He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did-Chapter 21 - 19: The Principal
After making sure Sienna Prescott was settled, Isla Prescott returned to school.
She wanted to spend more time with her mother and sister, but the rental apartment was too small for her to stay. Seeing her mother and sister squeezed into a tiny room with no personal space to speak of, Isla silently vowed, ’I have to make good money and improve our current predicament.’
In the middle of the month, Isla interviewed with the Meritopia Song and Dance Troupe. She had been preparing for a long time, and the results were just as she’d hoped. She successfully passed the interview, becoming a member of the troupe. Once she graduated and completed her probationary period, she would be offered a permanent position.
The day she received her acceptance notice, Isla went to The Lanthian Club to tell Dora Dawson that she wouldn’t be working part-time there anymore. Upon hearing the good news, Dora sincerely congratulated her and even gave her a set of cosmetics as a gift for her new journey.
After leaving The Lanthian Club, Isla bought groceries and returned to North Lane to have a celebratory dinner with her mother and sister.
Seeing that her daughter had finally secured a job, Susan Dudley felt as if all their suffering had finally given way to happiness, and she shed tears of joy. She took Isla’s hand and asked, "Have you shared the good news with Mrs. Lockwood?"
Afraid of worrying her mother, Isla hadn’t told her what had happened between her and Mrs. Lockwood, Yvette Shaw.
"I did."
"Good, good. Mrs. Lockwood is our great benefactor. She truly is."
Susan Dudley kept murmuring to herself. Isla simply lowered her head and silently squeezed her mother’s rough hands.
On Monday, Isla reported for her first day of work at the Meritopia Song and Dance Troupe.
The Meritopia Song and Dance Troupe was a subsidiary of the Aevis Group. Although it had only been established for two years, its growth had been explosive. The troupe had participated in numerous major national events and toured both at home and abroad. Moreover, its productions—last year’s *Misty Rain in Jiangnan* and this year’s *Red-Crowned Crane*—had both won gold medals at a prestigious international dance competition. No other troupe had ever won the championship in that competition for two consecutive years.
Most importantly, the salary for permanent employees at the Meritopia Song and Dance Troupe was very attractive.
This place had both the opportunity and the money that Isla wanted.
Another girl was starting work with her that day, named Yara Jennings. Yara, a student from a neighboring dance academy, had a baby face and a cheerful personality.
After the two of them registered their information with the HR department, they had just stepped out of the office when the sound of music from the rehearsal hall downstairs caught their attention.
"I heard the troupe is preparing for the CCTV Television Dance Competition," Yara said.
"How do you know that?" Isla asked, curious.
"The director of the troupe, Wendy Bell, is my cousin."
"Oh, so Director Bell is your cousin. No wonder you two look a bit alike."
Isla had met Director Wendy Bell during her interview. Wendy Bell had the features of a classic beauty; she was not only gorgeous but also exceptionally talented. During the interview, a casual flick of her hand during a demonstration had conveyed a world of elegance. And even though she was the director, she put on no airs and was incredibly approachable.
"Yeah, but don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t get this job through connections. I earned my spot here on my own merit."
Her words had a "the lady doth protest too much" ring to them. Isla simply smiled and didn’t press the issue.
The two of them continued chatting as they reached the entrance to the rehearsal hall.
Inside the brightly lit rehearsal hall, a dozen or so young women in matching leotards were arranged in two neat rows, moving in time with the music.
Isla watched them, and her heart swelled with excitement at the thought that she, too, would be rehearsing here, gradually making her way to bigger stages. In that moment, her hopes and dreams for the future reached their peak.
As the rhythm of the music shifted, the dancers in the hall slowly spun around. Isla’s gaze was immediately captured by the woman in the center position, her hair tied up in a topknot.
’It’s her.’ 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
’The woman who was trying on formal wear with Shane Sterling, the one as radiant as a yellow rose.’
Yara noticed Isla’s gaze and whispered, "That’s Annabelle Leighton, the heiress of the Leighton family. She’s the principal dancer of the Meritopia Dance Academy. She uses her family’s money to act all high and mighty in the troupe and always picks fights with my cousin. She’s totally unreasonable. You should try to avoid her."
But Isla wasn’t the type to form a fixed impression of someone based on one person’s account.
’Annabelle Leighton really lives up to her title as principal dancer,’ she thought. ’Her movements are so graceful and light, and her technique is impeccable.’
’There’s always someone better out there. I’ll have to work even harder!’
