Chapter 21 Chloe turned around and walked into the recording studio. Behind her. Erin let out a long sigh of relief. But then she paused. The handbag g Chloe was carrying it looked oddly familiar. Before she could get a good look, a girl nearby leaned over and whispered, That's a limited-edition tote from the Fowler Group brand. Goes for over 300 thousand dollars. Crazy, right?" Erin nearly laughed out loud. If it were a mid-range designer bag-something in the 7 thousand to 10 thousand dollars range-maybe Chloe could pull that off. But over 300 thousand dollars? She thought, "Yeah, right. Bringing a knockoff to a live-broadcast talent show just to show off? 'Unbelievable. "What a joke. Total embarrassment to the Lancaster family . Inside the studio, more than twenty contestants had already arrived. Everyone was exchanging pleasantries and introducing themselves. As soon as Erin entered, the energy in the room shifted. A crowd immediately gathered around her, showering her with compliments and eager greetings. Dozens of girls were doing everything they could to get noticed-fighting for even a scrap of attention. Erin kept a sweet smile on her face the entire time, responding warmly to every hello, like a practiced Meanwhile, the livestream chat was blowing up. [Erin's so pretty!] [She was cute as a kid and grew up even prettier. Do you know how rare that is for child stars?] [One vote from me, one vote from you-let's debut Erin tonight! Erin fans, rise up!] pro. Once everyone had arrived, the host stepped onto the stage. "Welcome to The Star Project! Where dreams take flight and youth shines bright. Up first, we have our initial live performance. The stage is yours. Based on the judges' scores and audience votes, the bottom, eight contestants will be eliminated." The word eliminated immediately made everyone tense up. Each group of eight would perform the same song. It was a mix of teamwork and competition. Chloe drew a modern pop song- Though she'd studied classical vocal training in the past, that was over seventy years ago-and those techniques were worlds apart from today's pop styles. She hadn't even heard this type of singing before. Thankfully, the show had brought in vocal coaches to guide contestants through the songs line by line, and Chloe took it seriously, focusing on every detail . When Erin saw Chloe casually toss her handbag onto the floor during practice, she sneered. She thought, "Knew it. Totally fake . No one would treat aureal one like that. Upstairs, Tristanı sat comfortably in an office chair , legs crossed , watching the livestream on a giant screen "Michael, look at her-your great-grandma's really putting in the effort. but of all the contestants, she's still the best-looking P Chapter 21 Wait a second-why are people throwing shade in He suddenly sat up straight, eyes. narrowed. Across the screen, a few comments scrolled by. [That Chloe girl seems so fake.] [ That bag? Definitely a knockoff. Showing up to a show like this with a fake designer purse-what a joke.] Tristan's face turned red . He slapped the armrest and barked, "Michael! Quick-get me an account! I need to reply. Fake? My ass" That troll's whole family is fake ! That bag's more legit than his brain!" Michael was speechless. Tristan hadn't set foot in Rhodes Entertainment in years because of health concerns. Now, Tristan was sitting upright, yelling at strangers online, full of fire and energy. Honestly? Michael was starting to think he could still run the company another few years. He tapped a few keys. T've already muted the commenter. They're blocked" Tristan finally relaxed and went back to watching the show. Rehearsals lasted a full four hours, with a lunch break in the middle. Chloe was just about to head to the cafeteria with her group when a staff member came over and pulled her aside . "Miss Lancaster, the chairman has requested your presence for lunch on the top floor. Chloe blinked. 'So much for no special treatment. "Tristan's already up there in age-how is he still this rebellious?! Chloe let out a sigh. "Could you let him know? Thanks, but I'll pass." The staffer had just walked off when Betty, a sweet-looking girl from her group, leaned in. "Hey, Chloe, what did the crew want?" Chloe shook her head casually. "Nothing major. Come on, let's grab lunch." The cafeteria was lively, filled with the hum of whispered conversations and nervous chatter, "Erin's group is stacked -she's got Lisa Gomez with her. Lisa's done performances overseas!" "Talk about a power group. They're basically operating on a different level." "As lo long as you're not in the bottom eight, you're safe. No need to stress over being the best" While everyone was chatting, a sudden stir swept through the cafeteria. The show's director had just walked in, accompanied by a poised woman in her twenties. Betty's eyes widened. "That's Melaniel-She's Rhodes Group's executive assistant . If she's here, it means the this show." company's really invested in Standing in the center of the room, Melanie gave the girls a warm, polished smile. "There are no cameras in here," she said. "If any of you have concerns or suggestions about the production, feel free to speak up. I'll make sure everything is communicated to the team ." Erin was caught off guard. She hadn't expected to see Melanie in person For months, her father had been trying every connection he had to get a meeting with her. But Melanie was always busy, impossible to pin down. Her dad had been pulling his hair put And here she was-standing right in front of her. Chapter 21 age feels like. So this is what stepping onto a real stage Erin quickly buried her excitement and stepped forward with a practiced smile. "My dad has mentioned you a lot, Melanie. You've become chief of staff to the president of Rhodes Group at such a young age. You're a role model to someone like me. Melanie raised an eyebrow, "Your dad?" "He's Sergio, head of Lancaster Group." Erin said quickly. "Oh. Lancaster Group." Melanie gave a nod, as if suddenly recalling the name. Truthfully, she had no idea who no Sergio was-but she di was -but she did know Chloe was the eldest daughter of the Lancaster family. Which meant… the girl in front of her must be the younger daughter. Same father, different mothers, Natural-born rivals. This could get interesting. Just as she was about to dig deeper, her gaze shifted to the window-and she froze. 'Is that… Chloe? 'Chloe is competing too? 'Could this entire show have been fast-tracked just to launch her debut? She was still turning the thought over when Erin called softly, "Melanie? Melanie blinked, returning to the moment. "You're a strong candidate in this group. Keep working hard-I'm sure you'll rank near the top. She then turned and left the cafeteria, immediately instructing her assistant to pull Chloe's contestant file. After lunch, the performances drew closer. Chloe's group was sixth in the lineup. It was time for hair, makeup, and wardrobe changes. Each group had only one makeup artist assigned, so all eight girls had to rotate. The first girl had just finished her foundation when the makeup artist's phone rang. She answered it, then looked up with an apologetic expression. "I'm so sorry, girls. The director needs me on something else right now-I I won't be able to finish your makeup Betty's eyes widened. "Wait, seriously? The production team didn't assign a backup?" The makeup artist looked genuinely regretful. "I wish I could help, but this came from the director. I really have to go " " This is ridiculous!" Betty said , frustrated. "We're about to go on! I'm going to talk to the production team and demand answers. Chloe glanced at the wall clock. "We've got less than thirty minutes before we're on stage. Arguing won't change anything. Instead of AD