Heartstrings on Fire Novel Full Episode
Chapter 181-190

Chapter 181

Agnes walked in and laid it out: “I’m here for the same reason as you.”

She approached Ryder and blurted out, “I want you to be the male lead in my play”

Upon hearing this, Cecile was livid “Agnes, how could you be so shameless? You’re his aunt by marriage now, don’t you know to avoid inappropriate interactions? Do you want the whole school to think Prince is getting too close with his aunt? Or, are you just trying to play the field?”

“Cecile, don’t twist my words. If there’s anything inappropriate between us, he knows better. Andrea asked us to form our own teams for the competition. It’s only fair that I fight for a popular male lead As for what you’re implying, time will tell that we’re innocent.”

Cecile snapped, ‘Agnes, you know what I can’t stand? Your holier than thou attitude. You only care about yourself. Have you considered Prince?”

“Alright, you two, cut it out,” Ryder interjected

Cecile asked, “Are you really going to do the play with her?”

Ryder replied, “I’m not doing the play. You both can leave.”

Agnes was the first to leave, believing that if Ryder said he wouldn’t participate, then he wouldn’t.

Plus, with his aloof personality, he probably wasn’t interested in acting in a play.

The next day, rumors circulated that Ryder would be acting in a play with Cecile.

All the news was posted on the school bulletin board, including the competition between Agnes and Cecile’s teams, and their bet.

Standing in front of the bulletin board, Agnes was a bit agitated.

So, Ryder really agreed to be the male lead with Cecile?

At lunch, Agnes confirmed the news with Kerri.

Kerri, who was on the same course and had the same tutor as Ryder, interacted with him frequently.

Kerri wondered, “I can’t figure out why Ryder would support Cecile and turn you down. Could it be that he’s planning to sabotage her at the crucial moment?”

Agnes responded, “you are overthinking. Do you think he’s that type of person?”

Ryder was not that complicated. He either didn’t agree to it, or he gave his all.

Being his classmate for three years, Kerri knew this well.

Kerri didn’t know, but Agnes did. Ryder simply didn’t like her.

Kerri sighed, “I think our chances of winning are slim. Cecile has become ‘strong. Where can we find a male lead who can compete with Ryder?”

Agnes also felt a bit down.

She banged her head on the table and groaned, “Why did I bet with her? I feel like I’ve lost already. Ryder, you traitor!”

But Agnes was only a bit down at lunch. After she finished eating, she said, “Regardless, we need to give it our best shot. Who’s the second most popular guy?” Kerri answered, “It’s Vinson from the drama department.”

Vinson, a drama student, had gained some popularity after shooting a promotional video with Ava. He was good-looking, humorous, humble, and well-liked. But, his popularity paled in comparison to Ryder’s.

Agnes quickly found Vinson, who readily agreed to help.

Chapter 182

Agnes spent the entire day, finally deciding on all the characters.

That night, she summoned everyone in a classroom for a meeting.

She distributed the script to everyone.

The school chose the play “Romeo and Juliet”.

It’s a classic love story that everyone knows. Agnes is playing Juliet, and Vinson is Romeo.

Kerri will be playing Juliet’s nurse.

Agnes said, “Tonight, everyone go back and read the script well. Tomorrow we start rehearsing officially. We only have half a month. In half a month, we will perform at the same time as Cecile’s team, so I hope everyone can give it their all.”

Everyone was full of enthusiasm.

By the time Agnes returned to Maplewood Manor, it was already nine o’clock.

Jared had just arrived home. He asked Agnes, “Why are you coming back so late?”

Agnes told Jared that she was participating in the school culture festival’s theatrical performance.

Jared asked, “Play performance? Is there a kissing scene?*

Agnes laughed, “Is that all you care about?”

Jared said, “I won’t stop you from acting from entering the entertainment industry. I only have one requirement, no kissing scenes, no bed scenes, no overly intimate

scenes.”

༔ བ ༢༦ ༥ ༢ ༥ ༢

Agnes asked, “What if I can’t choose my scenes?”

Jared said, “Then I be the understudy for that actor.”

Agnes said, “If that’s the case, the media might write big articles about how the president of the Tim Group’s hobby is being his wife’s kissing scene understudy!” Jared leaned in close to Agnes’s ear, taking off his coat, “I don’t care what they say.”

