CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: JASPER FITZGERALD: WE FINALLY MEET

Dylan agreed readily, "Alright, since it’s like this, I’ll do it. Over the next few days, find some time to come to the school and rehearse with us!"

"Okay!"

Sabrina had no objections.

After making the agreement, in the following days, whenever she brought the little one to school, she would go in and accompany rehearsals.

The story they were going to perform this time was Little Red Riding Hood.

She played the grandmother, and Dylan played the Big Bad Wolf.

The Big Bad Wolf needed to wear a headpiece, and these costumes, props, and script, the school would help prepare.

Originally, Sabrina was a bit worried that Zara would be stage-shy, or halfway through, have an episode, or forget her lines and not get into character.

But surprisingly, the little one was very enthusiastic.

Even more surprising, she memorized her lines after being taught only twice.

Although she spoke in a childlike voice, the process was particularly smooth.

Seeing this, Dylan couldn’t help but praise, "This little girl has artistic talent!"

Sabrina didn’t deny this evaluation.

Her daughter, whether in painting, music, or performance, picked things up very quickly.

Sometimes even she was amazed!

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday.

That morning, the school became particularly lively.

Many children’s parents came together to attend the performance.

When Sabrina brought Zara over, she was worried the little one might feel disappointed seeing this.

But unexpectedly, Zara did not.

Because the live performance was so lively.

It was her first time seeing such a scene, and her attention was completely captured.

Moreover, Dylan, while hosting, casually guided the kids to interact, which made Zara even less concerned about why daddy hadn’t come.

The little girl was excited throughout, occasionally standing up and shouting along.

Their performance was scheduled later, and during the intermission, Sabrina, worried she might be thirsty, hurriedly brought a small bottle for her to drink.

Just at the moment Zara lowered her head, a scene of multiple school activities appeared on the screen.

One scene was of a renowned prestigious school in Veridia, during an award ceremony.

Jordan Hawthorne was seen wearing an expensive custom-made suit, accompanying Brooke and her son, standing on the award stage.

The three of them held a trophy, smiling joyously at the camera.

A teacher enthusiastically said, "This time, Sonny performed so excellently. Mr. Hawthorne, do you have anything to say to your son?"

Jordan calmly said four words, "It’s an honor."

Sabrina’s face turned pale, almost immediately blocking Zara’s view.

Zara vaguely heard daddy’s voice, looked up curiously, and glanced around.

Dylan also apparently recognized Jordan Hawthorne, was quite surprised, and quickly cut the screen.

He first glanced at Sabrina’s expression.

The woman had her back to him, so he couldn’t see her face, but from the slight trembling of her shoulders, he could sense that she was very upset.

Sabrina was indeed enraged inside, yet also very sad.

So it turns out... it wasn’t that he didn’t have time to accompany Zara, but that he was busy attending events with someone else’s child.

If she could, she really wanted to tell Zara face-to-face that this father isn’t worth recognizing!

But she held back after all.

Right now, she still had to cooperate with Zara’s performance and couldn’t let herself be affected.

She was so hopeful, working so hard, she couldn’t let it all be in vain!

As for that man... from now on, she wouldn’t involve him in anything concerning Zara!

After this small episode passed, the school’s activity continued.

In the blink of an eye, it was finally time for their performance.

Dylan handed over his hosting duties to another teacher and went to the dressing room to change.

Ten minutes later, he returned, wearing the Big Bad Wolf costume with the headpiece.

The performance finally began.

The first to appear was Zara.

Following the story, she carried a small basket, wearing a red outfit, as she crossed the forest to visit her sick grandmother.

As soon as the little one took the stage, it elicited enthusiastic applause.

"This little one is too cute!"

"Wow, with those rosy lips and pearly white teeth, it’s completely Little Red Riding Hood herself, the child’s mother has done a great job."

"My heart is melting; with that hood, she’s so sweet and gentle!"

"Sweetie, there are bad wolves in the forest, don’t go there; come home with Auntie..."

The parents in the audience shared their thoughts, and the scene almost became uncontrollable.

The teacher, feeling both amused and helpless, quickly intervened, "Dear parents, I know you love Little Red Riding Hood, but please don’t interrupt her performance, okay? After it’s over, I’ll ask if she’d be willing to take a picture with you... Also, I think you all look more like the Big Bad Wolf right now!"

The parents laughed and were very receptive, settling down shortly thereafter.

Little Zara happily continued her performance.

Her memory was good, and maybe because she was immersed in the performance, she wasn’t affected by what just happened.

The process went smoothly, she went through the forest and encountered the malicious Big Bad Wolf...

During their scene together, Sabrina was still not out of her earlier bad mood.

Until the Big Bad Wolf reached the grandmother’s place, she barely regained her senses.

The first thought was...

The person before her seemed somewhat off?

Was Mr. Quinlan this tall?

This Big Bad Wolf seemed a bit taller than during the rehearsals?

Could it be because of the headpiece?

Though she was a bit skeptical inside, she didn’t think much more of it.

