Chapter 24

Lila's POV:

Nico towered above me as he peered at me with questioning gaze. I immediately cut the call.

"I… Um…" I stuttered, oh gosh am so dead.

"Where you on the phone with someone?" He asked. I nodded.

"Who is it?"

"A friend of mine, her name is Zoey." I replied.

"And you were about to take pictures of us… To send to her?"

"I'm really sorry, sir," I immediately apologized, bowing my head. "I had good intentions. I didn't mean to cause any harm," I pleaded furiously.

Suddenly I heard chuckles. I peeked at him. Nico was laughing. Why is he laughing? Is that a good or a bad sign?

"Oh, please stand up. I was just foolin' around with ya. Of course you can take pictures," he said amidst chuckles.

"What?" I heard myself say.

"I meant you can take pictures." He said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I could join you."

"You will join me… Well, of course, please do," I said and stretched my phone towards him. He collected it and scooted closer so we could take a selfie. After several snaps, he handed my phone back to me.

"Hello, good morning. My name is Nico." He said and stretched his hand for a shake. I took it, smiling gently.

"Hi, my name is Lila."

"Nice meeting you."

"Same to you as well," he said and after disengaging, walked away. I watched him leave and disappear into another room. I sighed and went back to the living room.

Some guys who had gone for their run were already back. It was Min ho, Jayden, and Chad. I greeted all of them.

"Good morning Lila." Chad answered. "How was your night?"

"Splendid." I replied. Then I looked around.

"I hope you don't mind my basking, but ever since I arrived, I have seen no maids or anything around. Why is that?"

"Cause we didn't want it like that. We can manage just fine. If we need them to do something, we'll call them and they do whatever they are assigned to do and leave," Chad replied.

"So…you cook yourselves?" I asked in surprise.

"No. Of course not. There's a chef in the kitchen right now."

"Wow, then I guess, I'll go join him then," I said and hurried towards the kitchen.

There was a chef already in the kitchen. I walked beside him and greeted him. He stared at me in surprise.

"Wow, a girl in the Sparks house? Why have I never seen you before?" He asked.

"Uh… Chad brought me here. I'll only be staying for the meantime though," I replied.

"Oh… I'm chef Francis. Nice meeting you."

"Same to you. I'm Lila Walker."

"Lila. Pretty name," he said and continued chopping the vegetables.

"Sir, how long have you been working for the Sparks?" I asked.

"A year now."

"Oh… So you basically just prepare breakfast and leave?"

"Yes, lunch and dinner, too. The boys don't like it when they are a lot of workers around."

"Wow. Can I help?"

"You know your way around the kitchen?". He asked, and I nodded.

"I've been working in restaurants ever since I turned sixteen. I can do a thing or two here."

"Well then, please help. We'll get done quickly that way."

"Thanks." I said and went to wash my hands.

"You're welcome."

***

Breakfast was soon ready, and I help serve it to the dining. I noticed they all had different meals for breakfast. Once we were true, one of the maids called all of them. One by one they filled the dining area until they were complete. I stood close by as they began eating.

"Hmm…" Nico muttered as he ate. "This beef steak tastes great. Who made this?" He asked, and I slightly raised my hands.

"You did?" He asked, and I nodded. He turned to Chad.

"Yesterday I didn't give a definite consent but if Lila's steaks taste this good, she can totally stay." He announced, and I gasped lightly. Chad grinned.

"Oh, so now you want her to stay because she can cook?"

"It's been long since I had some proper meal and this steak tastes heavenly."

Chad turned to me. "Looks like you just yourself a thumbs up from Nico. Keep up the good work." He said, and I giggled. Maybe staying here won't be as bad as I thought it would be.

Chad ate little. After a few more sips from his casserole, he drank some water and stood up.

"Hey guys, I'll be going out. I'll see you later." He announced.

"Where are you going to?" Min ho asked.

"To see Nikita and ask why Lila's was disqualified." He told him.

I heard that and went to meet Chad as he walked out.

"You're really going to ask Nikita?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Nothing…" I muttered.