Jared’s breath made Agnes’s ears tickle, but she was really tired today.

She gently pushed Jared away, “It’s just a regular play, there are no kissing scenes. You can relax now, okay?”

Jared pretended to be regretful, That’s a shame. If there were erotic scenes in bed, I could’ve been the understudy.”

Agnes joked, “Whose understudy? The beds?’

Jared was speechless.

Agnes didn’t tell Jared about her bet with Cecile.

She also didn’t tell him that Ryder was also participating and was on Cecile’s team.

Agnes didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to worry Jared. These things should seem childish to Jared. He’s busy every day and doesn’t have time to deal with these petty student conflicts.

As for Ryder, Agnes felt that if she told Jared, Ryder might think she was tattling behind his back and might dislike her even more as a result.

After all, Ryder really didn’t have any obligation to help her. After sleeping on it, Agnes felt much better.

The next day, they started rehearsing officially.

Lakeside College has two auditoriums, one is East Hall, and the other is West Hall.

In half a month, they will perform in these two halls at the same time.

But in reality, East Hall is a bit older, much smaller than West Hall, and the environment is much worse.

The better rehearsal location is undoubtedly West Hall.

Agnes thought, since she’s already lost the advantage of the actors, then she should utilize the geographical advantage.

She knew that these two halls have always been managed by the campus logistics department.

Agnes found the staff member responsible for managing the auditoriums, submitted her rehearsal application to him, and got the key to West Hall.

In the morning. Agnes and a few members moved all the props to West Hall.

At noon, Agnes invited all the members to have lunch together.

Everyone planned to start rehearsing in the afternoon. However, when they arrived at West Hall, they found all their props that they had moved in the afternoon were thrown outside.

When Agnes walked in, she saw Cecile directing. “Throw this, this, and this, all out.”

Chapter 183

Agnes rushed forward to stop them, “What the hell are you guys up to?”

Cecile walked over and said, “We need to rehearse in the West Hall, so we gotta clear out all the unrelated stuff.”

Agnes retorted, “I’ve got the permission slip for the use of West Hall. For the next half a month, it’s ours. Please leave.”

Cecile arrogantly replied, “Don’t you know that the drama department gets priority to use the hall? What good does your permission slip do? The teacher helping us rehearse is our department head and the principal’s daughter. Do you really think you can argue with me over the usage of West Hall?”

Kerri chimed in, “Even if she’s the principal’s daughter, she should still play by the rules.”

Cecile scoffed, “Well, why don’t you go and tell the principal about the rules?”

After saying this, Cecile turned around and continued to direct, “Throw out all the remaining props and costumes.”

Agnes’s team wasn’t about to back down. A heated argument broke out and it almost came to blows.

Just then, Ryder showed up with his backpack.

Seeing Ryder, Cecile immediately put on a big smile and went over to him, “Ryder, why are you here so early? I thought you’d only have time to rehearse in the evening.” Ryder, expressionless, asked, “What’s going on?”

Cecile latched onto Ryder’s arm, “Just some people who don’t know how to behave causing a fuss.”

Kerri lashed out, “Cecile, what the hell are you talking about? Ryder, you came at the right time, you judge.”

Kerri explained in detail about Cecile’s attempt to take over West Hall, including how Agnes went to the school early in the morning to apply for the use of the hall and how they had worked hard to move the props.

Kerri said, “You guys are way over the line! West Hall is a public space of the school, there’s no such thing as special privileges!”

Everyone’s eyes were on Ryder, as if waiting for his judgement.

Ryder had great influence, and he was the only one who could control Cecile.

If he decided to back out, Cecile would have no choice but to comply.

Agnes’s gaze also fell on Ryder’s face.

Even though Ryder and Cecile were on the same team, Agnes believed Ryder was fair-minded.

Agnes didn’t believe Ryder would agree with Cecile’s actions.

Ryder was silent for a moment, and finally looked at Agnes, coldly saying, “You might as well give up. You can’t possibly win the selection, why bother?”

Agnes didn’t expect Ryder to say this.

Others seemed surprised too.

Regardless, everyone knew that Agnes was Ryder’s aunt.

Even just for that relationship; Ryder should help her.

Cecile was also surprised. She hadn’t expected Ryder to openly support her. Smugly, she said, “Agnes, Prince is right. If you admit defeat now, we can forget about our bet. If you insist on going on, don’t blame me for not showing mercy.”

