Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 74: I’m Coming with You

Juho Maley’s profile was strangely... normal, though not perfectly clean.

He went to normal schools, had gotten himself into a few fights, dated many women, older and younger both. He had no major spotlights in his career as a freelance photographer. Maybe getting hired by KE was the spotlight.

What caught Charles’s attention most was the fact that Juho had once been Kaija’s colleague at the airline. However, Juho joined the airline long after joining KE, and Charles only met Kaija much later than that. It felt more like a coincidence than a carefully orchestrated attempt to approach her to get to him.

Still, if the fact that Juho had driven a black sedan on the day Kaija was kidnapped was also a coincidence, then things were beginning to feel a little suspicious.

Charles had never been one for risk. He’d had eyes and ears following Juho Maley’s every step for two weeks now, and he knew that kid was sitting somewhere among the audience in this hall right now.

Liisi’s performance came to an end.

A thundering round of applause filled the hall, with almost everyone rising to their feet, including some of the judges. The standing ovation went on for nearly half a minute.

Liisi stood in the center of the stage, one hand placed gracefully over her heart, eyes glistening with unshed tears as she repeatedly waved and bowed in every direction. Pride and joy overflowed across her face.

In the middle of the clapping, Karl Hanski suddenly stood from the judges’ table and walked down from the dais, his expression unreadable beneath his large sunglasses.

Liisi placed a hand over her open mouth, holding her breath. Was he walking up to the stage to congratulate her on her successful performance? Had she finally earned his recognition now? Her heart began pounding wildly, her gaze glued to his every movement.

And yet, the direction he headed toward was not the stage. It was the small door leading to the backstage area.

Liisi’s smile vanished instantly. Her lips trembled as she stood frozen, realizing Karl was... leaving.

He walked off coolly in quick, sharp steps without even flicking a glance in her direction, his hands tucked in his pockets as he disappeared behind the door.

The air in the hall turned awkward. Many in the audience and even some of the judges exchanged displeased looks, shaking their heads at Karl’s behavior.

Still, they all knew this superstar’s manners were notoriously terrible. The standing ovation continued as Liisi forced a charming smile back onto her contorting face.

At the table, Max shared the audience’s reaction toward Karl as he stood clapping for Liisi. Then his head dropped toward his brother, still sitting perfectly in place, gaze lowered to his phone.

"What a shame, brother. You’re not even paying attention to such an amazing performance," Max commented, sneaking glances at Charles’s phone screen.

"There are more urgent matters that require my attention." Charles quickly slid his phone into his pocket and gave a perfunctory clap, face blank.

"What sort of matter could be more important than this charming lady right here?"

"Matters like ensuring the night goes smoothly until the end, brother," Charles replied with a faint smirk. "After all, festivals are always the most chaotic time of year on this campus. And with your rare presence here tonight, I wouldn’t dare let anything go wrong."

Max raised a brow at Charles’s teasing tone, his lips curling into a thin smile. "You’re making me feel honored to be here tonight, brother. I must admit, before coming, I never imagined I’d enjoy the show as much as I do now."

"There’s more to come," Charles said, rising from his seat. "If you don’t mind, enjoy yourself during the break. If you’d like a tour, I’ll arrange someone to escort you. But I have a few calls to make, so I’ll excuse myself."

"That won’t be necessary," Max dismissed coolly. "I can handle myself perfectly fine."

The applause finally began to die down. With a last lukewarm smile, Charles stepped off the dais and left the hall.

The audience and judges soon dispersed one by one for the break, while Max Kosonen’s attention shifted toward the door Karl Hanski had slipped through.

He headed for that door, buttoning his jacket and adjusting his tie as he walked. That lovely singer who could pen such a masterpiece of a song had retreated backstage.

The anchorwoman he’d been seeing had long begun to lose her charm in his eyes, and his testosterone levels had just been revived thanks to this singer’s performance. A little conversation with her was exactly what he needed right now.

Back in the waiting room, the contestants had just finished their own small standing ovation for Liisi’s performance, eyes wide with admiration and fear at such a strong contender. All of them, except the three who knew who had actually written that sensational song.

Seeing Esko’s wide eyes, Dani immediately lunged at him, grabbing both his shoulders and shaking him frantically. "Snap out of it, Mr. Manager! Don’t forget who you’re working for, goddammit!"

"Gosh! I’m sorry! I just... I just got worried for Kaija for a second, my goodness, that really was a strong performance!" Esko squealed as he tried to escape Dani’s claws.

"Don’t you dare call it a strong performance!" Dani screamed. "Have some dignity, you freaking traitor manager!"

"Both of you! Stop fussing!" Antony growled, glaring at them like he was shooting bullets with his eyes. When he turned to Kaija beside him, whose gaze still fixed blankly on the screen, his voice dropped with concern. "You’re only stressing her out."

Dani and Esko snapped their mouths shut, released each other, and obediently returned to their seats on the bench. Her performance was coming up in fifteen minutes, and the last thing they wanted was to put any extra pressure on her.

Little did they know, Kaija wasn’t in the slightest bit stressed about Liisi’s performance. What truly, deeply disturbed her was... the name.

"What the fuck is Hollow?" her mind screamed in disgust. "What sort of simple-minded, no-brainer name is that? Was that really the best Liisi could come up with?"

The more she thought about it, the more it burned her up inside.

"I’m gonna head to the stage and get ready now, guys," she said, turning to Dani and Esko. "Thanks for being here with me tonight, and for all your support. I hope I’ll make you proud."

She reached for them both, giving them each a tight hug. But when she turned to Antony, her body stiffened.

She gave him an awkward stare, then her gaze darted toward other people in the room, her mind torn apart.

Maybe giving him a hug right now in front of all these people wasn’t exactly ideal, though they’d been in each other’s arms for fifteen minutes straight back in his flat earlier, but not giving him one felt just as problematic given she’d just hugged Dani and Esko in front of him.

"Well..." she blurted, "see you after the performance then, Instructor."

"No," Antony replied, voice firm as stone. "I’m coming with you. You’ll need someone to hold your coat anyway."