Hiding Behind Her Superficiality by Kyla Olson

Max’s face fell again as he tugged on Callum’s arm and complained, “Look at her. She spends your money like it’s her own. Most importantly, everything she bought is for herself. None of it is for Blake!” Meanwhile, Elspeth rolled her eyes when she heard Max’s complaints. The night sky soon arrived and Elspeth changed into a simple black dress and followed the others to the concert venue after dinner. Theirseats was on the second row and Ophelia dashed over to sit beside Callum right after they found their seats. Not bothering about it, Elspeth decided to sit beside Edmund. Soon, the concert began and Blake came on stage wearing a black suit. As a celebrity, he was indeed handsome. With the crazy intense crowd, Elspeth felt her eardrums were about to erupt from all the screams. Within an hour, Blake had performed many songs and it was now time for the second act. The emcee came on stage and announced, “Today is Blake’s tenth anniversary of his debut, so we have prepared a surprise session. Now, we’re going to pick a lucky fan and have her come on stage to sing a song with Blake.” Thunderous applause sounded from under the stage while the fans were screaming so much that their throats felt sore. Then, they saw the rolling numbers on the screen finally stopping at number 26. Those who did not get picked groaned in disappointment, but everyone was curious as to who was sitting in seat 26. At that moment, Edmund piped up, “Woah. Elspeth, you’re in seat 26!” While Elspeth was still in shock, the emcee had already called out for her appearance. “Let’s welcome the fan from seat 26 onto the stage.” With narrowed eyes, she wondered, Is this just a coincidence? Sweeping her gaze around the few people beside her, she noticed the obvious gleam in Ophelia’s eyes. It was then that she realized what had happened. Someone wants me to make a fool of myself. Under the pressure of everyone’s gaze, she slowly walked up the stage. When Blake saw who it was, he was surprised to see that it was Elspeth! The emcee chuckled. “Wow! You’re so pretty! May I know your name?” “Elspeth Lynwood,” she answered. After she said her name, the crowd gaped. Elspeth Lynwood? The Elspeth Lynwood who was promised to the Winthrop Family? She actually looks so beautiful! Almost half of the crowd sitting below were fans who considered themselves as Blake’s ‘girlfriends’ and they were all discussing while looking at Elspeth with jealous gazes. “Alright, then. So, we’re going to sing Nancy Star’s song, called ‘Good Night’. Miss Lynwood, have you heard of that song? For this interactive session, we’ll only be singing the chorus part of the song.” Nancy Star was a popular female singer, but she was very mysterious as no one had seen what she looked like. However, her voice was a worldwide sensation. At that moment, the emcee had already placed the microphone beside Elspeth’s lips. She pursed her lips, stating, “I’ve heard the song before, but I’m tone-deaf. I don’t know how to sing. I’m sorry.” Meanwhile, the crowd below turned into an uproar. “Get off the stage! What an embarrassment. She can’t even sing. What do the Winthrops see in her?” “Yeah. She should stop standing next to my idol. It looks embarrassing.” “Elspeth, get off the stage!” The woman under the spotlight narrowed her eyes, knowing that these people were happy to see her make a fool of herself on stage. However, she loved to prove others wrong. Taking away the emcee’s microphone, she looked at Blake and suggested, “I really don’t know how to sing, but I can accompany you.” This song’s original soundtrack is accompanied by a piano. Blake looked at her doubtfully. You don’t even know how to sing. How are you going to play the piano? Is this some kind of joke?