Agnes retorted, “I won’t give up, and I won’t admit defeat.”

With that, Agnes turned to the others, “Let’s move our things to East Hall.”

As she walked away, Cecile’s triumphant laughter followed her, “I’d love to see how long she can hold out!”

Chapter 184

The whole afternoon, everyone was hustling to move props to the East Hall.

Kerri was puzzled, “Why are we just giving in like this?”

Agnes explained, “Even if we stayed and fought, the outcome would be the same. So why should I bust my hump? The principal is running for the position of Cultural Department Head and needs Cecile’s father’s political backing. He’s definitely gonna back her up.”

Kerri fumed, “I’m not angry about Cecile, it’s what Ryder said. Lately, he’s been acting like he’s under some dark spell, totally different. He used to be man of few words, but he could always see right and wrong clearly. I don’t get why he’d side with Cecile this time.”

Agnes replied. “They’re on the same team, helping Cecile is just par for the course. Now, quit whining and let’s clean this place up.”

By the time they finished cleaning the East Hall, it was already evening. Everyone was dead tired.

Agnes had planned to have dinner with everyone, but then Jared called to say that the old manor was hosting guests that evening and wanted them to come back.

Agnes had no choice but to rush back to Maplewood Manor, take a shower, and switch into fresh clothes.

In the cat, Agnes asked, “Who’s Grandpa hosting tonight?”

Jared answered, “He served in the military when he was young.

lung. After retiring, he always valued the camaraderie among his comrades. Tonight’s guest is an old buddy from his military days who’s been living abroad. He couldn’t make it for Grandpa’s birthday, so he’s paying a visit now that he’s back in the country.”

Agnes nodded.

Jared added, “Of course, the key point is that he’s bringing his granddaughter. This is basically a blind date in disguise.”

Agnes was sipping on her juice when she heard ‘blind date’ and almost spat it out.

Agnes asked cautiously, “Blind date? For who?”

Jared found Agnes’ sudden tension amusing, “Who else? Ryder, of course. Who did you think it was?”

It took a moment for Agnes to process.

Because Tim had once arranged a blind date banquet for Jared, Agnes immediately thought of Jared when she heard ‘blind date’.

Agnes said, “Isn’t Ryder the same age as me? He’s only 20 and they’re already setting him up on a blind date, isn’t Grandpa being a bit too hasty?”

Jared said, “He’s a year older than you. Actually, this isn’t really a blind date. Grandpa just wants them to meet and be friends, After all, his aunt is even younger than him, and he’s about to graduate without even a girlfriend.”

Agnes huffed, “He doesn’t see me as an aunt at all. We’re always at each other’s throats.”

The thought of what happened earlier today made Agnes seethe with anger.

Jared picked up on something, “What, you two had a falling out?”

Agnes sighed, “Never mind. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Jared probed a bit more, but Agnes didn’t say much.

She wasn’t the type to talk behind people’s backs.

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She knew that Ryder was prejudiced against her because of his uncle. If he found out she’d been badmouthing him to Jared, their conflict would only escalate.

Soon, they arrived at the brightly lit Whitfield Manor.

As they entered, Jared asked the butler, “Where’s Ryder?”

The butler replied, “He just got home. He’s in his room now.”

Chapter 185

Agnes went upstairs with Jared, giving a nod to Tim as they passed by

They hung out for a bit. Suddenly, the butler popped up, “Sir, your guests have arrived

Tim cracked a satisfied smile, “Jared, come down with me to welcome the guests. Agnes, go fetch Ryder and both of you head straight to the dining room.” Agnes gave a curt nod

Tim and Jared went downstairs.

Agnes was taken aback for a moment, then turned around to find Ryder.

The closer she got to Ryder’s room, the more peeved she felt.

Finally, she stopped at the door.

Agnes took a deep breath, getting ready to knock, but before her fingers touched the door, it swung open.

Ryder was standing there

Agnes froze, hand still hanging in mid-air.

Ryder seemed just as surprised to see Agnes at his door. He paused, then scowled, “What do you want?”

Agnes asked, “Why did you help Cecile today? She was clearly in the wrong.”

Agnes couldn’t hold back her annoyance.

