Twisted Ties of Love

Chapter 336

Ariana didn't expect Izabella to talk back, and her face turned sour.

"What's wrong with you!"

"What's wrong with me?" Izabella stepped aside, crossed her arms, and stared at her. "You're such a nosy parker. If a garbage truck passes by, would you chase after it to taste the smell?"

"Izabella, don't get cocky here. Just don't forget your lines when you go on stage."

Izabella had a slight doubt in her mind. When did she forget her lines during their last performance?

She didn't overthink about it, just glanced at Ariana and walked away. Ariana clenched her teeth in anger.

"How to easily get rid of trouble around you? When someone wants to punch you, dodge it without fighting back. That way, the other person will look like a clumsy fool."

The competition was broadcasted live and then edited for the official airing.

At 9:20, the actors were in place. The host gave a brief introduction, and the recording began.

Izabella's group got the "4" slot.

She watched the performances on the big screen backstage. Each artist performed well, and the mentors gave high praise.

Izabella subconsciously followed the camera to look at Casey. He was completely different from when they were alone. He was like a fierce wolf, ready to pounce on his prey.

The first three groups finished performing at almost 11:15. The mentors called for a break, discussing whether to have lunch first.

The mentors turned off their microphones temporarily, but the live camera kept rolling. Casey didn't face the camera, but his lip movements revealed what he was saying.

"No, we have to watch the next group."

So, the recording continued.

Ever since the recording started, Izabella hadn't looked at the camera. She closed her eyes and adjusted her emotions. On the other hand, Ariana put down her script and mocked Izabella.

"Some people have no talent and don't work hard. Such a waste of time."

Izabella opened her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

"Let's go, Ariana," Harper called her.

"Coming." Ariana followed, looking disdainful. Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Izabella's character, Danielle, had to wait a bit before going on stage. It must be said that Harper and Ariana's acting was excellent, portraying the sweetness and love between their characters.

Izabella glanced at the mentors and saw Casey yawning secretly. She couldn't help but smile, her indifferent eyes softening.

The stage lights dimmed, and it was time for Izabella to enter. In the quiet stage, the sound of high heels clicking on the ground could be clearly heard, attracting everyone's attention.

As a beam of light fell, the stage lights brightened. Izabella walked slowly towards Harper, her eyes captivating.

Surprise flashed in Harper's eyes. Stunned for two seconds, he heard Izabella ask: "Bro, am I pretty?"

The Izabella in front of him was a completely different person compared to when they practiced together a few days ago.

At that moment, he was immersed in the play and saw her as Danielle, the woman who had eyes only for Federic.

"Bro, am I pretty?" Danielle asked sweetly, carefully looking at the man in front of her, and walked up to him, her long legs peeking out from under her skirt.

Her plain dress made her look like a budding white rose, incredibly beautiful.

Not only did Harper's breath hitch but the audience's eyes were also glued to the petite and sexy figure on stage.

Ariana's fans had just been mocking Izabella, but now they were all dumbfounded.

She had only said two lines, and this was Izabella?

Eighty percent of the audience came to watch her make a fool of herself.

Izabella had always left a bad impression. She was a bad actress, looked vulgar, liked to stir up scandals with male artists, and even admitted on social media that she had seduced directors and used casting couch tactics to get scripts.

If there were any unique artists in the entertainment industry, one of them was Izabella. She had no fans. Nearly six million followers on Instagram were all haters, who sent her so many private messages that she couldn't read them all in a month.

But now, Izabella was like a diamond cleaned of dust, shining in her rightful place, attracting everyone.

"Just a vase," someone in the audience suddenly blurted out, interrupting everyone's thoughts.

Yeah, just a vase.

But Izabella's performance continued to break people's definitions of her. Whether facing Harper or Ariana, even without speaking, everyone's eyes were drawn to her, including the cameras.

Casey watched Izabella intently. When he heard her call out "brother," his ears twitched.

Seeing so many people staring at her, jealousy rose in Casey's heart. Casey wanted to take this Izabella home and hide her away so that no one could peek. But if he really did that, she might hate him.

It was just a random thought, but Casey was already upset enough to look away. When the live camera caught him, he was looking down, his face serious.

Viewers watching the live stream online commented, "What's wrong with Mr. Dempsey? He was paying close attention to the first three performances but keeps looking away now?"

"What can he do? He's obviously amazed by the acting. Just look at who's on stage."

