As soon as school ended the following day, Sherry took Charlotte to the drama club.
Carolina Ferraz, a senior member of the drama club majoring in choreography and direction, was in charge of the play rehearsal. She wore a well-tailored ladies' suit, exuding a refined and competent appearance.
When she saw Charlotte, amazement and satisfaction appeared in Carolina's eyes, pleased with her choice. "Charlotte, hello," Carolina said, extending her hand. "I'm Carolina, in charge of this play."
Charlotte smiled warmly and gently shook Carolina's hand. "Carolina, how are you?"
Their meeting was filled with pleasant conversation.
The play this time was the classic Romeo and Juliet. Since this was Charlotte's first time participating in a play, Carolina postponed the rehearsal schedule by a week to allow Charlotte more time to prepare.
She also arranged for a drama club member to teach Charlotte how to act. Fortunately, Charlotte's talent and dedication enabled her to make significant progress within just a few days.
To be able to act alongside Kingsley, Charlotte hardly slept and grabbed every second to study about acting.
A week later, it was time to begin rehearsals. Upon arriving at the rehearsal site, Charlotte was taken to the dressing room. The person in charge of styling and makeup was immediately taken with Charlotte's potential. After changing Charlotte's outfit, she applied simple makeup.
Charlotte played the role of Juliet. The play revolves around the sincere love between Juliet, the daughter of the noble Capulet family, and Romeo, a member of a rival family. Though Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, the love between the two protagonists is not inherently sorrowful. They bravely pursue their love, confronting familial hatred and life obstacles. Their willingness to sacrifice their lives for a new way of living ultimately leads to a moral victory, uniting the rival families.
Charlotte felt her heart race at the thought of performing with Kingsley.
However, she soon realized she might have been overthinking it, since Kingsley, the male lead, seemed not to be here today.
Throughout most of the day, she rehearsed scenes with the other supporting characters. Even the scenes with Kingsley were rehearsed separately; her side of the scene was rehearsed first, and she had to wait for Kingsley to be available later to complete the remaining scenes.
During her break, she sat on set, watching people come and go. Kingsley's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Charlotte lowered her gaze and couldn't help but feel a little downcast.
A cup of coffee appeared in front of her, and she looked up, slightly startled, to see a clear, handsome face.
The person smiled gently at her, expressing concern. "Charlotte, are you tired? Have a cup of coffee."
"Ben?" Charlotte glanced at him with some surprise, accepted the coffee, and smiled. "Thank you."
Ben was also a supporting actor in the drama and had one of the best personalities on set. He often took care of her, making her journey smoother.
Therefore, Charlotte was somewhat more familiar with him.
Then he asked, "Do you have any more rehearsals this afternoon?" He sat down next to her, keeping a respectful distance.
"Yes, I have a bit more to do with the male lead," Charlotte said, though she wasn't certain how the afternoon would go. She wasn't sure if she'd rehearse alone or if someone else would step in for Kingsley.
She didn't expect Kingsley to rehearse with her personally.
Ben seemed to understand her thoughts and smiled, trying to reassure her. "It's normal. After all, it's Kingsley."
This comment lifted the heaviness from Charlotte's heart. Yes, he was Kingsley.
She couldn't help but smile, and in the sunlight, she seemed to glow. Her dark, crystal-like eyes sparkled with a bright light.
Ben nearly froze at the sight, captivated. He held his breath and tentatively raised his hand, as if to touch the light emanating from her.
But before he got close, he suddenly stopped. An inexplicable, chilling coldness seemed to envelop him. He felt like he was being watched by a ferocious beast, frozen in fear and unable to move.
Ben seemed to realize something; his face went pale instantly, and a thin layer of cold sweat covered his forehead.
At the same time, Charlotte seemed to sense something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Without waiting for him to answer, Charlotte's gaze moved quickly to his back, alert and attentive. However, Ben's back was empty; there was not even a passing staff member in the moment, which made everything seem like an illusion.
It was so strange.
Charlotte couldn't help but frown.
At the same time, Ben finally felt the terrible chill enveloped him dissipate, allowing him to move freely again.
"It's okay," he said, giving a pale but forced smile. He couldn't tell her he had just been frightened after all.
Charlotte, however, seemed distracted and didn't really notice anything unusual about him.
Ben's break was short-lived as he was soon called back to rehearsal.
Instead, Charlotte stood up and walked in the direction she had seen earlier. At the corner of the campus corridor, there was a scratch on the wall, as though someone had clawed at it so fiercely that plaster had fallen to the ground.
She surveyed the surroundings but couldn't see any suspects.
Who would hide here to watch them?
Could someone from her family have tracked them down?
Thinking this, Charlotte felt a moment of emptiness and panic. She took out her cell phone, composed a text message, and sent it quickly.
"Charlotte, rehearsals for the next play are about to start. Get ready," a staff member from the drama club reminded her from a short distance away. Charlotte acknowledged them, put her phone away, and quickly walked over.
The second half of the rehearsal seemed busier than the first, with two or three times as many staff members around, and Carolina was also in the middle of the set, arranging the scene and lighting.
Charlotte was surprised and double-checked that she was in the right group before proceeding. Near the rest area, a group of members were gathered.
Among them, Charlotte saw a familiar face. It was Carl, dressed in a suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Charlotte recognized him as Kingsley's personal assistant.
Why was Carl here? Could it be...
Charlotte's eyes lit up as she crossed the crowd and saw the figure she had been dreaming of.
Kingsley, who had a cold, almost ethereal presence, was sitting elegantly on a sofa recliner, his eyes closed, his face as cold as snow. His presence seemed to suppress the atmosphere around him.
Sensing her gaze, Kingsley suddenly opened his eyes and locked eyes with her.