Ryder replied, “I just told the truth. You really didn’t need to waste your energy.”

Agnes was riled up by his words, “So, you’re so sure you guys are going to win, huh?”

I never do anything I’m not confident about.”

*So, you joined Cecile’s team just to help her beat me? Ryder, what did I do wrong? Why are you treating me this way?”

Ryder’s gaze darkened, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Agnes was confused, “Then why are you treating me this way?”

Ryder coldly said, “I just don’t like you.”

With that, Ryder left the room.

Agnes was seething.

When Agnes entered the dining room, the guests had already arrived.

Agnes spotted a girl about her age.

But, her style was totally different from Agnes’. She was wearing a belly-baring tank top and a butt-skimming miniskirt. She was pretty, and her smile was as bright and warm as sunshine.

The girl was trying to chat with Jared in broken local language.

Agnes frowned.

Tim was chatting with his old friend.

Seeing everyone had arrived, he said, “Let me introduce you all. This is my old friend, Wallace George, and his granddaughter, Anna George.”

Anna, full of energy, introduced herself, “I’m Anna, this is my first time in this country, nice to meet you all.”

Her local language pronunciation was pretty rough, sounding a bit awkward.

Wallace explained, “My granddaughter grew up abroad. She’s not really fluent in the local language, but she’s great in other ways. Please bear with her.” Tim said, “Anna is a lively and cheerful girl. I really like her.”

Then Tim added, “Let’s all take a seat and start the meal.”

Anna insisted on sitting next to Jared, clinging onto his arm and chatting away.

The initial plan was to set up Anna with Ryder, but she didn’t talk to him at all, only showing enthusiasm towards Jared.

After a bit, Jared suddenly said, “Let me introduce you. This is my wife, Agnes.”

A noticeable disappointment Bashed in Anna’s eyes, “Wife? She’s your wife? You’re married?”

Her pronunciation was so off that it sounded like she was grinding her teeth as she spoke.

Chapter 186

Jared took Agnes’ hand and announced, “Yes, I’m married”

Anna exclaimed with surprise, “But she looks so young!”

Jared laughed and said, “I just have a thing for young, pretty girls. What’s wrong with that?”

Agnes nearly laughed out loud. He actually said that out loud!

Her mood brightened a lot.

Jared always cared about her feelings.

Alyssa chuckled, “You announce it to everyone you meet. The whole world knows you’re married now, stop bragging.”

From start to finish, Anna and Ryder didn’t interact.

Ever since Jared announced his marriage, Anna seemed a lot quieter.

Ryder was like a ghost, silently eating his food.

Agnes really loved oysters. When there was only one oyster left on the plate, both Agnes and Ryder reached for it.

Agnes paused and withdrew her hand. Ryder took the oyster without any hesitation and put it on his plate.

Alyssa, who was sitting beside them, saw this.

She scolded Ryder, “How could you be so thoughtless?”

Ryder acted as if he didn’t hear her.

Agnes quickly said, “It’s okay, I’m Ryder’s aunt, I should let him have it.”

Ryder’s hand paused noticeably.

Actually, Agnes knew Ryder did it on purpose.

When there were many oysters before, he didn’t eat any, but he just had to fight her for the last one.

Ryder was just unhappy with her, both at school and at home.

Agnes was really angry inside. She knew Ryder was particularly bothered by the fact that she was his aunt, so she decided to suppress him with her status as an elder. Sure enough, Ryder suddenly said, “I’m done eating, I’m going back to my room.”

After finishing his sentence, he got up and left.

Actually, this was not the first time this had happened. Many times before, as long as she was present, Ryder would leave early. The fact that he stayed until the end of dinner today was already quite rare.

The Whitfield family all thought that Ryder was just going through puberty, so they didn’t pay much attention to it.

After dinner-Wallace and Tim were chatting in the study.

Anna took Agnes to chat in the yard.

Jared went upstairs to Ryder’s room.

Ryder was in his room writing a report.

F ༢ ༤ ༢ ༤ ཕནན༤༢

Looking at the professional data on the computer, he felt so annoyed for the first time that he couldn’t even read a single word. Jared walked in. Ryder was surprised, “Why are you here?”

Jared walked over to Ryder and handed him a small rectangular black box, “This is a gift I brought back for you from my last business trip. Ryder opened the box and saw a black fountain pen inside.