"Even though I'm far from her as much, I know Nikita doesn't just decide things like that. There has to be a reason she disqualified you and if it's not that bad, maybe we can get you back."

"Really? That'd be awesome!"

"Let me go now. Stay put and try not to bump into the boys often. You'll be fine as long as you're invisible to most of them." He said.

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." He replied and left. I watched him go and saw they were already cars and bodyguards waiting for him. I watched him drive away before turning back and walking to the living area. When I got to the dining table, they had already left. I met the chef picking up the plates and joined him. He didn't refuse. I made a mental note to myself to later send those pictures to Zoey once I was through with the dishes.

***

Chad's POV:

I arrived at the Beamlights headquarters and drove in. Once we found a suitable parking spot, the driver stopped and opened the door so I could walk out. I strode in and used the elevator to the floor where Nikita's office was in. Soon the elevator bell dinged, and I walked out, stopping in front of her assistant.

"Excuse me." I muttered. She looked up from her system and beamed on seeing me.

"Chad. It's so nice to see you today. What would you like for me to do for you?"

"I'd like to see Nikita."

"Hold on a minute, let me get a hold of her," she said and made some calls.

After a while on the phone, she turned to me.

"Ma'am Nikita is free now. You can see her now."

"Thanks." I said as she stood up and opened the door. I walked into her office and met her looking over some files.

"Hello Nikita." I greeted curtly, sitting.

"Chad." She drawled, not raising her face up from what she was doing. "So nice of you to come see me after such a long time. I had almost forgotten you were in the company and also that you're my nephew."

"Hilarious."

"So, why are you here? Are you in trouble with the Sparks?" She asked.

"No, not that. Actually I came for another reason."

"If I may ask, what is it?"

"You know Lila Walker?"

"Yes, I do…she was part of the group competing for a spot in the Beamer girls. Why are you asking about her?"

"Good. I want to know why you disqualified her," I say and she stared at me.

***

Nikita's POV:

My heart pounded once when I heard Chad ask that question. I was panicking, but I tried not to show it. I sat up and stared at him.

"Why are you asking this?"

"I just want to know. I've seen Lila dance and sing before. It's unlike you to disqualify someone with that kind of talent."

I knew it. Disqualifying Lila will cause a lot of problems for me but Mason wouldn't listen.

"She didn't meet up with the conditions at the auditions. I'm surprised she even got in."

"That's because I put her in."

"Y-you were the one who made her enter?" I asked. I couldn't hide the shock from my voice.

"Which is why I want to know why you kicked her out. Did she do something wrong?"

I relaxed in my chair even though my brain was in total turmoil. I needed to end this conversation as quickly as possible and also make Chad never talk about Lila again.

"Look, for one, I wasn't aware that you were the one who let her in. It was why I acted that way. As for you putting her in, that's against the conduct of this company. What if it got leaked? What do you think the public will say? That I favor one contestant over the other?"

"That's still enough reason for her to be disqualified."

"Well, there's nothing I can do anymore. Lila's has been disqualified, and that's it."

Chad wanted to protest, but he stopped himself and scoffed.

"You kicked a girl out because of reasons as flimsy as that? Even when it's obvious she's got the talent? That is not the Nikita I know."

"I case you didn't know, this is my company and I can do whatever I want with it. If I don't like anyone, there's nothing stopping me from firing or disqualifying them. And no one has the right to oppose me."

"This is not your company. It's my uncle's and if he were alive, he wouldn't like the way you're running it."

"But he's not." I stated, staring at him dead in the eyes. "If you have nothing else to say, I'll suggest you leave. This conversation is over."

Chad breathed heavily once, obviously infuriated. Eventually, he stood up and left. Getting to the door, he stopped and turned.

"I don't know why you did what you did but if it's because of your own illicit benefit, just know you won't scot free. Have a good day." Then walked out.

I waited till I was sure he was gone before heaving a sigh of relief.

That was close.

***

Ximena's POV:

I was on my way to my mom's office when I saw Chad walk out of the elevator. That's weird, even though we are cousins, Chad hardly visits my mom unless it's super important. And the look on his face showed he was not happy about something.

