Chapter 61: Hug Me, Okay?
In the VIP section.
William watched the woman on stage, but his mind drifted to scenes from many years ago.
The transformation of the Brown Group wasn't easy.
Especially transitioning from a traditional industry to high-tech.
Many years ago, on the night he made that decision, he knew the following years would be tough.
Fortunately, Amelia was by his side back then.
For a whole year, they traveled between cities, even countries.
He still remembered that winter when they went to Novaria for negotiations, only to discover it was a trap.
They managed to pull out in time, but had to escape by boat.
He remembered how cold that winter was, how rough and choppy the sea was during their escape.
Since they were fleeing, the ferry conditions weren't good.
There was no signal at sea, and the future was uncertain.
During that 12-hour ferry ride, the only people they could fully trust were each other.
It was freezing on the sea.
The two of them huddled in the cabin, shivering with cold even after wrapping themselves in all their clothes and blankets.
Looking at her slightly purple lips, he knew he wasn't doing much better.
Back then, all he felt was hatred—hatred for walking into the trap, hatred for not being strong enough, for making her suffer with him.
She seemed to notice something was wrong with his mood, so she held his hand.
"William, I'm so cold," she said, interrupting his thoughts, forcing him to focus. She asked, "Are you cold?"
He looked at her and nodded.
She understood him, knew that comfort wouldn't help, so she tried to distract him instead.
Actually, he knew that after 12 hours, if they could make it to shore safely, everything would be fine.
But if they couldn't, they would be buried at sea.
The waiting, suspicion, worry, and anxiety in between were hard to bear.
But right then, she smiled and moved closer to him: "Hold me, okay?"
She said: "If we stay close together, maybe we won't be so cold."
Without hesitation, he held her.
Snow began to fall over the sea outside the cabin, and seagulls flew by in the winter sky, their cries echoing.
Through the small porthole, the world was a cold, gray-blue.
The two of them huddled together under the blanket, in the rocking cabin, with only each other.
He still remembered her scent from that time, her hair's fragrance filling his nose.
She curled up in his arms, so small, yet able to put his mind at ease.
Two hearts pressed together, beating in sync.
For a moment, he actually felt warm.
He kissed her forehead and told her: "Everything will be okay."
She mumbled a response from within his embrace.
It made his heart feel especially calm.
...
At the venue.
Xyla's eyes were red, and Otis was already sobbing, wiping away tears.
Xyla couldn't help but pat Otis.
"Can you please be quiet," Xyla complained.
"But it's really so touching," Otis turned around, looking at Xyla with teary eyes. "Xyla, don't hit me."
Xyla rolled her eyes: "I just patted your shoulder."
"...I automatically assumed you hit me," Otis said tearfully. "I heard that everyone participating in the concert performs their own original songs. Although there are guest judges, they only provide some help—the contestants mainly create the songs themselves."
"What did she go through to write this song..."
Otis whispered from behind, but William had already heard him.
William looked at the woman performing on stage.
He remembered how stunning her stage performance was during the first live broadcast of "Voice of Heaven."
And her various performances at the charity gala...
Indeed.
What kind of storms must a woman have weathered to reach this level?
She sat there, looking independent and strong, and she didn't seem to need anyone's help—she could handle everything well.
Yet somehow, she made people's hearts ache.
The addition of soft rock slightly eased the sadness of the song, as if she, after sailing through a thousand ships, could now look back on the past with calm detachment.
Without screaming or straining, it could still make people toss and turn when they heard it late at night.
William couldn't help but glance at Jeffrey, who was standing nearby below the stage.
Was Jeffrey the one who brought Lika to where she is today?
The lights were cold and lonely. While everyone was immersed in the performance, Isabella avoided the cameras and went to the corridor entrance, constantly sending voice messages.
Isabella: Didn't you say before that Lika couldn't handle Oliver? How can she still appear here now?
Zaid: Who knows what she said to Grandpa in the tea room that day. Later that day after we got home, although Grandpa didn't specifically call me out, he did say that he wouldn't interfere in our affairs anymore.
Isabella: So how do we suppress her now? I can't swallow the humiliation of being outbid at the charity auction!
Zaid: Jeffrey hasn't been able to completely shake me off yet. I'll think of a way to see if I can bring Beck in too.
Isabella: He might not help you.
Zaid: I'll try first. Although Beck has the upper hand among the three of us and has been watching Jeffrey and me fight, if the situation changes, he's not stupid.
Zaid: Don't worry, I'm always on your side. I admire your character of stopping at nothing to achieve your goals. If you like something, you should get it. As for the methods, as long as they work, who cares about anything else.
Isabella: What about this performance? Did they lower her video and audio quality?
Zaid: Don't worry.
Looking at the message on her phone, Isabella finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked up, glancing at the filming equipment not far away, her mind stirring.
Lately, she'd been so angry with Lika that she'd almost forgotten her original plan against her.
She still had the dirt on Lika's miscarriage, and now with the fake donation added on, destroying Lika would be a piece of cake!
With this thought, Isabella walked out from the corner of the corridor and into the backstage hall.
Sitting on the sofa, she looked at the camera beside her and wiped her tears.
The host nearby saw her like this and immediately tried to comfort her.
Isabella shook her head and said bravely: "Hearing this story, I'm really moved. It reminds me of so many things from the past. Lika, she's really amazing!"
Cecil thought it was ridiculous—Isabella could actually praise Lika?
When the host asked more questions, Isabella didn't say anything else, just watched the live broadcast with tears streaming down her face.
She wanted to suppress Lika while using her for publicity.
No matter how good Lika was, she would only ever be Isabella's stepping stone!
The higher Lika stood, the more stable Isabella's own position became!
When the right moment came, she would use the dirt she had on Lika to crush her into the mud.
Thinking of this, Isabella wiped her tears again.
Showing that classic expression of hers.
And after Lika finished her song on stage, she led the applause.