Jared asked, “Do you like it?”

Ryder smiled and said, “You’ve shaped my taste since I was young. I like anything you choose.”

Jared casually said. “Then why don’t you like the aunt I chose for you?”

Ryder seemed to pause for a moment. He quietly closed the box.

Casually sitting on Ryder’s desk, Jared calmly asked, “Can you tell me why you don’t like Agnes?”

Chapter 187

Ryder suddenly lifted his head, asking, “Did Agnes tell you I don’t like her?”

“She didn’t say anything, but your actions spoke volumes,” Jared replied.

His dislike for Agnes had been obvious the whole evening.

He even resorted to petty tactics like snatching food.

Knowing Ryder as he did, Jared knew that he had never particularly liked or disliked anyone in his life.

This intense dislike was a first.

Ryder asked coldly, “I don’t get why it’s her. Weren’t you always into Mamie? She’s nowhere as good as Mamie, why would you marry her?”

“Because my heart fluttered, Ryder. If you meet a girl, and the moment you set eyes on her, you feel a jolt like electricity, even your heart starts racing, and you start trembling. That girl is the one for you. That’s my advice.”

“So, you really do like her, right?” Ryder’s eyes dimmed.

“Yes, I love her,” Jared replied.

Ryder lowered his head, his emotions unreadable, and said, “I get it.”

Jared patted Ryder on the shoulder, “Even if you don’t like her, don’t be too harsh on her, got it?”

Ryder just muttered a reply.

The next day.

After breakfast, Jared drove Agnes to school.

Ryder didn’t join them in the car. He had gotten up early, but didn’t have breakfast with them.

The rehearsals went smoothly.

But Cecile kept stirring the pot.

Agnes didn’t mind the daily squabbles.

Until the day before the performance selection.

Agnes had her last rehearsal that night.

As soon as she entered East Hall, everyone swarmed her, saying, “Agnes, we’re screwed.”

“What happened?”

“Our props and costumes have been ruined.”

Agnes went backstage to see for herself.

All the props and costumes had been splattered with paint.

“What the hell happened?”

“Do we even have to ask? Obviously, Cecile is playing dirty, ruining our props and costumes. Tomorrow is the selection, she’s ruthless.”

Vinson said, “She already has the upper hand, why would she do this?

༤ ༩ ༨ ༩ ༑ རྫ ༴ ན ཁྱ ༠ ༤ ་

Kerri retorted angrily, “This way, she’s guaranteed to win.”

Agnes frowned.

The other members were freaking out, asking anxiously, “Agnes, what do we do? Without props and costumes, how can we perform the play? We only had one set of costumes, borrowed from another school and now they’re ruined.”

Kerri said, “I’m gonna confront Cecile.”

Agnes grabbed Kerri’s hand, “When were these costumes ruined?”

“Everything was fine at our rehearsal last night, but this morning they’re like this. I think Cecile must’ve sent someone to sabotage us last night.”

“Do you have any proof?”

“Do we even need proof? Who else could it be?”

Agnes said, “Without evidence, if we rashly confront her, she won’t admit it. She might even turn it around on us, saying we’re framing her because we’re not confident about winning. After all, as Vinson just said, they’re very confident about their performance tomorrow. To outsiders, they wouldn’t need to do this.”

Kerri frowned, “So what do we do now? We can’t just let it go. And without props and costumes, what are we going to do tomorrow? Are we really going to give up?”

Chapter 188

“Y’all keep rehearsing. I’ll handle the wardrobe situation.”

With that, Agnes took off.

‘Agnes, where are you headed?” Kerri hollered after her.

Agnes beelined for Century Entertainment.

She had already given Ivan a ring previously.

So she faced no hurdles on her way up and went straight to the CEO’s office.

Ivan’s secretary, Faye, recognized Agnes: “The boss is in a meeting, just chill here for a bit.”

After waiting less than five minutes in the office, Ivan made his return.

“This is the first time you’ve reached out since we wrapped up the TV series,” Ivan said, entering with a gentle expression and steady stride. Agnes stood up immediately: “Mr. Bartley, there’s a favor I need to ask.”

*Jared is my friend, and you’re his wife. Please call me Ivan.”

Agnes hesitated slightly: “Ivan.”

“What do you need?”

