Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 47: Retreat Immediately!

Kaija frowned, unsure what her cranky instructor wanted now. "Eh... didn’t you just dismiss us?"

Antony’s frown deepened. "That was for them, not for you."

"Eh... Then what am I supposed to do now?"

He dragged a hand down his face. "Considering your current state, I suppose it’s better we work on your track until you can walk like a human again."

A lightbulb went ting above her head. "You mean... we’re going to the Production building now?"

The stare Antony threw at her was the usual "I can’t believe you just asked that" stare.

"Alright, alright," she lifted both hands, wobbling toward the door, "let’s go then, my precious instructor."

As she took a few steps, Antony’s footsteps closed in. One second she was still wobbling across the studio, the next, her feet weren’t even on the floor anymore. Antony had scooped her up in one swift motion, bridal-style.

Kaija turned into a literal statue in his arms, cold sweats trickling down her temples. His chest was pressed so close she could feel his steady heartbeat, and his face was dangerously close to hers. Her Antony-safe-zone alarm system went off instantly.

Warning. Warning.

Detected physical contact with ultra-sensitive, highly irritable endangered species.

Retreat immediately!

"What the hell are you doing?!" She screamed, wiggling like a worm trying to escape.

The more she wiggled, the darker Antony’s face became. "Stay still or I’ll drop you straight like this."

Her mouth clamped shut. "Yes, sir," she muttered with a tiny salute.

Antony exhaled sharply and started for the door, holding her as steadily as if he’d been doing this his entire life, which Kaija found weird for someone so obviously unused to physical contact with other women.

She highly doubted he’d ever go around carrying guys like this either. That meant the muscle strength in his arms and upper body was insane. Thinking back to how shaky he was the first time he pulled her up from the floor... she even started suspecting he had secretly gone to therapy lately.

Antony kicked the studio door shut behind them. Something suddenly hit Kaija’s mind.

"Wait a minute..." she muttered, "don’t tell me you’re gonna carry me like this all the way from this building to the Production building?!"

"Should I find a wheelchair then?" he replied coldly.

She glanced up at his face. It was now set to North Pole mode. Yeah... better not ask another single question.

So Kaija stayed utterly quiet and still like that all the way through the corridor, down the elevator, past the reception, across the open walkway between buildings, and then through another crowded reception, every step of the way marked by open mouths and wide eyes from everyone we passed.

Gazes darted away. Hands flew to mouths. Whispers filled the air.

"Isn’t that Antony? Is that his girlfriend? I thought Antony hated girls."

"Who’s that blue-haired girl? She looks familiar."

"Man, look at that. Antony looks so cool. I’m so jealous. I wanna be carried like that too."

"Oh my God, this is definitely gonna blow up the group chats."

To say Kaija was embarrassed would’ve been a criminal understatement. She was mortified.

And look at this man! This handsome menace with those predatory golden eyes! He looked calm and stoic the whole time, like he was meditating on a mountain peak while carrying her through a public scandal.

Only when Antony finally set her down on the black sofa in his office did her lungs remember how to function again. Her hands were still cold and trembling. Blood had not returned to her face yet.

"I already got the first version of the beat. Give it a listen," he said casually, placing his phone on the table like he hadn’t just caused a social earthquake.

Kaija stared at him, then at the unlocked screen, and reached out hesitantly.

No point protesting to this alien, she thought. Work first, meltdown later.

She hit play. The beat was slow and relaxed. The guitar and keyboard layers were pure artistry. It was exactly the melancholic vibe she’d imagined. She hummed the lyrics under her breath, piecing the two together.

From his desk, Antony stayed quiet, clearly watching for her reaction.

"That’s incredible," she murmured, turning to him. "I can already imagine this going so well with a really emotional contemporary dance performance."

The corner of his lips curved into a faint, pleased smirk. "Look who’s talking like a pro dancer."

"Hey, I’ve improved a lot these days!" she scowled. Then her voice softened. "Thank you, instructor. This is truly amazing."

His smirk flickered into something like a soft smile, which Kaija was sure she had imagined it up.

"You got this done in such a short time?" she asked. "That is... crazy fast, for work this polished."

Antony merely shrugged, face smug again. "It’s just normal."

"So... I could use it as is?"

"No way," he frowned. "That’s only the basic version. There’s a lot more to add. But try again first, sing it fully this time."

She didn’t hesitate, just prepared her voice and hit play on the track again. As she sang, whenever she glanced over, Antony’s eyes stayed fixed on her with that same quiet focus he’d had the other day. But this time he looked more relaxed, just leaning back casually in his chair, his eyelids half-closed, rather than tense and emotional like the first time.

The song ended. No tears came from those beautiful golden eyes again, only a quiet satisfaction.

"Was it alright?" she asked.

"More than alright," he nodded. "But I’m gonna need you to record with it before I work more on it. I need your voice to feel it more fully."

"Oh... I see. So you want me to just... do it here?"

"No, dummy." He rose from the chair. "In the recording booth."

Before she knew it, Antony had scooped her up again. As Antony carried her out of the room, Kaija caught the sight of a small girl with long pastel-pink hair hurried down the opposite end of the corridor and disappeared around the corner.

Her eyes narrowed at the girl’s retreating figure. There were a few girls with pink hair around the KE campus, but that figure somehow reminded her of Liisi.

It’d been a long time since she’d seen Liisi, so she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t even know if Liisi still had pink hair by now. Artists like Liisi, they changed their hair color faster than the weather.

"What are you staring at?" Antony asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "Just thought I saw an acquaintance. Do artists come to this floor often?"

"Of course they do. Usually for the first meeting with the producers, and for first tests, like we just did."

"Hmm, I see," she replied absently.

Antony quietly glanced down at her, then at where her eyes kept pointing at. His eyes narrowed, a sense of unease course through him. But he kept the thought for himself and just carried her off.