She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 409

Judging by Holt's dramatic reaction, the two men clearly had a complicated history.

Sure enough, the man's raspy voice followed. "He and I were trainees together. We debuted at the same time and were good friends. But his boy band flopped and got disbanded. He came to me a few times asking for favors, but my schedule was insane and I couldn't agree to his demands. After that, we just drifted apart."

Loyce flipped through the rest of the pages. Finn's profile definitely stood out among the candidates—which explained why she had noticed his unusual vibe at the cafe back then.

She looked up at Lillian. "When is the audition for the new lead singer?"

"Soon." Since there was no point in hiding it now, Lillian explained, "Apex is incredibly popular right now, basically a core asset for our company. A group like that can't just stop operations because they lost their lead singer. Plus, since Holt's voice was ruined, a lot of his upcoming contracts had to be terminated. We paid off all his breach-of-contract penalties. We've done right by him."

From a corporate standpoint—covering Holt's medical bills, paying off the massive penalties for his canceled gigs, and ensuring the perpetrators faced legal justice—they had definitely done their part. At the end of the day, they were business executives, not a charity.

Loyce glanced at the sudden dimming in Holt's eyes and thought for a moment. "Why don't you push the audition back? Give Holt's voice a little more time to heal, and let him compete head-to-head against the other candidates. You won't lose money, and Holt gets the chance to fight for his spot with no regrets."

Knowing that Holt had ties to both Hank and Loyce, Lillian considered it briefly before agreeing. "No problem. Since you asked, I will absolutely grant you this favor."

Holt's eyes instantly lit up. "Thank you!"

"You can." Loyce stopped and turned to look at him. "But I didn't save you purely out of the kindness of my heart. I want you to tell me everything you know about what happened in Yavon County. My brother went there before, right? Otherwise, how would you two know each other?"

Holt pressed his lips together. "How about I buy you a coffee? We can talk about it properly."

Loyce agreed readily. "Sure."

The two found a private booth at a nearby cafe. Holt finally pulled off his mask and hat. Taking a sip of his drink, he began, "I had just turned fifteen at the time. I was broke. Some sketchy friends told me the Yavon Loom Factory was hiring underage workers and paying adult wages—a hundred bucks a day. So I went. I had no idea that once you walked through those doors, you never came out."