"Izabella is really outstanding. Some people said she's average-looking. What kind of taste is that? I can't stand it. When will she leave?"

"Her acting is terrible, just a prop."

"Does Izabella have any fans left?"

Although the comments were all about Izabella's poor acting, only those who shared the stage with her - Ariana and Harper - could feel how terrifying her acting really was.

We're three-quarters through the play, and Ariana's character, Melinda, meets her tragic end. Now it's mainly the scenes between Izabella and Harper.

Harper secretly took a deep breath. Facing Izabella alone was just too overwhelming. She walked straight out of the script like she was the real Danielle.

He had underestimated Izabella before. Her acting skills were not something ordinary people could handle. If he were not careful, he would be overpowered by her aura. The last part was crucial.

He raised the gun: "You killed Melinda; her family was your doing too."

"Didn't you already find that out? Why are you still asking me?" Izabella casually looks up. Her speaking rhythm is perfect, even matching the background music.

She had done so many terrible things, yet she looked so pitiful - her face was so deceiving.

Harper almost lowered the gun as he looked at her face. He tried to control himself, his hand shaking, and the camera captures his subtle reaction clearly.

"Why did you do this? Wasn't Melinda good enough for you? What did she do to deserve this from you?"

"Her mistake was appearing in front of you. Bro, isn't it enough to have me? Why do you need another woman?" Danielle's eyes were red, she tried to keep her voice steady, but her breathing was still a bit messy, filled with hatred for Melinda.

She looked at Federic with obsession, her gaze shifting from his face to the gunshot wound, filled with a crazy, twisted infatuation. "I knew the day would come when you'd uncover the truth. Bro, do you hate me so much that you want to kill me? I didn't do anything wrong; I just loved you too much. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for saving me and then abandoning me. If only Melinda hadn't existed, you would always be my brother."

Harper hesitated before continuing, his momentum slightly weakened: "How can you like me? I'm your brother!"

From then on, it was clear that Izabella was suppressing him, barely keeping up with her pace as he finished his lines.

"We're not blood-related, so why can't we be together? I won't force you to marry me; we can be as close as siblings as before. By the way, do you know why our mother suddenly fell ill? It's because I've been poisoning her food every day. Now she's deeply poisoned, and she needs to take the antidote daily to survive. If you don't agree to my terms, I'm afraid she'll die soon." After saying this, Danielle burst into laughter. She looked at the man in front of her, lifted her foot, and needed to get closer to embrace her brother again, like always.

"Bang-" A gunshot rings out, and Izabella's pupils shrink slightly as she sees Harper's gun pointed at her. Originally, the script had Federic shooting himself, but his gun is aimed at her instead.

There was no unusual sound in the scene, so they changed the script secretly without telling her.

Izabella immediately understands Ariana's words: Don't forget your lines again!

So this was where they were waiting for her!

A good actor can easily deal with various emergencies and perfectly solve problems in the plot. Izabella hesitated for two seconds before quickly reacting, covering her left chest, looking at him incredulously, and then showing pain and relief.

Danielle's mouth curved up; her face was smiling but looking worse than crying, her eyes filled with tears. The hope that had just ignited was extinguished. With her last strength, she walked to Federic, trying to embrace him like always, but he dodged her in disgust. She reached out, only grabbing the cold gun in his hand - the gun that killed her.

Staggering, Danielle could no longer stand and fell to her knees. She gently held the gun against her throat, looking up at Federic, the man she loved and called brother for three years.

The world's most familiar yet unfamiliar feeling was probably loving this man but only being his sister, not even having the courage to call his name.

Danielle choked out, "Three years ago, this should have been my end. Bro, I have no regrets, only remorse. When I wanted to die, you gave me hope to live; when I wanted to live, you killed me. I could've endured the darkness if I had never seen the light. Bro, I'm sorry! You have to live a good life in the long years to come, even if it's painful."

With that, Danielle's face was covered in tears. She tugged at the corners of her mouth, like the stunning white rose withering. She left the final scene to Federic.

The background music boomed with thunder, and Danielle fell back, her eyes closed, and she smiled.

The stage curtains closed, and the background fire lit up the scene.

Harper still had a monologue to perform, but the audience's attention had already followed Izabella. They empathized with her. Some even secretly started wiping away tears.

Harper struggled to wrap up the play. He had been biased against Izabella and didn't object to Ariana's suggestion to secretly change the script. He thought Izabella would embarrass herself, but her acting was so exquisite that he didn't have time to react in the final scene..