully. "She's family," "Family ?" Melanie's eyes filled with tears. Then what about me, Michael? We've been together so long. What am I to you?" Michael frowned. "She's family. You're my girlfriend. Those are two separate things. Why are you crying?" He sighed, wiped her tears gently, and pulled her into his arms, "You're overthinking it." Melanie cried softly against his chest. And yet… she wished she really was overthinking it. Later, Michael had someone take her home. Then he went upstairs and knocked on Chloe's door. "Come in ," she said. He pushed the door open and found Chloe sitting in a chair, quietly reading. "Great-Grandma, I want to apologize on Melanie's behalf. She didn't know who you were and meant no disrespect, Please don't hold it against her." Chloe put down ber book . "If someone else had been disrespected like that by Melanie, Michael, what would you have done?" Michael hesitated. Chloe waved him off. "Forget it. You can go. But Michael didn't move . After a brief pause , he said , "Melanie is my girlfriend" "I know," Chloe said with a faint smile. "That's why I didn't have the butler throw her out. I was already being quite generous. Just then. Tristan happened to walk by the door. Sensing some tension in the room , he stepped in "What's going on here? Michael, did you upset your great-grandmother?" Michael was just about to explain when Chloe's phone rang She held up a hund for silence "Hello, is this Chloe? This is the The Star Project production team . We'd like to formally invite you to the first recording session at Rhodes Entertainmejut this Saturday . The call ended as soon as the message was delivered Chapter 201 Tristan lit up with excitement. That's the talent show I started planning years ago! I can't believe you're actually joining-what a coincidencel Chloe smiled. "It's no coincidence." She had signed up because it was something Tristan had dreamed of doing. Now that Tristan was awake, there wasn't really a reason to go through with it anymore. "I remember when you were little, your favorite thing was singing." Tristan said fondly. "Whenever you had time, you'd take me to the big music halls in Amver City. If you hadn't gone into scientific research, you probably would've become a famous singer across the whole country . Chloe did love to sing. She even studied voice as a child. But eventually, she realized singing couldn't save the people-let alone the nation. So she poured herself into physics and chemistry instead. What was once a passion slowly faded, left behind and gathering dust… Tristan looked at her and said , "You've been given a second chance at life. Why not try something different this time?" Trying to win back some points with Chloe, Michael quickly added, "Most of the contestants are students, and filming's only on weekends. It won't affect your studies. It could be a good experience." Chloe nodded . "Alright, why not." Tristan jumped in right away. "Michael, who's running Rhodes Entertainment now ? Call them to headquarters tomorrow. Make sure your great-grandmother gets the best resources available. And- "Tristan, Chloe interrupted. "If I rely on Rhodes Entertainment to get in, then what's the point? That's not really experiencing life-and it wouldn't be fair to the others. "You're absolutely right, Tristan said at once. Then I'll go with you tomorrow, just to keep you company. The Star Project was Rhodes Entertainment's flagship talent show. After the open auditions and preliminary selection, 88 girls had made it through. The entire competition would be streamed live. Tristan escorted Chloe to the entrance of Rhodes Entertainment's headquarters, where they were immediately met with a sea of He looked reluctant to part with her. "Mom, this is as far as I can go. But don't worry -I'll be upstairs in the Rhodes Group offices, keeping an eye on everything" Chloe stepped out of the car and walked onto the red carpet prepared by the production team. The livestream had officially begun. She gave a brief introduction in front of the cameras. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a crowd gathering around someone- Erin. Among the 88 girls, most were unknowns. Erin was the only one with any fame in the entertainment world. The moment she appeared, many of the contestants rushed over -some eager to make connections, others hoping to get more screen time by sticking close to her. Erin had just finished greeting the viewers when she looked up and spotted Chloe.