Billionaire And His Son Betrayed Me: Brothers Back Me Up novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253

Chapter 253

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The lead dancer on stage grew even more panicked, her voice trembling as she pleaded, “I swear I won’t ruin the performance in two days. Please, let me dance!”

Tessa stayed cold and unyielding. “Her promise doesn’t mean anything to me–onstage, there’s no room for error,” she thought.

“If I really let you perform and you make a mistake, can you bear all the consequences?”

The lead dancer knew Tessa was a big deal; if she put her foot down, Ms. Chase might actually swap her out for the backup.

She immediately looked at Grace, desperation clear in her eyes.

“Ms. Chase, please don’t take this chance away from me! I’ll be on painkillers, I swear I won’t ruin the show in two days.”

Grace couldn’t just stay silent. She looked at the lead dancer with a gentle gaze. “Don’t worry. Why don’t you tell me about your injury first?”

The lead dancer gritted her teeth, slipped off her dance shoes, and bared the sole of her right foot for everyone to see.

Her foot was streaked with blood, the wound split open again from all that dancing, and fresh blood was trickling down.

Grace frowned, her voice gentle but concerned. “How did this happen to your foot?”

The lead dancer winced, “I was sorting out my stuff, and a nail somehow fell into my shoe… It stabbed right through my foot.”

Grace, Tessa, and Xylia exchanged glances. Anyone could tell what was really going on. “That nail–in–the–shoe story? Total cover–up, Xylia thought.

That was just an excuse.

Dance shoes aren’t like regular slippers you can carelessly shove your feet into. Serious dancers always pick

first, sliding them on carefully to feel the soft sole against their skin.

them

up

If a nail had actually fallen inside, the lead dancer would’ve noticed it the moment she put her shoes on.

The only way something like this could happen is if someone deliberately fixed a nail to the sole–hidden just enough to pierce her foot without being detected.

Anyone could guess who was behind this.

The real issue was that her foot injury was an unpredictable variable–letting her perform was just too much of a risk for the stage.

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On the flip side, this lead dancer was Grace’s hard–earned choice, and it was her very first time stepping onto the big stage. Missing this chance could seriously mess up her whole career.

They wouldn’t swap her out unless there was absolutely no other choice.

Grace and Xylia exchanged a look, and just as Xylia was about to chime in, Tessa cut her off.

“This is a risk you brought on yourself. Honestly, I think it’s safer to bring in the understudy–no one can predict what might happen with a foot injury that serious.”

Tessa was adamant about replacing the lead dancer.

Then, pausing for a moment, she turned to Grace. “But that’s just my two cents. In the end, it’s your decision, Ms. Chase.”

The lead dancer’s eyes were brimming with tears as she begged, “Ms. Chase, I can endure it. I could get a numbing shot…”

Tessa cut her off sharply, “Being numb means you can’t control your legs like you normally would–doing that is just reckless. You’d be putting the entire performance in jeopardy.”

Tessa was starting to get pretty aggressive–her tone was borderline confrontational.

Xylia shot her a frustrated look. “Ms. Schultz, the stage is Ms. Chase’s responsibility. She’ll make the decision, not you. Just stay out of it, okay?”

Tessa immediately seized the chance to vent once Xylia spoke up.

She scoffed, her gaze dropping to Xylia in mockery. “Suddenly feeling generous, are you, sis? Or did you forget–you’re the one who called out her injury in the first place.”

“So getting hurt means you HAVE to swap her out?” Xylia fired back.

“If her injury puts the show at risk, then yeah, she needs to be replaced. That’s called respecting the stage,” Tessa said coolly.

Xylia flashed Tessa a smile, but her eyes were ice cold.

“Ms. Schultz, you keep harping on about being ‘responsible‘ for the stage, but don’t you get it? The lead dancer is handpicked, and unless we’re totally out of options, nobody just swaps them out so easily. If you’re so quick to ditch her, that’s what really puts the upcoming show at risk.”

Tessa couldn’t find a single comeback, left utterly speechless.

Some of Tessa’s fans couldn’t stay quiet any longer. They put their cameras aside and walked right up, faces full of righteous anger.

“Who are you to criticize Tessa? She’s been our champion lead dancer for years–seriously, you think you know more about this than she does?”

“You’re the one who called out her injury with everyone watching, and now you’re the one saying not to swap

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Chapter 253

her out? Talk about acting all high and mighty! Who do

you think

you are?”

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“Exactly! You only got here by clinging to some guy anyway. Ms. Chase gave you one little compliment and you actually think you’re talented? Give me a break!”

11

They started roasting her right in Xylia’s face, their words full of righteous anger and spite.

Tessa stood there, a smug smile playing on her lips, clearly enjoying every second of it.

Before Xylia could even get a word in, Grace had enough. She shot up from her seat, her face dark with anger -gone was her usual gentle demeanor, replaced by a cold, steely look.

Ms. Chase, always known for her kindness, now looked utterly indifferent.

“This is the rehearsal space. Who let you outsiders in here?” she demanded, voice sharp and commanding.

The fans froze, exchanging nervous glances, clearly worried they might cause trouble for Tessa.

Tessa jumped in, apologetic. “My apologies, Ms. Chase. They’re my fans–I saw them baking outside in the sun and just couldn’t stand it, so I let them in. Don’t worry, they won’t say a word about the rehearsal.”

Grace wasn’t about to cut her any slack.

“This place is massive. Don’t tell me the only way to get out of the sun is to barge into rehearsal?”

Tessa went pale, then blotchy with frustration, but she had no choice but to bite her tongue–Grace was the teacher here.

But the fans, seeing Grace humiliate Tessa in front of everyone, instantly lost all respect for her.

They crowded protectively around Tessa, shooting daggers at Grace.

“Just because you’re Tessa’s teacher doesn’t mean you get to bully her! She’s sweet–she let us in because she actually cares about us. What’s your problem anyway?”

“Yeah, typical favoritism! You’re just cozying up to Xylia because she’s Joshua’s girlfriend. Like, please—who knows if they’ll even last? When Joshua finally dumps her, I wonder who you’ll run after next!”

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