Chapter 338
She motioned toward the door. “Go now. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
There was no turning back.
Hadley had no defense. She could only blame herself for handling everything so poorly. Even if she could rewind time, she wasn’t sure she would have done anything differently.
“Ms. Nicolson.”
Shame pressed down on her as Hadley lowered her head. “I’ll go now.”
“Just go.”
Blanche turned away, refusing to look at her.
Hadley stepped outside and stood frozen. It felt as if the entire world had caved in around her. How had things unraveled so quickly? In just a few days, she was supposed to take center stage as the lead dancer. She hadn’t even had the chance to enjoy the moment.
Now, it was over.
Everything was gone.
When she made her way back to the locker room, she felt the weight of their stares.
Clusters of dancers huddled together, eyes darting between their phones and Hadley. They weren’t even trying to hide it.
Then her phone vibrated. Her breath caught as she looked at the screen. In the studio’s group chat, Blanche had made an announcement.
“Hadley Pearson, our prospective lead dancer, was caught working as a stand-in for a production crew without authorization. This has been confirmed. Effective immediately, she is dismissed from her position in this troupe.”
Hadley’s vision blurred as tears stung her eyes.
Her grip tightened around her phone, her jaw locking.
A voice cut through the tension.
Alita stood nearby, arms crossed, her expression sharp. “Wow. Looks like our star recruit just got kicked out.”
“Enough,” someone muttered.
“Why should I?” Alita smirked, clearly enjoying herself. “Working behind Lightning’s back? That takes nerve! Oh, and Hadley, aren’t you supposed to be talented? Didn’t someone pull strings to get you in? Maybe he can do it again and save you.”
Did she mean Eric?
The thought hadn’t even crossed Hadley’s mind. Not that it mattered. She had no leverage anymore. If she ever had any worth in Eric’s eyes, she had lost it now.
Alita let out a lighthearted laugh, casually tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“Give it up! Ms. Nicolson follows the rules to the letter. She might’ve bent them for you once, but do you really think she’ll do it again? Are you that special?”
She flashed a smirk before turning on her heel.
“Come on, ladies! Practice isn’t going to wait!”
As Alita sauntered off, Hadley couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling creeping over her. Something wasn’t right.
How had Blanche found out about her side job with the film production crew? Who had tipped her off?