Chapter 71 She Finally Meets Andrew
Benjamin was direct. "Alright, I'll take the lead. Over the next few days, you can come to the school and rehearse with us!"
"Sounds good!" Olivia agreed without hesitation.
With their plan set, Olivia started dropping Bianca off at school for the rehearsals.
The play they were performing was Little Red Riding Hood.
Olivia was cast as the grandmother, and Benjamin as the Big Bad Wolf.
The Big Bad Wolf needed a headpiece, and the school provided all the costumes, props, and scripts.
At first, Olivia was worried that Bianca might get stage fright, fall sick during the performance, or forget her lines and lose focus.
But to her surprise, Bianca was super enthusiastic.
Even more surprising, Bianca memorized her lines after just two run-throughs.
Though she spoke in a sweet, childlike voice, her delivery was incredibly smooth.
Benjamin couldn't help but praise her, "Bianca, you definitely have a talent for this!"
Olivia didn't disagree.
Whether it was drawing, music, or acting, Bianca always picked things up quickly.
Sometimes, even Olivia was amazed!
Before they knew it, Friday arrived.
That morning, the school was buzzing with excitement.
Many parents had come to watch the performance with their kids.
When Olivia brought Bianca to the school, she worried that Bianca might feel sad seeing other kids with both parents there.
But surprisingly, Bianca didn't seem to mind.
The live performance was so lively that it captured her attention.
Moreover, Benjamin, who was hosting, made sure to engage the kids in interactive activities, keeping Bianca from thinking about why Michael wasn't there.
Bianca was so excited throughout the event that she occasionally stood up and shouted along with the other kids.
Their performance was scheduled towards the end. During the intermission, Olivia quickly fetched a water bottle for Bianca to drink.
Just as Bianca lowered her head to drink, a screen suddenly displayed scenes from various school activities.
One scene showed a prestigious private school in Emerald City holding an award ceremony.
There stood Michael, dressed in an expensive custom-made suit, accompanying Sophia and Aiden on stage.
They were holding trophies and smiling joyfully at the camera.
A teacher nearby enthusiastically remarked, "Aiden's performance was outstanding. Mr. Johnson, do you have anything to say to your son?"
Michael calmly responded, "I'm proud of him."
Olivia's face darkened, and she quickly shielded Bianca from the screen.
Bianca, hearing Michael's voice, looked up, confused, searching for him.
Benjamin, recognizing Michael, was equally stunned and quickly turned off the screen.
He immediately checked Olivia's expression.
Although Olivia's back was to him, her slightly trembling shoulders revealed her anger.
Olivia was indeed furious and deeply saddened.
It turned out Michael wasn't too busy to be with Bianca; he was just busy attending someone else's parent-teacher event.
If she could, she would have told Bianca right then that her father wasn't worth acknowledging.
But she held back.
She had to stay focused and support Bianca for her performance.
Bianca had worked so hard and was so excited; Olivia couldn't let anything ruin it.
As for Michael, Olivia decided she wouldn't involve him in Bianca's matters anymore.
After this brief interruption, the school's activities continued.
Finally, it was time for their performance.
Benjamin handed over hosting duties to another teacher and went to the dressing room to change.
Ten minutes later, he returned in the Big Bad Wolf costume with the headpiece on.
The performance began.
Bianca was the first to appear on stage.
Following the story, she carried a little basket and wore a red outfit, ready to visit her sick grandmother through the forest.
Bianca's entrance was met with enthusiastic applause.
"That little girl is so adorable!"
"She looks exactly like Little Red Riding Hood. Her mom must be so proud."
"My heart is melting. She looks so cute in that red hood!"
"Honey, there are bad wolves in the forest. Come home with me..."
The parents' comments almost caused a commotion.
The teacher, both amused and exasperated, quickly intervened. "Everyone, I know you love Little Red Riding Hood, but please don't interrupt her performance. After the show, I'll ask if she's willing to take a picture with you. Also, you all look more like the Big Bad Wolf right now!"
The parents laughed and soon quieted down.
Bianca continued her performance undisturbed.
Her memory was sharp, and perhaps because she was so immersed in the role, she wasn't affected by the earlier commotion.
Everything went smoothly. She walked through the forest and encountered the Big Bad Wolf.
During their scene together, Olivia was still shaken by the earlier incident.
It wasn't until the Big Bad Wolf arrived at the grandmother's house that Olivia snapped out of it.
