Cold.
Bitter.
“How dramatic,” she sneered loudly. “Nice little party trick.”
I stepped off the platform. “Thank you.”
She leaned close enough that only I could hear her.
“You think one song makes you special?”
“No,” I answered calmly. “My contract does.”
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
Before she could respond, an older woman dressed in emerald silk approached us. Mara straightened instantly.
“Professor Albright,” she breathed nervously. “I didn’t realize you had arrived.”
The woman ignored her completely.
Instead, she took both my hands warmly.
“Elena Maris,” she said with a smile. “Royal Meridian’s new soprano. I wondered how long it would take before the world heard you outside the opera house.”
The bridesmaid’s phone was still recording everything.
Mara’s smile disappeared entirely.
Part 3
“Wait,” Daniel said slowly. “Elena Maris?”
The name moved across the ballroom like wildfire. Guests immediately searched their phones. Within seconds, whispers erupted everywhere.
“Royal Meridian?”
“She’s opening next season.”
“That’s actually her?”
Mara looked around wildly, calculating, drowning beneath the realization spreading through the room.
“That’s impossible.”
Professor Albright finally turned toward her. “Why?”
Mara laughed weakly. “I mean… Lena works in production.”
“I do,” I said evenly. “Vocal production. Studio direction. Artist development. I also perform.”
The videographer’s camera continued blinking red.
Mara’s father stepped forward, flushed and confused. “Mara, did you know this?”
“No,” she snapped instinctively.
