She stared at the screen for a small moment before answering.

"Elara," Ziva’s voice came through immediately.

Elara glanced at Zia whose eyes were still wide open, then looked away. "Hello," she replied quietly. "And... Zia’s beside me."

There was a brief pause on the other end before Ziva spoke again. "Oh..kay. I just want to tell you that the final payment from the director just came in. I thought they might delay it because of everything, but they didn’t. They didn’t even deduct anything."

Elara let out a soft snort but said nothing.

"I’ve transferred everything to your account. Have you checked it?"

Elara’s brows drew together in displeasure. "What do you mean everything? Didn’t you take your cut... and the money I borrowed from you this morning?"

There was another short silence.

"We can deal with that later," Ziva said, her voice lowering. "Right now, you need to rent a place in Solmere. You’ll have to pay upfront for a few months if you want to stay unnoticed. You need all the money you can get."

"That’s not possible," Elara cut in, her tone firm. "You already emptied your pocket for me. You wanted to quit your job for me, and now this? No. Just take what you should."

"Elara, I don’t need–"

"Take it," Elara interrupted again. "Or I’ll transfer everything back to you."

Ziva burst into laughter, her voice sounding tired but genuine. "Are you threatening me with your own money?"

Before Elara could respond, Zia gently tapped her arm. "Elara," she whispered, lowering her voice like she was sharing a top secret. "If she doesn’t want it, let’s not force her. We can use it to buy that big doll with the pink dress at the toy shop downtown. My mom won’t get it for me... she said it’s too expensive."

Elara slowly turned her head to look at her, her lips pressing into a thin line. "We’re talking about survival, and you’re here talking about adding to your doll collection. Come on, go sleep."

"But it’s a very big doll," Zia insisted quietly. "And since Ziva doesn’t want the money... it will just go to waste."

"Is that Zia?" Ziva asked from the other end.

Elara hummed in response.

"You know what, I’m hanging up," Ziva said with a small sigh. "We’ll talk properly later."

The call ended instantly.

Elara let out a soft breath and lowered her phone. She placed it on the bedside locker, then adjusted the blanket over herself.

"Zia, let’s sleep," she murmured, closing her eyes.

Zia stared at her face, her pout stretching so long it looked like it might fall off. Then she turned to the other side.

"Goodnight," she muttered sulkily.

–

Early the next morning, Ziva went to Voice to submit her resignation with immediate effect.

"Do you know what you’re doing, Miss Korr? You have been..."

"I’m fully aware," Ziva said, cutting the HR manager off politely but firmly. "And I appreciate your concern, but there’s no need to go over the consequences. I’ve already considered them."

She placed the letter neatly on the desk.

"This resignation takes effect immediately. I understand that this means forfeiting my final paycheck and any pending benefits. That’s fine. Consider it my... expedited exit fee."

Her lips curved up a little, not quite a smile.

"I’ll make the transition as smooth as possible, but my decision won’t be changing."

* * * *

That same morning, Elara took a cab to the Vales’ mansion. Thankfully, Mrs. Vale was home. When she rang the doorbell, a maid peeked through the door. The moment she saw Elara, she quickly opened it and stepped aside.

"Miss Elara, please come in."

Elara followed her without a word.

Mrs. Vale was seated in the garden lounge, resting on a wicker chair. Her gaze was drifting across the neatly trimmed hedges, though it didn’t seem like she was looking at anything in particular.

The moment she saw Elara, her face lit up. "Elara," she called warmly, but then her smile faded into concern. "Ah... you look so tired. Nora, bring a seat for her."

The maid nodded and soon returned with a chair, placing it carefully in front of the table.

Elara stared at it for a small second, hesitation flashing across her eyes. But she bent and sat down anyway.

"Oh, darling, your face looks so pale." Mrs. Vale sighed softly, her expression filled with worry. "I’ve seen the news about the wrap-up party and all those awful rumors. Please don’t let it get to you. You know how people can be. And I’m sure Adrian is already working on a way to fix everything. The Vales take care of their own."

Elara’s lips pressed together.

"Mrs. Vale..." she began, her face not giving anything away. "I’m very grateful for everything you and your family have done for me."

Mrs. Vale blinked, raising her brows in confusion. "Why are you thanking me?"

"You’ve always been kind to me," Elara said softly. Then she paused, picking her words carefully. "But I didn’t come here because of the media."

She took a breath.

"I came to tell you that I’m terminating the sponsorship."

Mrs. Vale’s expression froze instantly.

"Terminating the sponsorship?" she repeated slowly, as if trying to process the words. When she saw that Elara wasn’t joking, her lips tightened. "Come on, Elara... is this because of the dress incident? My dear, it was just an accident. No one thinks less of you."

Elara opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Vale continued.

"Or is Voice pushing you too hard? Is someone troubling you again? Just tell me their names, I’ll speak to the board immediately. Or is it Adrian?" Her brows furrowed a bit. "Did he say something to upset you? He can be stubborn, I know, but his intentions... they’ve always been good when it comes to you."

Elara almost let out a dry laugh at that, but she stayed quiet and let her finish. When Mrs. Vale finally stopped, Elara exhaled softly.

"No one pressured me," she said. "Voice gave me opportunities I’m grateful for. And... Mr. Vale has..." her voice wavered slightly before steadying, "...done what he believed was right."

She lifted her gaze to meet Mrs Vale’s.

"But it’s time for me to move on. I need to walk my own path now... even if it means starting over from the beginning."

Mrs. Vale’s expression changed completely, her earlier warmth replaced with something more serious and composed.

"Elara, you need to think about this carefully," she said. "No one has ever broken a sponsorship with our family before. This isn’t just about money or legal penalties... though those are significant. It means the Vale name will no longer stand behind you. Other music companies may refuse to take you in."

She leaned forward on her seat.

"Are you really prepared to lose everything you’ve worked for over this? Let’s just sit and talk this through..."

"I’m prepared for whatever comes next," Elara cut in calmly. "And I’ll pay every penalty the contract requires. Even if I’m blacklisted... I’ll accept it."

She stood up.

"I’m leaving, Mrs. Vale."

Mrs. Vale looked at her, clearly at a loss for words. After a moment, she let out a slow sigh.

"Elara..." she muttered softly. "I hear what you’re saying. If you truly want to end the sponsorship, then so be it. But what are you planning to do next?" She paused, her voice turning gentler. "Let’s at least talk about that."