Cordelia pushed open the door to the expansive mirrored dance room, her sneakers squeaking faintly on the polished floor. The rhythmic beat of a hip-hop track filled the air as a group of boy trainees moved in perfect synchronization across the studio. Their shirts clung to their sweat-slicked backs, determination lining their brows.

Amy trailed behind her, clipboard in hand. She greeted the choreographer, exchanged a few hushed words, then turned to Lia. “It’ll be about ten more minutes,” she said.

Lia nodded and began unzipping her hoodie. “I’ll get started on my warm-up.”

Amy hesitated. “Oh, by the way… what did Lucian say in your meeting?” Lia’s gaze sharpened as she bent down to stretch. “You looked… unsatisfied when you came back.”

“No,” Amy replied quickly, smoothing over her expression. “There’s nothing to worry about. Everything was fine—just carry on with your dance practice.”

“If you say so.” Lia slid into her stretches, the tension lingering in her shoulders despite Amy’s reassurance.

As she reached forward to touch her toes, a prickling sensation crawled over her skin—eyes. Someone was staring. Her head turned just slightly, and sure enough, across the room, the same arrogant face from the elevator—Kai—was grinning at her again. He winked without shame.

“Kai! Pay attention!” the choreographer barked.

Lia rolled her eyes and returned to her stretch, mumbling under her breath, “Geez, it’s that crazy kid from the elevator…”

To distract herself, she opened her phone and began scrolling through the comments under her latest post:

Too Lazy to Write: Woah!!! Are you really debuting as a singer?

Lia@823: Damn Girl!!! I'm so waiting to hear your voice. I bet it is as sweet as you look! 😍

Benny<3: You're finally recording your own song! Can't wait to listen to that beautiful voice of yours!

MusicQueen: Who is the guy beside you in the pic? A colleague or something more...😉

CordeliasBiggestFan: Will we finally get to see your face? 🫣

Lia smiled, warmth blooming in her chest… until she saw the last comment. Her smile faded. Her thumb hovered over the screen. Will we finally get to see your face?

Her own reflection stared back at her in the screen—half Cordelia, half April. The same eyes, the same features. But who did she really want them to see?

She didn’t notice the music had stopped. The boys were sprawled across the studio floor, gulping air like fish out of water. A water bottle rolled toward her and Kai plopped down beside her, his messy hair sticking to his forehead.

“Didn’t you deny being a trainee?” he asked, tone annoyingly curious.

“I wasn’t at that time,” Lia replied flatly.

Kai cocked his head. “By the way… what’s your relationship with our CEO?”

Lia turned slowly, her smile suddenly sharp. She lifted her thumb and slid it cleanly across her neck in a slicing gesture. “Keep quiet,” she said darkly. “Or else.”

Kai’s eyes widened. He held up his hands. “I—I know how to keep secrets.”

Without another word, Lia stood and walked to the center of the room. She pressed play, the beat echoing through the studio as she threw herself into her routine. Every spin, every stomp, every pop of her hip held power and purpose. Kai watched her in silence, awe replacing mischief. There’s no way she’s the CEO’s daughter… But she’s definitely something else.

Meanwhile, in the same building, Sen stepped out of his car in front of his Lucian Grey’s headquarters. He walked into the gleaming lobby, nodding at the security guard as he answered a call.

“I’ve arrived,” he said curtly, pressing the elevator button. “Seventeenth floor? Okay, I’m on the way.”

But as the doors closed behind him, a single name echoed in his mind, uninvited—Cordelia Grey.

No matter how far he ran from the past, somehow… it kept chasing him.