After all, when the Big Bad Wolf came over, he pretended to be Little Red Riding Hood, tricked her into opening the door, and swallowed her whole, so there wasn’t much interaction between them.

But then, after a while, little Zara came over to knock on the door and act alongside the wolf, and that strange feeling came back again.

During the earlier rehearsals, Dylan Quinlan recited the lines, deliberately pressing his voice to make it sharp and funny.

But this time, perhaps because the headgear was stifling, the voice became very smooth.

Moreover, the plot that was originally planned had some deviations.

The performances that should have been more detailed were simplified, but cleverly allowed Zara to connect smoothly.

The parents in the audience did not notice anything unusual.

When the Big Bad Wolf finally received the punishment he deserved, the audience erupted in applause.

Everyone was praising, "What a great performance!!!"

Even the other children loved it, saying, "I want to wear that red dress too..."

Sabrina saw the great response and instinctively looked at Zara’s reaction.

It was the first time little Zara received so much encouragement and praise, and she was so happy her face turned red.

Dressed in that cute little red outfit, it melted everyone’s hearts.

Sabrina was also very happy.

She accompanied Dylan Quinlan and Zara in taking their bows, then returned to the backstage dressing room.

As soon as she entered, she took off the headscarf from her face.

Earlier, while playing the Granny, her head was wrapped in a gray headscarf, leaving only half of her face visible.

After all, it’s playing an old person, can’t just show her true self!

Now, finally able to breathe easy, she pulled off the scarf, and her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

She shook her head lightly, then smiled at the man in front of her and said, "Mr. Quinlan, thank you so much for today, practicing with us all those days and delivering such a wonderful performance. Zara is very happy, we wouldn’t know what to do without you!

But, did you change the performance a bit at the end? It felt more streamlined!"

The man in front of her seemed to pause when he heard this.

Then, he raised his hand to take off his headgear and replied, "Yes, it was changed a bit. After all, I only spent a few minutes memorizing the lines, not very familiar, hope it didn’t affect you?"

As he spoke, his face became visible.

Sabrina was dumbfounded, completely shocked.

The person in front of her... was actually not Dylan Quinlan!!!

Yet this face was extremely striking.

An exquisite and impossibly handsome visage, godlike, with sharp, delicate features, long narrow eyes deep and mysterious, and alluring at the corners.

With snowy brows carrying an innate sense of aloofness, a slender figure whose noble aura could not be concealed even in a costume.

At this moment, he stood there, slightly curled lips, like a celestial being.

One glance was enough to be breathtakingly mesmerizing.

While she was stunned, Jasper Fitzgerald was also somewhat caught up.

This was his first time seeing Zara’s mom.

Before, during encounters, he only saw her from afar without really looking at her face.

The woman in front of him was dazzlingly beautiful, with features very similar to little Zara, both exceptionally delicate.

Despite wearing a shabby performance costume, it couldn’t conceal her inherent charm.

She was an extraordinarily striking woman!

The two faced each other, staring for quite some time, until Jasper Fitzgerald was the first to come back to his senses.

He greeted first, "Dr. Nash?"

Sabrina was jolted back to reality, finally snapping out of her daze.

She was taken aback.

Without the headgear’s cover, this voice... was quite familiar.

She had heard it a few times on the phone before!

"You... you are Mr. Fitzgerald???"

Sabrina blurted out.

Jasper Fitzgerald nodded slightly, "It is me, finally we meet!"

Sabrina was still a bit bewildered.

She never imagined she would meet him under such circumstances.

So at this moment, she was a bit at a loss, just like the first time she heard him speak.

After a good while, she finally asked, "Mr. Fitzgerald... why are you here? And how come you were the one performing with us? Where is Mr. Quinlan?"

"He..."

Jasper Fitzgerald raised his eyebrows, recalling that mischievous friend.

He was invited by Dylan Quinlan to watch the performance, taking the opportunity to observe whether any children on site needed adjustments in psychological treatment.

Unexpectedly, upon arrival, Dylan Quinlan had an upset stomach.

Without a word, he handed the costume and script over to him, then quickly tossed out a brief, "Cover for me, I’m going to the restroom."

Jasper was forced to spend a few minutes memorizing lines and went on stage to fill in.

"I glanced over the script briefly, didn’t see it thoroughly, so I had to simplify it later on."

Jasper Fitzgerald explained the cause and effect.

Sabrina suddenly understood.

So that was it!!!

No wonder the height seemed off, turns out it was a different person!

However, within such a short time, he memorized the lines, his memory is remarkably impressive!

Though the script wasn’t very complex, there were still plenty of lines, not to mention having to change into a costume.

No wonder he is Mr. Fitzgerald!

Sabrina was immensely grateful, "The performance was great, it didn’t affect us at all! Although it was simplified a bit, the plot was more compact!"

Jasper Fitzgerald nodded, "That’s good."

Just as he finished speaking, his long leg was tightly embraced by a pair of small hands.

Little Zara was also stunned when she first saw him, but once she realized, she was very happy and immediately threw herself at him.

The little cub, tiny as an accessory, looked up at him with bright eyes, soft and sweetly called, "Uncle, why is it you~"