Ana's POV
The lead dancer on stage looked ready to fall apart, her voice shaking as she begged, "I swear I won't mess up the performance coming up. Please, just let me dance!"
Aileen remained stone-cold. I could practically hear her thoughts: Her promises don't mean squat to me. On stage, there's zero room for screwups.
"If I actually let you perform and you screw up, can you handle what comes after?"
The lead dancer knew Aileen carried serious weight around here. If she dug her heels in, Ms. Dorian might actually bring in the backup.
She immediately turned to Floryn, desperation flooding her eyes.
"Ms. Dorian, please don't steal this opportunity from me! I'll pop painkillers, I promise I won't wreck the show."
Floryn couldn't just sit there quietly. She studied the lead dancer with soft eyes. "Relax. Why don't you show me what happened first?"
The lead dancer clenched her jaw, kicked off her dance shoes, and exposed her right foot for everyone to see.
