Chapter 8
That evening, Caroline lay in bed frantically searching for job postings, submitting her resume to major dance companies.
The application process for international dance companies was completely different from domestic ones in the US. Applying to foreign companies required submitting resumes three months in advance, followed by various company auditions, and only after passing all evaluations could one join the troupe.
So Caroline couldn’t afford to worry about her recently healed leg injury and began submitting applications while practicing in her home dance studio. Although Alexander’s revenge had prevented her from joining any dance companies these past few years, she had secretly practiced her fundamentals whenever possible, which kept her dance skills from deteriorating.
Three months later, at the final audition for a renowned dance company, Caroline began her performance on stage. As she gracefully completed an aerial turn, the audition finally ended. Her spectacular performance earned A-level scores from all the judges.
Finally, one of the judges asked curiously, “Caroline, I’ve reviewed your resume. You clearly love dance, starting at age three and never stopping. But since your junior year of college, you haven’t participated in any competitions. May I ask why?”
Caroline’s grip tightened on the microphone, then she said, “Because I was deceived by a man for three years.”
Seeing the judges’ surprise, Caroline smiled slightly and continued, “But that’s all in the past. From now on, my life will only have dance, no more love.”
Caroline’s audition was quickly approved. As the only person in Twilight Troupe to pass with all A’s, she received special attention from the moment she joined. Within less than a year, she took over the title of principal dancer from her predecessor and performed exceptionally in her first public show, receiving rave reviews.
As Twilight Troupe gained popularity, major theaters across the US began extending invitations to the company. Facing a thick stack of invitation letters, troupe director Adeline Cooper looked
at Caroline with concern.
She knew about Caroline’s past experiences and understood Caroline’s strong resistance to returning to America. After careful consideration, Adeline decided Caroline wouldn’t need to participate in this US tour.
But before Adeline could speak, Caroline said, “Adeline, about this tour, I want to go too. I can’t let personal reasons hold back the entire troupe.”
Adeline said worriedly, “But…”
Caroline knew what Adeline was concerned about. After all,
she had faked her death to escape America, and if she suddenly appeared before acquaintances now, it might cause unnecessary panic. Moreover, Caroline didn’t want to encounter Alexander again.
So she presented her prepared solution: “I’ll just wear a mask during performances. As for press conferences and similar events, other members can speak while I remain a ‘mute.””
Adeline tapped her fingers on the desk a few times, then finally nodded, “Alright, we’ll do as you suggest.”
Twilight Troupe’s first stop on their US tour was naturally Washington. As a recently popular dance company, tickets sold out within seconds of being released.
Twilight Troupe was so popular that even Alexander, who usually paid no attention to such things, received several tickets from business partners.
Assistant Bennett Brown looked cautiously at Alexander sitting at his desk, swallowing nervously. He felt the partner who sent the tickets was completely clueless.
Ever since Caroline’s urn was smashed by Mila a year ago, Alexander had gone completely mad. The culprit had been sent to prison by the Scott Group, and some of Caroline’s ashes were
recovered and reburied. But since then, Alexander couldn’t bear to hear anything related to dance.
Once, a partner who hadn’t done proper research sent Alexander a female companion at a cocktail party, specifically mentioning that the woman was a dancer. The partner thought he understood Alexander’s preferences, but instead only enraged him. Alexander gave the partner no chance to explain and turned hostile on the spot. Not only did the partner gain nothing, but he was also blacklisted by the Scott Group from then on.
Everyone assumed Alexander acted this way because he despised dance. But Bennett knew Alexander was actually afraid, because every time Alexander heard dance-related words, he would have nightmares. His dreams were always of that day’s fire, and Caroline who never emerged from the flames.