"Hey Chad!" I called out and walked towards him. He looked up and saw me, then stopped.

"Hey." I said, as I got in front of him.

"Hi." He muttered quietly.

"What's wrong? You sound… Weird."

"Nothing." He said and tried to leave, but I stopped him.

"You're coming from my mom. I'm heading there. Whatever you guys discussed, I'll find out. So you might just want to tell me."

He stared at me for a while, then sighed.

"Lila got disqualified." He announced quietly. I stared at him indifferently at first, but finally it registered.

"You mean… That Lila?"

"Yes, your mom disqualified her?"

"Why?"

"That's what I went to find out. Unfortunately she didn't give me a definite answer."

"That's crazy. My mom doesn't do stuffs like that!" I exclaimed gently.

"Same thoughts as well. Look, you're her daughter. Maybe she'll listen to you and tell you the reason she disqualified Lila. I already tried but didn't work out as much."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to you later."

"Will be expecting." He said and left. I took the elevator and headed straight to my mom's office. Once I was on her floor, I sashayed to her office and barged in.

She was startled at first but when she saw it was me, she got angry.

"Ximena! How many times have I told you to knock whenever you want to come see me?"

"I keep forgetting." I hurriedly said. "Mom, what's this I hear about you disqualifying Lila?"

My mom facepalmed herself.

"Oh God…" she mumbled.

***

Lila's POV:

After breakfast, I stayed in my room till I got bored with doing so. I wanted to venture out a little. I didn't know anywhere in the house and I did not know where the guys were. I stared at the garden and decided it wouldn't hurt if I went there for some fresh air.

I walked out of my room and strode along the hallway. Once I saw the door that led to the garden, I pushed it open and walked in. It was really quiet in there. I guess the guys don't come here much often. The flowers were delicately planted and pruned they looked really beautiful, not to mention the fountain that stood at the center and the pools surrounding it. I suddenly felt like swim, too bad I can't.

I walked deeper a bit and stopped inhaling the scent. The soft breeze blowing lifted my hair and splattered it on my face. I tucked it in place and kept walking. After a while, I got to another corner of the house. I think this houses dance room and studio. Curious, I walked in and looked around. As always, there were pictures of Sparks and another of CG. I had barely walked any distance when I heard soft music coming from a particular room. Someone was playing the piano. It was so beautiful and I couldn't help humming to it. Somehow it also felt familiar as well.

I walked towards the room where the music was coming from and listened in. So beautiful, I could get lost just standing there. I didn't know how long I stood there, but by the time I got my senses back, the person playing the piano had already stopped and was about to leave the music room. I tried running away but it was too late. Whoever it was had caught me already.

"How long have you been standing there?" The voice asked, and I stopped and turned. It was Dean. That's I when I realized I hadn't seen him all morning, even at the dining table. Today he was incredibly handsome, but his eyes were cold.

"I asked a question." He said again. This time it felt like his voice had dropped 30 degrees colder and I shivered slightly.

"Um… For about 5 minutes?" I replied, uncertain.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. Then walked towards me, his cold dark eyes boring into mine. I resisted the urge to shift backwards.

"I know little about you Lila, and I don't plan to. But as long as you're here, please try to stay away from me as much as you can and one of them includes you not listening in when am playing the piano." He said, and I gulped.

"I'm really sorry…" I began, but he stopped me.

"Is that understood?" He asked, and I nodded. He straightened up and walked away. Even though Dean didn't physically touch me, I felt like he slapped me with the way he spoke to me. It was really cold.

Why is he being so mean?

***

Nikita's POV:

I'm just celebrating the fact that I dealt with Chad and now Ximena? What kind of spirit is following Lila, anyway?

"Who told you I disqualified Lila?" I asked Ximena.

"Chad. I met him just a while ago."

"Well it's true. I disqualified Lila. Why are you concerned about it?"

"Because… Well, I was already rooting for her to be my next teammate."

I laughed sadistically.

