Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 78: Roses for His Songbird

The MC finished his speech and lifted his hand toward the right side of the stage. All eyes and attention in the hall turned to where he was pointing.

Stepping out was a tall, beautiful young lady in a gorgeous light blue dress, her pace measured and her gestures minimal as she moved elegantly toward the spotlight the MC had left for her when he stepped off the stage.

Murmurs rippled through the audience, some recognizing her as the trainee who’d gone viral a few months ago for her performance in the vocal class, others struck by her beauty, seeing her for the first time.

Her visuals were striking, and the command she held in every step was even more captivating. But what shocked everyone even more was the chair she was dragging behind her with one hand in such an oddly elegant manner.

Given how limited Kaija was in dancing, and how difficult it is to deliver a truly impressive performance as a solo dancer, Dani had come up with the least complicated yet most effective choreography of all: a chair dance. Kaija would only dance during the hooks and interact with the stage and the audience for the rest.

The stage was set with six massive mirrors arranged in a half-circle, with the front left open so the performance could be seen clearly. The song Karl gave her was about an artist’s philosophical reflection on their art, and the mirrors served as a metaphor for that.

Once Kaija reached the center of the circle, she placed the chair neatly and took her place at the mic stand.

Little did the audience know, cool and confident as she might appear, internally, she felt like her organs were rearranging themselves from fright. This wasn’t even her first time performing, but standing on a stage this massive, in front of thismany people, she couldn’t help feeling terribly nervous.

"Good evening, everyone," she said softly into the mic with a shy smile, her eyes drifting over the audience as she greeted them. No cheers or applause came back, only murmurs and spreading curiosity.

Her eyes nervously turned toward the long table directly facing the stage. On its left end, Karl’s mouth was moving like he was saying something, both his hands placed on the table with two thumbs up. The words he mouthed were "You can do it", and they nearly made her chuckle.

But when her gaze shifted to the other end of the table, the chuckle died. Max Kosonen was looking straight at her with a faint, menacing smirk. He leaned over the table, fingers interlaced as he gazed up at her with fascination in those predatory silver eyes.

She had been stunning earlier in that simple long black coat, but now, in this gorgeous light blue dress, she looked like a royal princess who deserved only the most refined of men. Seeing her now, the sexy look Liisi had displayed earlier already began fading from his memory.

A shiver ran down Kaija’s spine at that hungry, predatory look. She shifted uncomfortably, and that was when her attention slid to Charles sitting beside him.

Charles was staring at her, his expression calm, his gaze cool, arms folded squarely in front of him.

Earlier, when she’d walked out, the corner of his lips had lifted slightly.

So she’d actually accepted his gift, even though he’d left nothing but a nameless note.

He’d left the dress in her room along with the vase of roses, hoping she loved roses, since he’d always caught faint rose notes on her neck and wrists.

He’d called the designer himself, described the color of her eyes, the shape of her waist, the curves of her hips, and forced his team to have the dress finished within hours.

The designer had declined at first, of course. Who on earth would call to order a dress at 3:30 in the morning, and demand it done within hours?

But after being offered a hefty added cost four times the dress, on top of its already eye-watering price, the designer had reluctantly accepted his order.

Seeing her shining magnificently now, in front of all these widening eyes and mouths, pride was an understatement for what filled his chest.

And yet, content as he was, he couldn’t risk letting a single hint of emotion slip. Not in her presence, and especially not with his cunning older brother sitting next to him.

The faint smirk faded as quickly as it came, his face returning to stillness.

From the stage, there was no way for her to tell what he was thinking, or how he felt seeing her now.

Her chest tightened under his quiet stare. She gripped the stand to steady herself, then removed the mic entirely and moved the stand aside.

Now was no time to be scared or distracted. Now, she had to compete with everything she had.

"My name is Kaija Sepala," she said as she stepped back into the spotlight, her voice steadier now, her movements poised and graceful. "Today, I’m singing you a song about three very different people. One of them is me. The other two are two insanely talented men I’m lucky enough to call friends."

At the long table, Karl’s heart began pounding heavily with excitement and thrill. From the backstage, a faint, proud smile spread across Antony’s face, his hand gripping the long coat tighter.

They both knew the two men she was referring to were them.

"These two men are true artists in their own ways," Kaija continued, still graceful and steady. "There were times when the world forced them to wear different masks and dim their artistic light. Still, the fire within them kept finding ways to burn on and shine through. I’m here tonight to tell you their stories. Ladies and gentlemen, this is The Artist Behind the Star."

A round of applause thundered from the audience at the girl’s short yet moving speech. Previous contestants had spent five minutes talking about themselves, yet this girl had used her speech to talk about how the song was dedicated to her friends, and that alone had won their first impression.

The lights dimmed to total darkness, and when they rose again, they illuminated the single figure sitting perfectly poised on the lone chair at the center of the stage, her reflections shimmering from six angles through the mirrors behind her.

Within four dramatic drum beats, the music began.