Elara returned to the company after receiving a call from Nate that the third round of the contest was about to begin.
Mason hadn’t taken her far, and when they returned together in the same car, the gossip was supposed to air and spread quickly, not to mention how Nate saw this as an opportunity to boost her online presence.
However, before anyone could plan anything, Mason’s assistant announced that anyone who would get involved in spreading any kind of scandal related to the duo would face severe backlash from the company.
"Must you go through all this drama? If you allow me, I can make it mandatory for them to keep you here," Mason said when he saw Elara getting ready for the shot and the makeup artist that Nate arranged to do a basic touchup for the stage.
"I want this to be the fruit of my hard work. It might look a bit complicated. But it’s like, I don’t want to use my connections, but if someone’s going to bully me, I won’t think twice before showing them their place," Elara said.
Mason shook his head. People would die to have connections like hers.
"You are beyond my understanding," He commented.
"And that’s the million-dollar reason why I call you a twit," Elara grinned.
Nate looked at the girl helplessly. Mason was almost the nation’s prince and most wanted bachelor celebrity, but rather than being affected by him, she calls him with such derogatory names.
Once everything was ready, the make-up artist stepped aside. Elara looked at her reflection and nodded in appreciation.
She had made it clear she didn’t want anything heavy to catch too much attention. She just wanted to appear clean and someone worthy to be on the stage.
"Let’s go," Nate nodded at Elara and took her to the room where all the chosen contestants were standing, including Carla and Beatrice.
Elara’s eyes drooped just by looking at them. She didn’t want any more drama for the day and really hoped they would stop with their cheap tricks.
It was almost evening, and the setup was on the building’s terrace.
Judging from what it looked like, the contestants were supposed to cook.
Well, it wasn’t tough. She had basic survival skills and knew how to cook.
She folded her sleeves, cracking the bikes in her neck with determination.
"You look confident," Nate said.
Elara nodded with a grin.
"You have no idea what a good cook I am. There’s not a dish that I can’t cook," Elara patted her shoulders as if proud of herself, and Nate let out a small chuckle at her actions.
"Is that so?" He asked.
"May I have your attention, please?" The director clapped his hands with a champagne glass in his hand.
Everyone turned to look at the man as he stood in one corner of the terrace where the panel for judges was arranged.
One camera was placed at almost every metre to capture every moment of the third phase, since the second phase was an even bigger hit than the first.
The director started describing the rules one by one.
According to him, the contestants were supposed to cook one of the dishes by picking a chit from a glass bowl containing the information.
Since they weren’t professional chefs, they didn’t expect the food to be top-notch. What they wanted to see was the character’s adaptability, as reflected in their natural flow and movement in the kitchen.
Elara nodded in understanding, and everything was going well. She thought winning this phase would be easier than the others until the director dropped the ultimate bomb she had utterly forgotten about.
Chemistry.
This was one thing she didn’t consider at all. They needed to bring someone who could help them with the acting here.
It could be anyone of the opposite gender as long as you are confident you can act with them.
Elara swallowed hard. She couldn’t use her bodyguard for it, and Mason couldn’t appear on the screen with her like this without people saying she was using his popularity to win. They might not even allow it in the first place.
She looked around and noticed that the contestants brought their boyfriends or male best friends, and she immediately thought of Xylon, but he would rather destroy this set than appear on a live stream.
Her heartbeat quickened when she saw almost every contestant bringing in their supporter.
Her gaze flickered to Carla and Beatrice involuntarily.
Who were they—? She couldn’t even complete the question in her mind when she saw Andrew entering the terrace.
His gaze moved to where she was standing, and he stepped forward.
She saw how he moved to Beatrice with a guilty expression, and the urge to scoff at him took over her that she barely suppressed.
Since she didn’t have a male partner, she stood there rigidly.
"Miss Elara?" Producer Li asked her, and everyone’s eyes turned to where she stood.
The stream had begun the moment the director started explaining the rules of the phase.
Elara’s ears turned pinkish at the attention before she cleared her throat.
"I don’t have a partner," Elara said as she hardened her gaze, her expression turning dark.
Andrew looked away, his heart full of guilt that he couldn’t help Elara.
"In that case, you can’t—" the director started, but before he could complete his sentence, the sound of boots hitting the tiles echoed, and everyone turned in the direction where a few men dressed in black entered and formed two rows at the entrance of the terrace.
The director furrowed his brows and was about to signal his assistant to go and see who was entering.
It was evident that the person coming wasn’t a simple one, given the number of bodyguards, but they had reserved this venue for the evening for their contest.
"What’s happening? How could the staff—?"
The rest of the words stuck in the director’s throat when he saw who arrived.
Elara’s pupils dilated when she saw the silhouette of the familiar man, her heart fluttering from something that she didn’t want to label.
"It’s rude to lie, Miss Elara." The man before her said as he walked to her, grabbed her hand, and kissed the back of it.
All the while, Elara stood there like a statue, unable to believe her eyes.
"Are you here for real?" She asked.
"In flesh and blood," the man smirked.
The assistant nodded excitedly, wondering what Miss Elara would say to express her gratitude to their boss, but what happened next left everyone speechless.
"Are you stupid?" She asked.