Chapter 83

"Lailah?" Jennifer frowned slightly. "Didn't Patrick recommend her? And knowing the kind of person Patrick is... I find that hard to believe."

Patrick Stone, one of the vice presidents of the Dance Association, handled publicity. He had been a respected dancer for many years, well-regarded in their circle.

Arabella thought for a moment. "If that's true,maybe Patrick's the one pulling the strings."

Jennifer hesitated. Truth was, she had always gotten along well with Patrick. "Actually," she said after a pause, "he's dropping by today."

Later, during a break in the studio, a tall figure walked in. Several of them stood and called out,"Hello,Mr.Stone."

Patrick offered a warm smile. "Taking a little break? That's good. We've got a show coming up soon, so I just dropped by to see how things are going."

Lailah turned to him enthusiastically. "We're all set! Would you like to see the routine now?"

"Of course," he said with a nod.

Wasting no time, Lailah called everyone to their positions. The dancers quickly got to their feet,and the music began.

Patrick stood there smiling, though his eyes gradually settled on Daisy.

She could feel the weight of his gaze, sharp and focused, but it didn't faze her in the slightest.She kept dancing with the same grace and confidence as always.

Patrick's smile faltered just a touch. Then,without drawing attention, he let a small marble fall from his hand, sending it rolling toward Daisy's feet.

If she stepped on it, she could easily trip,maybe even get badly hurt.

Just then, a calm voice cut in. "MAr.Stone."

Arabella had stepped right on the marble, her calm gaze locked on Patrick.

For the briefest moment, Patrick's face twisted,but he quickly covered it with a polite smile."And you are?"

"I'm Daisy's sister," Arabella replied casually,gesturing toward her. "We've always had each other's backs, so I just tend to worry if someone's trying to push her around."

Patrick's eyes briefly flickered, but his pleasant expression didn't waver. "That's fair," he said smoothly. "But don't worry. The vibe here is really upbeat."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Arabella said coolly. Then, as if remembering something, she glanced down. '"Oh, I think | stepped on something just now..."

She crouched and picked up the marble,holding it up for everyone to see. "Strange. This was just lying here. If someone had stepped on it mid-dance, it could've caused a serious injury."

Her voice carried through the studio,catching everyone's attention. Dancers gradually stopped and turned toward her, unsettledby the sight of the marble.

"We're not even allowed to bring stuff like this into the studio. How'd it end up here?"

"Did someone drop it accidentally?"

Arabella looked straight at Patrick, her expression one of innocent confusion. "You were the only one who came in just now, Mr.Stone. Did you happen to see who dropped this?"

Patrick's smile tightened. "No, I didn't notice anyone. It's a good thing you spotted it-let's tuck it away before someone gets hurt."

"Sure, I'll hang onto it," Arabella replied sweetly,slipping the marble into her pocket with ease.

Inside, Patrick was fuming. Was she messing with him on purpose, or had she just stumbled into this? If it was planned, her timing was perfect. And that little remark-was it a warning?

He caught Lailah's eye, and they exchanged a quick,loaded glance.

This wasn't the moment to act. Not yet.

In a pleasant tone, he said, "Everyone's rehearsing right now. Even if you're Daisy's sister, this isn't really the place to linger. How about we step outside?"

"Alright," Arabella replied casually and followed without resistance.

She was sure of one thing now-after being caught red-handed, neither of them would dare make another move anytime soon.

But this little stunt had confirmed what she had suspected-Patrick was the one pulling strings for Lailah.

Later that day, Arabella headed to her new restaurant to train the chefs on how to make food that was easy on the stomach.

Joshua had shown up as well, observing from the side as Arabella wrapped up a dish. It looked great and smelled even better.

"You never told me you could cook," Joshua said, surprised. But the moment he took a bite,his smile disappeared right away.

Arabella looked confused. "What's the matter?Does it taste awful?"

But she remembered Asher and Daisy eating it without a single complaint.

Joshua struggled to get it down and leaned in,asking softly, "Who else has eaten your cooking?"

"Asher and Daisy," she replied.

"Forget Daisy, but Asher? He must be crazy about you." Joshua chuckled and gave her a dramatic thumbs up.

Arabella gave him a rare look of annoyance.

Joshua dropped the teasing and got serious."It's healthy, sure. But the taste? Kinda painful,to be honest. People don't eat ouut just for health -they want something that actually tastes good."

"Is it really that bad?" Arabella took a bite and didn't see the problem.

Joshua sighed. "You've been in labs too long.You're used to food most people wouldn't even sniff. No wonder your taste buds are shot!"

Then, turning to a nearby chef, he added, "Hey make something for her, will you?"

A moment later, the chef brought over a plate of garlic pork chops.

Arabella took a bite, and Joshua leaned in eagerly. "Well? What do you think?"

"It's tasty," she admitted. "But way too greasy.That kind of oil content could give someone a fatty liver."

That was when it hit Joshua-Arabella's standards were way too rigid when it came to food.

"Alright, fine. Let's find some middle ground,"he muttered in defeat.

They spent the rest of the afternoon tinkering with recipes, but Arabella was still far from satisfied. Eventually, she had to put it on pause and go pick up Daisy.

"Bella!" Daisy called out, rushing over the moment she saw her at the opera house entrance.

Arabella took her hand with a smile. "Come on,let's go check out some houses!"

"Houses? What for?"

"You said you wanted to move out, didn't you?"Arabella had thought it over. No matter what,Daisy came first.