Her first thought was...
Something seemed off about this person.
Was Benjamin this tall?
The Big Bad Wolf seemed taller than he did during rehearsals.
Was it because of the headpiece?
Although she felt something was off, she didn't dwell on it.
After all, the Big Bad Wolf's role was to disguise as Little Red Riding Hood and trick the grandmother into opening the door, then swallow her whole. They didn't have much interaction.
But when Bianca came to the door and started her scene, that strange feeling returned.
During rehearsals, Benjamin's voice was deliberately sharp and funny.
But now, it sounded calm and steady, perhaps muffled by the headpiece.
Moreover, some of the scenes were slightly altered, simplified yet cleverly allowing Bianca to follow along smoothly.
The audience didn't notice anything amiss.
When the Big Bad Wolf finally got his comeuppance, the crowd erupted in applause.
Everyone praised the performance, "That was amazing!"
Even the other kids loved it, "I want to wear the red outfit too..."
Seeing the positive reaction, Olivia instinctively looked at Bianca.
Bianca, receiving so much encouragement and praise for the first time, was beaming with joy.
Wearing the cute red outfit, she looked so adorable that it warmed everyone's hearts.
Olivia was also pleased.
After taking a bow with Benjamin and Bianca, they returned to the backstage dressing room.
Once inside, Olivia removed the headscarf from her head.
During the performance, her head had been wrapped in a gray scarf, leaving only half of her face visible, to portray an elderly woman.
Finally able to breathe freely, she let her long hair cascade down her back with a shake of her head.
Smiling, she turned to the man before her and said, "Mr. White, thank you so much for helping us rehearse and for pulling off such a great performance. Bianca was so happy. We wouldn't have managed without you!
By the way, did you change the performance a bit at the end? It felt more streamlined."
The man seemed to pause at her words.
Then, he lifted his hand to remove the headpiece and replied, "Yes, I did make some changes. I only had a few minutes to memorize the lines, so I simplified it a bit. I hope it didn't affect your performance?"
As he spoke, his face came into view.
Olivia was stunned, completely taken aback.
The man before her wasn't Benjamin!
But his face was strikingly handsome, almost god-like, with chiseled features, deep-set eyes, and an air of aloofness. Even in the costume, his noble demeanor was unmistakable.
He stood there with a slight smile, utterly captivating.
As Olivia stood there in shock, Andrew seemed slightly dazed as well.
This was his first time seeing Bianca's mom up close.
He had only caught glimpses of her from afar before.
The woman before him was stunning, her features strikingly similar to Bianca's, both exquisitely beautiful.
Despite wearing a plain costume, her natural radiance shone through.
She was truly an extraordinary woman.
They stood there, staring at each other for a long moment, until Andrew finally broke the silence. "Dr. Garcia?"
Olivia snapped out of her daze at his voice.
She was startled.
Without the headpiece, the voice was unmistakably familiar.
She had heard it several times over the phone before.
"You... you're Mr. Hamilton?" Olivia blurted out.
Andrew nodded slightly, "Yes, it's me. Finally, we meet in person."
Olivia was still in a daze.
She never expected to meet him under such circumstances.
Feeling a bit lost, just like the first time she heard him speak.
After a long pause, she asked, "Mr. Hamilton, what are you doing here? And how did you end up performing with us? Where's Mr. White?"
"He..." Andrew raised an eyebrow, recalling Benjamin.
Benjamin had invited him to watch the performance and observe the kids for any signs of needing psychological support.
But unexpectedly, Benjamin had a sudden stomach issue.
Benjamin had handed him the costume and script, saying, "Cover for me, I need to use the restroom."
Andrew had quickly memorized the lines and stepped in to save the day.
"I skimmed through the lines, didn't get a thorough look, so I had to simplify it a bit." Andrew explained the situation.
Olivia finally understood.
So that was it!
No wonder the height seemed off; it was a different person!
But to memorize the lines in such a short time, that was impressive.
The script wasn't overly complex, but still had quite a few lines, not to mention changing into the costume.
No wonder he was Andrew!
Olivia gratefully said, "The performance was great, no impact at all! Although it was simplified, the plot felt tighter!"
Andrew nodded, "Glad to hear that."
As he finished speaking, a pair of small hands tightly hugged his long legs.
Bianca, who had been surprised to see him, was now very happy and rushed over.
She clung to him like a little charm, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at him and said, "Hey, it's you!"