Agnes spilled the beans about her university drama performance.

“You’ve got clout in the industry. I was thinking maybe you could hit up a production crew for some props for us.”

“That’s a piece of cake. Century Entertainment has its own prop warehouse. I’ll take you there later, pick whatever you need.” Agnes breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: “Thanks, Ivan.”

“But I do have a question. Your dad could’ve easily sorted this out too. Why did you come to me?”

“My dad’s been swamped lately. All the stuff with Starlight International Group has been handed off to my stepmom, so…”

In recent years, Preston Pritchard has been dealing solely with investments, leaving all matters of Starlight International Group to Laura.

For Agnes, asking Laura for help was a bigger hassle than turning to Ivan.

Ivan immediately got the picture and didn’t probe further.

Ivan changed the subject: “Since I did you a solid, don’t you owe me one?”

Agnes was taken aback. What could he possibly need her help with?

“If it’s within my power, I’ll do my best.”

Ivan glanced at his watch and said, “It’s almost lunchtime. How about treating me to a meal?”

So it was just a meal. That’s easy.

“Treating you to a meal is the least I can do. What do you feel like eating?”

“I’m craving carbs today.”

Agnes thought for a moment: “How about Italian pasta at Cloud View?”

Cloud View is the city’s swankiest restaurant, known for its famous pasta.

Ivan shook his head: “I don’t feel like going anywhere fancy today. Any homey little diners around?”

Agnes pondered for a moment and then her eyes lit up:

“I know just the place. Right outside our university, I go there all the time.”

Ivan and Agnes walked into Burger Barn on the university’s local food street. “You mean to say you’ve brought Jared here before?”

Agnes looked pretty smug: “Yep, I’ve brought him here. He said the burgers are really good.”

The beef burger came out piping hot.

Agnes suggested, “Better eat it while it’s hot.”

Ivan took a bite, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Agnes asked

Ivan chuckled, “Of course, Jared’s a picky eater. If he says it’s good, then it must be.”

The burger had a homey taste to it, although the beef was of average quality and the excessive seasoning masked the original flavor.

Having grown up with Jared, Ivan knew how picky he could be, especially about food.

This kind of burger definitely wasn’t Jared’s cup of tea.

Jared probably just said it was good to keep Agnes happy.

Agnes grinned from ear to ear. “If it’s good, have some more.”

Ivan responded with a smile, “Sure, you should have some more too.”

Chapter 189

Both of them had a huge meal.

When it came time to pay, Ivan reached for his wallet.

Agnes quickly cut him off, “I told you I’m treating you, a beef burger isn’t going to break my bank.”

With a smile, Ivan put his wallet away and didn’t argue with Agnes.

After eating, Ivan took Agnes to the prop room at Century Entertainment.

It was a massive storage room, pretty much like a prop supermarket.

Rows upon rows of shelves were filled with all kinds of props, from ancient to modern, they had everything.

Ivan helped Agnes pick out props, and they quickly found all the ones they needed.

Ivan called over Faye and instructed him, “Help Ms. Pritchard take these props to her school.”

“Sure thing”

As he finished speaking, Faye suddenly pulled out a small box and handed it to Ivan, “Oh, by the way, Mamie just had her assistant drop this off.”

Agnes was right there at the time.

It was a sleek little black box. Inside was a men’s diamond-encrusted watch. There was also a note in the box. It read, “To my dearest Ivan, Happy Birthday.”

Ivan smiled as he put the watch away.

Agnes was surprised, “Is it your birthday today?”

“Yes.”

Agnes seemed a bit upset, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have treated you to a burger. I should have gotten you something nicer.”

“Having someone to eat with is more than enough for me. Is there a law against having a burger on your birthday? Agnes, I’ve had a great day. Thanks for eating with me.”

Hearing this, Agnes felt a pang in her heart.

This high and mighty Ivan didn’t have anyone to eat with him.

Perhaps on his birthday, he felt even lonelier, which is why he asked her to join him.

Agnes didn’t know what to say, she just said, “Well, if you ever can’t find anyone to eat with, you can call me. I may not have enough money to treat you to fancy meals, but I know all the best eats around here.”

İvan gently replied, “Sounds good.”

Agnes said her goodbyes and left with Faye.

As Faye was driving, he looked at Agnes in the rear-view mirror, a smile on his face.