"What's so funny?" She asked, frowning.

"You… Rooting for Lila? That's a bad idea honey."

"Why? She has potential!"

"That's why I disqualified her! She's too good for you! It wouldn't take long before she outshines you all in that group."

"And does it look like I have a problem with it?"

"You might not have a problem with it now, but you will later, and by then it would be too late."

"I don't care, I want Lila to continue with the training."

"No can't do."

"Why?"

"I just told you."

"That's not enough reason!"

"It is for me!" I yelled back. "Now listen to me, young lady. I've always let you have your way it this one time I won't. Lila is disqualified, and it's going to stay like that! Understood!"

"…"

"I said… Understood?"

"Yes mum." She muttered, grumbling.

"Good. You may leave."

Ximena hissed and stormed out of the office. I hissed too. If only she knew I was doing it for her.

***

(Evening)

Mira's POV:

I was at home tonight. The shock I got when I heard Lila had been disqualified was still in me as I sat quietly on the table eating my meal.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Darren asked as he ate. Ellen came to refill our teacups.

"Um…nothing," I muttered and continued picking my food.

"Don't say nothing Mira. You've forgotten I know you inside out? There's definitely something going on. What is it?"

I sighed before replying to him, "It's work."

"What happened at work?"

"You know that girl that I talked about earlier, that I said had a strange birthmark behind her ears?"

"Yeah… What's her name again, you said something like Lily?"

"Lila." I corrected softly. He nodded. "She got disqualified."

Ellen jiggled the teapot so much, its contents spilled on the table.

"Sorry," she muttered and hastily cleaned it up.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Nikita just came in last night and, boom! she was disqualified. Which is weird because she's actually one of the contestants there."

"That's strange… What would she do something like that?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"Well, there's nothing you can do now, she has been disqualified, its best you leave it that way. I'm sure she must have had her reasons, maybe she just doesn't want to tell you."

"I guess so."

"Come on, eat. You need all the energy you can get."

"I'll definitely eat now," I said smiling. He smiled back.

"That's my girl." He muttered as he kissed me on the cheek. I chuckled.

***

Ellen's POV:

Dinner had ended a long time ago, and it was 25 minutes past Eleven o'clock. Still, I couldn't sleep. If Lyric had been disqualified from the contest, it could only mean one thing…

Nikita already knows.

That witch! She must've already figured that Lyric CG's daughter and had gotten rid of her before Lyric found out herself.

I know what you're thinking. I found out about my daughter a long time ago. I should've seen her and let her know her mom is alive. But I can't do it. Nikita only knows now that Lyric is alive, she doesn't know that I am too. If I go see Lyric while she's still at the Beamlights Entertainment, she'll know for sure and might even want to kill us the second time.

"I need to do something. I need to see lyric now that she is out of the Beamlights Entertainment. But how do I do it with no one suspecting? If I ask Mira to help me, she'll definitely ask questions," I thought aloud.

"No, I can't go through, Mira. I'll have to do it myself. I'll need to get a hold of Lila's files and see where she used lives. Maybe I can track her there and reveal myself to her without Nikita knowing. Luckily I know where Mira keeps her office files."

I checked the time on the wall clock. 20 minutes to 12 o'clock. They should be asleep by now. I'll sneak into their study and take it. That should be easy. Once determined, I walked out of my room stealthily and made my way to Mira's study. Gently opening it, I walked in and turned on the lights. Then I started checking all the drawers hoping to come across Lyric's file. It took some time to, but I got a hold of it. I quickly scanned through it and checked the home address: 23, Cunningham street, Penzance, New York.

That's it. Tomorrow I'll go check her out there. Oh gosh, after so many years! I can't wait to see her. I left the study but stopped, my blood running cold. Someone was approaching the study. It could only mean one thing: I would be caught!

I tried to look for a place to hide, but I only got more scared. I had a mess while looking for this file! Not knowing what else to do, I stood there till whoever was coming walked in.

It was Mira, and she still looked sleepy.

"Why are the study lights on… Ellen, what are you doing here!?"