Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 73: Hollow

After taking a deep bow to the audience and the judges, Liisi spoke into her mic, her voice mellow and lovely as always.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Liisi from Lipstick, as you all must already know. Tonight, I’m singing you a song I wrote a long time ago, but have only found the courage to share now. Tonight, I want to be seen for the woman I am, to show the world a more sensual and sophisticated side of me."

Another round of applause thundered through the hall, even though Liisi hadn’t sung a single note yet. At the long table at the dais, even some of the male judges appeared to be fans, giggling at her charm and clearly captivated by the dark, sensual look she was bringing to the stage tonight.

From the left end of the table, Karl Hanski’s face didn’t seem half as excited as the men a few seats down. His brow was knitted tightly, his eyes red with fatigue as he stared at the performance order list on the table.

For the past two weeks, Kaija had deliberately rejected his repeated invitations to his flat, claiming she was prepping for the festival, and he’d already been in a foul enough mood. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Now, after suffering one hour and forty minutes of what he considered auditory and visual torture, he was more than ready to smash the table in half.

Good thing he’d called the Stage Manager and forced him to move Kaija Sepala’s position from the bottom of the list to the middle.

He threw a contemptuous look at the men giggling and blushing at Liisi’s introduction as she continued her speech.

"Why the fuck are y’all so excited over this stealing bitch?" he grumbled inwardly, rolling his eyes. "Just wait until you see my little birdie singing my song."

His gaze then shifted toward the other end of the table. Charles Kosonen sat at the farthest seat, while Max Kosonen occupied the one next to him. While Charles kept the same poker face he carried everywhere, his older brother didn’t seem nearly as indifferent.

"I didn’t know you had this many charming ladies under your wing, brother," Max murmured under his breath. "What a lucky bastard you’ve been."

Though he kept his tone casual, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly as his predatory silver eyes traced the spandex tightly hugging Liisi’s half-exposed bust with open fascination. He’d always had a thing for red lips and fishnets, and the look Liisi was pulling off tonight was exactly his taste.

"Mm-hm," Charles replied, tone as flat as his expression. "There are a lot of them around here, but I bet your anchor ladies aren’t any less gorgeous."

"Indeed, they are," Max said with a shrug. "But they’re anchors, you know? Their job is to talk—and man, they talk a lot. Especially when they’re not supposed to. Entertainers like this girl, they just shake their hips and work their bodies more than run their mouths. I bet you know that better than I do."

Charles didn’t bother replying to his brother’s tasteless comment. He pulled out his phone and checked his messages instead.

He knew Max was only trying to coax him into spilling out which girls had been under his favor, or which had managed to climb into his bed. But even so, Max’s offhand mention of shake their hips or work their body had summoned certain uninvited images into his mind.

Did his songbird shake her hips or work her body when they were together? Hm, not really.

She preferred to lie there like a good, lazy cat and let him take her in whatever way he wanted.

She’d wrap her slender arms around his broad shoulders, fingers tangled behind his neck, looking up at him with those wet blue eyes.

Her hair would be damp with sweat, a few strands clinging to the sides of her face, her lovely features drenched in satisfaction and desire all the same, as her soaked walls spasmed and contracted around his sensitive length repeatedly.

Suddenly, Liisi’s voice rose a pitch higher, cutting into his thoughts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause for my performance tonight: Hollow!" she announced. With one last gracious bow, she lifted her arms and twisted her body into a swan pose to begin her performance.

Charles cast an indifferent glance at her, then back at his phone. But when she started singing, his gaze inevitably lifted toward her again.

The song Liisi performed was a sadcore piece with poetic, melancholic melodies, unlike anything she’d done in previous years. Paired with the instrumental work, the entire performance became a sensual, nostalgic cinematic experience.

It was exactly as mesmerizing and captivating as she’d promised in her speech. Everyone in the hall was spellbound the moment she began singing.

Well, everyone except Karl Hanski.

Having heard Kaija’s original track, hearing Liisi deliver it now felt like an insult to the song to his ears. His face tightened with disdain, his hands clenched into fists, his mind counting down every second until the torture was over.

As for Max Kosonen, he couldn’t hide how mesmerized he was anymore. His mind snagged on every sensual movement and poetic line the elegant beauty on stage was delivering.

Next to him, Charles was surprised that he’d found himself impressed by something tonight. Though he didn’t yet know what Kaija’s performance would be like, he had to admit Liisi’s performance was a strong contender for the prize.

Liisi’s voice, however, didn’t suit the song, he thought. Liisi was known more for her visuals and dancing, and her vocal range was limited. There were certain deep notes she couldn’t fully hit to bring out the song’s full emotional impact, as if she’d written something she herself couldn’t deliver. That, to him, felt very strange to watch.

Halfway through the song, his interest faded, and his gaze dropped back to his phone. He had more urgent matters to check on.

Last week, he’d received a file from his men containing everything they could gather about Juho Maley.