Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 144

Aria's POV

I hadn't expected my part to end so quickly after the opening. I'd be back on stage only during the middle section. As I stepped off, Summer handed me a bottle of water. Just as I was about to take a sip, I spotted Diana Hayes in the distance.

Summer leaned in and whispered, "What bad luck!"

I remained completely unfazed, taking a casual sip of water. "It's fine. I'm just here to work anyway—getting paid by her senior, no less."

No matter how entitled Diana might feel, she couldn't possibly cause trouble at Julian's event.

My prediction was spot-on. Diana was clearly grinding her teeth at the sight of me, but what could she really do about it?

With Julian and Christopher around, all Diana could manage was to glare daggers at me from across the room. I was too busy reviewing my performance notes to waste time "admiring" her scowling face.

Time flew by, and by mid-afternoon, after two complete rehearsals without any mistakes from my end, Christopher instructed the makeup artist to start working on me.

For maximum visual impact, my dress for tonight's performance was specially designed to complement Julian's outfit. Both our costumes had received special treatment so when the stage lights hit us, the audience would see something truly spectacular.

Even without the special lighting, my dress was absolutely gorgeous—deep blue with starlight accents that sparkled like the Milky Way under regular light. I could only imagine how stunning it would look under the stage lights.

Julian certainly wasn't cutting any corners!

The makeup artist took exceptional care with my face. I already had naturally refined features, but stage lighting demands heavier makeup. She managed to preserve my natural "delicate look" while emphasizing what needed emphasis—the result looked both natural and enhanced at the same time. You could tell she'd put serious thought into it.

Summer couldn't help but comment: "Babe, I want this makeup artist's contact info. Should we book her for your next performance?"

Even though I was already eye-catching on my own, Summer wanted me to shine even brighter. She practically wanted me to blind those who couldn't appreciate my talent.

I looked at myself in the mirror, genuinely impressed. "It must be expensive, right?"

"Let me check!" Summer replied.

Two minutes later, she returned with the answer: "You're right, it is expensive." She held up five fingers.

"Fifty thousand?" I asked.

I was about to say "that's pricey but reasonable" when Summer shook her head. "No."

My eyes widened. "Don't tell me it's five hundred thousand."

Summer didn't speak, but she nodded.

"..."

Suddenly I wasn't so impressed anymore.

"Don't worry, babe. You're all about talent anyway," Summer consoled me.

I cringed slightly. "Actually, I'm just poor."

"Hey, don't talk about yourself that way! Being frugal is a virtue of our culture, right?"

"You're absolutely right, Summer."

While we chatted, Christopher brought over some food for me to eat. The concert wouldn't start until eight, and it was barely past six.

I'd been here all day, having only picked at my lunch earlier. Someone had clearly been concerned enough to send over hot porridge and rice, dispatching Christopher to deliver it.

"The treatment at these concerts is pretty good!" Summer remarked as she opened the containers, discovering there was even bubble tea included.

Christopher smiled. "Indeed. Miss Aria, please eat something. We still have an hour and a half before we start!"

"Oh, great! Thank you!" I replied without giving it much thought. Summer and I sat down to enjoy our impromptu dinner.

Not long after we finished eating, the stage lights came on. Fans were already starting to fill the audience seats.

The ticket Julian had given me was for the VIP front section—the closest area to the stage. If Aiden came, he'd only need to look up slightly to see me at the piano.

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