Agnes asked, “What’s so funny, Faye?”

“You’re the first person, besides Mamie, who’s managed to get a genuine smile out of Mr. Bartley.”

Agnes found this odd. In her mind, Ivan was always a gentle person.

“Why doesn’t Mr. Bartley have anyone to eat with on his birthday? Isn’t it a bit too lonely?”

Faye barely held back a laugh, “Mr. Bartley got hundreds of birthday telegrams today, not to mention phone calls and texts. There are definitely plenty of people who’d love to have dinner with him, but Mr. Bartley is too busy to deal with all the invites.”

“If he’s so busy, why did he have dinner with me?”

“Ms. Pritchard, you must mean a lot to Mr. Bartley for him to take time out of his schedule to have dinner with you and help you find props.”

Mr. Bartley is a man who values his time greatly, yet he took out two hours today to help Ms. Pritchard get props.

Agnes was a bit confused.

She was the one who had dinner with him, how did it turn into him having dinner with her?

But even if Ivan treated her differently, it was probably because of Jared.

They arrived at the school soon after,

Faye helped move all the props into the auditorium.

Kerri and the others were all amazed when they saw it, “Agnes, where on earth did you get such beautiful props and costumes?

Chapter 190

All those old props and costumes from before were practically ancient relics of the school, and many were already damaged.

But everything Agnes brought was brand spanking new and really fancy.

Especially the costumes. It was as if they were custom-made for the characters.

They were a whole lot better than the previous ones.

Agnes said with a smile, “I borrowed these from a friend, so handle with care, guys. I’ll need to return them later.”

Kerri stated firmly, “I’ll stay up all night for guard duty, just in case someone comes to cause trouble.”

Agnes couldn’t help but chuckle, “Alright, I’ll pull an all-nighter with you.”

Vinson suggested, “How about we all stay and take turns on guard duty? We can squeeze in more rehearsal time. After all, the show’s tomorrow. No matter what, we’ve got to give it our all.”

Everyone agreed.

Agnes felt a huge sigh of relief.

At first, staging this play was just a bet with Cecile, a way to vent her frustrations.

But through the past two weeks of rehearsals, Agnes had grown to enjoy the process.

The teamwork, the friendly atmosphere, and their shared goal made it all worthwhile.

2 2 2 2 3 F F No 2, 2 § 2

They all knew the score.

Even with the cool props, they were still behind Cecile in terms of popularity.

Not to mention, Cecile could use Ryder’s fame to hype up her show.

During Cecile’s rehearsals, West Hall was practically trampled underfoot.

And that’s not even mentioning the actual performance day.

But win or lose, Agnes was satisfied that she’d given it her best shot.

Meanwhile, at West Hall.

A group of people were also having their final rehearsal.

Lina from the drama department whispered something to Cecile.

Cecile’s face changed instantly. She clenched her fists and said, “Agnes, you’re quite capable. You managed to dodge this bullet.”

Lina asked quietly, “Should we continue with our plan tonight?”

Cecile scoffed, “Are you dumb? They’ve already been burned once, do you think they’ll fall for it again? No need to do anything else. Even if their props are made of solid gold, they won’t stand a chance against me tomorrow.”

Then she asked Lina, “Did you distribute the flyers I asked you to?”

Lina replied, “Done and dusted. The school notice boards are plastered with our flyers. Everyone knows that anyone who comes to watch our show at West Hall tomorrow will get a souvenir. Don’t worry, West Hall will be packed.tomorrow.”

A smug smile appeared on Cecile’s face.

Lina asked confusedly, “Cecile, we already have a good chance of winning, with Prince Frost and you here. Why did you spend so much on these souvenirs?”

Cecile replied coldly, “You don’t get it. I don’t just want to win, I want to win hands down. I want East Hall to be completely empty, Aghes’ efforts over the past two weeks to. be in vain, utterly destroyed. Have people stationed around East Hall tomorrow. If anyone tries to go in, lure them over with the souvenirs.”

A sly smile appeared on Cecile’s face.

She thought to herself, “Agnes, this time, I will beat you to a pulp, make you utterly humiliated.

I want Prince to see your humiliation, your incompetence, and be completely disappointed in you. And about that bet, just thinking, about you being humiliated in public makes me ecstatic!

I won’t be showing any mercy!”

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