CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81: SO ENTHUSIASTIC

The person who answered was Crystal Sutton.

"Jenson, my sister suddenly left."

Jenson Forrest assumed Zinnia Lawrence had left because she didn’t want to see him, abandoning her translation job in the process.

His expression turned cold. He said to Lise, "Do you need a translator? I can fill in temporarily."

Lise smiled at Jenson Forrest. "Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Forrest, but it won’t be necessary. Please let Miss Sutton come in now. I’d like to hear her play."

A flicker of displeasure crossed her features. She’d had high hopes for Zinnia Lawrence. She had watched Zinnia’s performance videos several times. Lise felt the young woman was highly talented. Her dancing was soulful, with its own unique style, marking her as a rare gem with immense potential. After meeting Zinnia in person, her elegant demeanor, grace, and humble attitude impressed Lise. She possessed the refined charm of an Eastern beauty and was very pleasant to be around.

However, Lise never expected to be so disappointed.

Lise turned and entered the room. Anna gave Jenson Forrest an apologetic shrug and gestured for Crystal Sutton to follow.

"Lise has an exchange seminar soon, so you only have ten minutes."

Crystal nodded. Bending to pick up her instrument case, she looked toward Jenson Forrest.

She craved Jenson’s approval and encouragement. It would be even better if he could accompany her inside. That Lise woman was just a dancer, yet her attitude was so arrogant. If Jenson were there, maybe she would be more pleasant to her out of respect for him.

However, the man’s deep-set eyes were staring into the distance, completely ignoring her.

Crystal bit her lip and walked in with her head lowered.

Once the door closed, Timothy Cohen spoke hesitantly.

"President Forrest, should I go look for the Madam? She isn’t the type to be irresponsible or miss an appointment without reason. If she really had to leave, she would have definitely explained why."

Zinnia had worked as a clerk in the President’s Office for over a year and was technically Timothy Cohen’s subordinate. Even as a junior clerk, Zinnia had always been conscientious and had never made a single mistake. She was a serious and dependable person.

Jenson Forrest slid one hand into his pocket, turned, and glared down at Timothy Cohen.

"You seem to know her well."

An inexplicable chill shot up Timothy’s spine. He quickly forced a sheepish smile.

"Of course I don’t know her as well as you do, President Forrest. It was just a casual question."

Jenson said coldly, "I’ve told you before not to mention her to me again. Do I need to say it a second time?"

Timothy’s scalp prickled. "My apologies."

Jenson Forrest was already striding away. Timothy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurried to catch up.

Lise had given Crystal Sutton ten minutes, but she came out after only five. Her expression was grim. Rose Lowell hurried to her side, taking the instrument case.

"How did it go? Did Lise agree?"

Crystal shook her head and said resentfully, "She said I didn’t meet her requirements! She didn’t even let me finish one piece before she cut me off and asked me to leave!"

Crystal fumed, "She’s just a dancer! If she thinks she’s so great and the audience is only there to see her dance, then why does the accompaniment matter so much? As long as it’s passable, it should be fine! I think she’s just some menopausal old woman being deliberately picky. She..."

Fearing they would be overheard, especially since they were right outside Lise’s room, Rose quickly clamped a hand over Crystal’s mouth.

"For heaven’s sake, stop talking! We can talk more once we’re back in the room."

Back in their room, Crystal slumped onto the sofa and kicked off her shoes in frustration.

She hadn’t expected Lise to be so merciless, especially with Jenson Forrest’s reputation on the line. She thought her connections had paved the way and that today was just a formality.

Recalling Lise’s obvious preference for Zinnia earlier and the pained expression Lise had worn while she played, Crystal irritably took out a cigarette and lit it. But she had only taken a single drag when Rose snatched the cigarette from her fingers, stubbed it out, and waved the smoke away.

"President Forrest is very concerned about the baby you’re carrying. The smell will linger. Please have some self-control."

Crystal’s expression was full of irritation. She slapped her own belly and exclaimed, "This is so annoying!"

"Fine, fine. So you didn’t get it. But Zinnia didn’t get the opportunity either, so it’s not a complete loss," Rose consoled her.

At Rose’s words, the tension in Crystal’s face finally eased. That’s right. By the time Zinnia wakes up, it’ll be too late for everything. I wonder if she’ll cry from frustration.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Is that President Forrest coming to see you?"

Crystal was instantly overjoyed. She shot up from the sofa and rushed toward the door, only to pause when she remembered she had just been smoking.

"Rose, hold him here for a moment. I’ll be right out."

She ran into the bathroom to spray some perfume, quickly reapplied her lipstick, and undid the top two buttons of her blouse before heading to the entryway.

But when she saw the man who had entered, the smile on her face froze.

"What are you doing here?"

"Who else would it be? Crystal, I just did you a huge favor. How are you going to thank me?"

The man stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Crystal’s waist. His fingers toyed with the opening of her loosened collar.

"What’s this? Dressed so invitingly. Were you expecting me?"

Crystal played along while pointedly motioning for Rose to stand guard at the door.

When Zinnia woke up, the sky outside was already dark. Her head was still foggy. She pushed herself up from the sofa, disoriented and unsure of where she was. Her phone buzzed on the table, and Zinnia answered it reflexively.

"Zinnia! I’ve already prepared your celebration banquet! Where are you? Why aren’t you back yet? Did you get accepted as her disciple and decide not to come back?"

Yara Fairchild’s cheerful voice snapped Zinnia back to reality. Her memory came flooding back, and she shot to her feet.

"Yara, I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you back later."

Zinnia hung up quickly and checked the time. She had been unconscious for nearly six hours! Zinnia lightly tapped her head, then rushed out of the room and ran to Lise’s door, knocking frantically.

Naturally, there was no answer. A cleaning staff member happened to be pushing a cart past. When Zinnia asked, the attendant said, "The foreign guests in that room? They checked out an hour ago and left the hotel with their team."

Zinnia’s breath hitched when she saw several missed calls from Anna on her phone. She ran for the elevator, trying to call Anna again, but there was still no answer. Anna finally picked up on the fourth try, just as Zinnia’s elevator was approaching the ground floor.

Zinnia’s voice was urgent and pleading. "Anna, I’m so sorry. This afternoon, I..."

But Anna didn’t want to hear her explanation and cut her off coldly. "Zinnia, our teacher detests people who are unpunctual and not serious about their craft. Your attitude has greatly disappointed her. We’re about to board our flight. Don’t call again."

Anna hung up. Zinnia didn’t give up, redialing as she ran out of the hotel. But it was clear that Anna had blocked her number.

A draft gusted through the hotel entrance, whipping at Zinnia. She stood there, a disheveled mess, before sinking to the ground in despair.

In a black Cullinan parked nearby, Timothy Cohen started to speak to Jenson Forrest. But then he remembered Jenson’s repeated order to never mention the Madam’s affairs again, and he shut his mouth.

But it’s obvious the Madam is in some kind of trouble. Running out of the hotel barefoot in such a thin dance costume...

Timothy couldn’t resist a glance at the rearview mirror. He saw that Jenson Forrest’s cold profile was already turned toward the window. The direction of his intense gaze made it obvious that he had already seen her.