Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 75: Stray

"Where the hell is that waiting room?" Karl grumbled as he made his way through the backstage area. Never having competed in the festival once in his life, he had never needed to step foot back here, and right now, the whole place felt like a maze to him.

Around him, every staff winced at the sight of him. They kept their heads lowered, their voices small as he stormed past them, his gaze darting left and right, looking for a sign that said Waiting Room.

Five minutes of wandering later, just as he turned right, Karl finally spotted a familiar figure with long, wavy honey blonde hair stepping out of a room in the middle of the long corridor. He was more than ready to sprint toward her at maximum speed, until he saw the man in the golden waistcoat walking out behind her.

His eyes darkened at once beneath his sunglasses. He knew that bastard was her producer, but did he really have to drag himself here tonight? And dressed in that prince-like outfit?

Now Karl was torn between throwing himself at his birdie or launching a punch straight into Antony’s smug face.

He started forward, but froze when he saw the silver-eyed man in a dark crimson suit approaching the same room from the direction Kaija was heading.

Not only did Karl freeze in place, Kaija’s step had halted too, and so had Max Kosonen’s.

Max’s uncanny resemblance to Charles still hadn’t fail to jump scare her, but it was the way his silver gaze sharpened into a blade with disgust the moment she saw him that made her shiver.

No, wait, that devilish gaze wasn’t pointing at her, but it was pointing at...

Kaija turned around. Behind her, Antony had gone rigid, his face stretched, his golden eyes blown wide in terror at the menace that was his older half-brother.

Her breath caught. Never had she seen such a horrified look on Antony’s face.

"Well, well, look who we have here," Max’s voice came from behind her, his footsteps gradually drawing closer. "Didn’t my message reach you, stray?"

"Hey!" Kaija spun around at once. "Who do you think you are to talk to someone like that, huh?"

Max stopped mid-step. He had been too focused on his younger half-brother to notice the girl beside him. And not just that, this girl was even more beautiful than the singer he’d been searching for, with her long, toned legs and those deep blue eyes he’d never seen before.

His tone shifted instantly, his expression easing into a charming smile as he stepped forward and placed a kiss on her hand. "My apologies for my language, Miss. I wasn’t referring to you. I was simply overjoyed to see a friend I haven’t met in a long time." Then he turned to Antony who was still frozen in place. "Right, Antony?"

Her face darkened as she yanked her hand back. Who did he think he was fooling? One look at Antony’s expression told her this Max Kosonen guy had to be something truly awful to turn the ever-steely Antony into such a frightened kitten.

Knowing that they were secretly half-brothers, she only felt more certain that Antony’s earlier breakdown must’ve had something to do with this guy. The terror on Antony’s face right now mirrored the look he’d had on his face when he’d desperately pulled her into his arms. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"A friend? I don’t think my instructor knows you, Mr. Kosonen. If he did, he would’ve told me by now already," she muttered, turning to Antony. "Right, Instructor?"

Max’s smile didn’t fade. "Wow, Miss, so you already knew who I am? What a great pleasure and honor." He stepped toward Antony, one hand gripping his shoulder firmly. "You should’ve told me you have such a stunning young lady as your trainee, my friend."

Antony’s shoulders had been trembling uncontrollably the entire time. The way Max’s fingers dug tightly into his flesh only made it worse.

Here came that feeling again. Cold, slender hands crawling across his skin. Some gripping him by his arms and legs. Others strangling his throat so tightly he couldn’t utter a word.

"Instructor? Instructor!" a familiar voice called out urgently, but all he could see now was blood and those menacing silver eyes staring straight into his with unmistakable threat hidden behind that charming smile.

He clenched his hands into fists, nails pressing into his skin. With all his remaining strength, he swung one hand up, knocking away the menacing grip on his shoulder.

Max’s smile vanished instantly. His fist curled up reflexively at Antony’s defiance, but before he could swing it into Antony’s face, a deep, thundering voice erupted like it had crawled up from hell.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE Y’ALL STILL DOING HERE, HUH?!"

Startled, all three turned around. From the far end of the corridor, Karl Hanski strode toward them, hands in his pockets, sunglasses still on.

"Hey, Kaija Sepala, don’t you know your performance is about to start? The Stage Manager has been looking for you everywhere! And you!" He jabbed a finger straight at Antony. "What kind of producer just stands there like a dumb idiot and delays his artist’s performance? You want her to lose? Take her to the Stage Manager, now!"

Kaija blinked at Karl. She had already asked Esko to inform the Stage Manager that she was coming just now. Why would the man send Karl Hanski to look for her? But given the current dreadful situation, it was the best to just play along with it.

"Okay... I’m going now," she replied. Without another second wasted, she grabbed Antony’s hand and pulled him with her as she fled the scene.

Max stood stiff as he watched the girl drag his prey away from his claws. He was shocked, not because she had ignored him completely when she left, but at the fascinating fact he’d just discovered.

Did his pathetic younger half-brother just let a girl hold his hand and drag him away without bursting into a screaming mess like he usually did?

A faint smirk curled on his lips. The girl wasn’t just some singer. She was something else. Something rare, with a cherry of recklessness on top, and that made him even more curious about her now.

He turned to Karl, his voice cold as ice. "Well now, so that charming young lady is also performing tonight? I’m already excited for the second half of the show."

"Tsk. I bet you are," Karl snorted, walking past him. Had he not interfered, he feared Antony might’ve collapsed into a seizure. "Get back to the front stage quickly, yeah? Don’t get lost around here, buddy. No one has time to find an old man tonight."

"What’s your name again?" Max asked, his voice dripping with derision.

Karl threw him a glare over his shoulder. "The great Karl Hanski. Make sure you tattoo that into your aging brain."

A sharp, menacing chuckle slipped out of Max. "You’re an interesting one, aren’t you? No wonder they put you on the judging panel." He walked toward Karl and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "But too bad for you, son. You haven’t lived long enough to know who you sit above, and who sits above you."

Karl yanked his shoulder away immediately. "Listen, buddy. There’s only one person who sits above me on this entire campus tonight, and that person is not you." He stormed off in the direction Kaija had gone, his footsteps heavy and irritated.