After the friend request was accepted, Ivy Holden sent a file to Jessica Tyson.
“Ms.
Tyson, here are a few small suggestions for your show, *Song of Time*.
Please take a look.
If you feel they’re useful, we can talk.”
At first, Jessica Tyson paid no mind to Ivy Holden’s words.
In her eyes, these so-called suggestions were just a bargaining chip from the presumptuous young woman before her.
The show hadn’t even aired yet.
Not even she, the producer and a key member of the preparatory team, could predict its reception.
‘How dare this girl offer suggestions for my program?’
The document was just over two thousand words.
Jessica Tyson skimmed through it in less than five minutes, but her brow furrowed when she finished.
She couldn’t help but read it a second time.
This time, it took her fifteen minutes.
Ivy Holden calmly sipped at her margarita, finishing the drink little by little as she patiently waited for Jessica Tyson to speak.
“Have you seen our planning proposal?” A dark look crossed Jessica Tyson’s face.
Though Ivy Holden’s document was only two thousand-some words, the five suggestions she raised were all major points of uncertainty for the show.
In fact, three of them were critical issues that had just been brought up for resolution in the preparatory team’s meeting that very morning.
Not only did this girl know about them, but she had also provided viable solutions.
“Since you have a mole on our team, why bother coming to me?” Jessica angrily set down her phone, picked up her glass, and downed the contents in one go before irritably brushing the bangs from her forehead.
“Why would you say that, Ms.
Tyson?
How could I possibly know anyone on your preparatory team?”
“Your suggestions are too specific.
Even if you’d seen the proposal, it’s unlikely you could have identified these issues on your own.
If someone from our team hadn’t discussed them with you, how could you possibly have produced this?” Jessica Tyson demanded, rapping her fingers on the table.
Ivy Holden smiled and shook her head.
“You’ve misunderstood, Ms.
Tyson.
I was in my grandfather’s study yesterday and happened upon the invitation your team sent him.
A copy of the proposal was attached.
I wrote these suggestions after giving it careful consideration.
Of course, if you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.
But you’re the one who personally assembled your team.
Surely you know what they’re like?”
At these words, some of Jessica Tyson’s suspicion and anger began to fade.
“Of course, I did my homework for a reason.
I was just wondering if you’d be willing to give me a chance, Ms.
Tyson.”
Jessica Tyson smiled.
“Alright then, let’s hear this purpose of yours.”
“I want to be on your show,” Ivy Holden said, looking Jessica Tyson straight in the eye.
“You?” Jessica Tyson stared at Ivy Holden in disbelief, as if hearing a joke.
“Yes.
I want to make my debut on your show,” Ivy Holden replied, maintaining a polite smile.
“From what I understand, you’re a budding author, not a singer.
The two don’t exactly go hand-in-hand.
Even if I were to agree, you wouldn’t make it past the preliminary auditions.” Jessica Tyson’s expression hardened.
She was furious at Ivy’s unreasonable demand.
Just because Edison Holden might decline their invitation to be a special guest didn’t mean she would let her passion project be used as a plaything for some rich kid.
“I understand what you’re saying, Ms.
Tyson.
I wasn’t clear enough.
What I mean is—I’m asking you for a chance to compete in the preliminary auditions.
Is that possible?”
Jessica Tyson stared at Ivy Holden, saying nothing.
In theory, she wasn’t worried about just a preliminary audition—if Ivy had no talent, she’d be eliminated.
Jessica could still score some points with Carson Holden, or even Edison Holden.
But she still had her reservations.
Two of the three judges they had lined up were former students of Edison Holden.
If his granddaughter went on stage, would they go easy on her?
If Ivy’s identity was later revealed, the show would be dragged through the mud the moment it premiered.
As if reading her mind, Ivy Holden put down her glass and stood up.
“Ms.
Tyson, just give me a moment.” With that, she walked directly toward the bar’s small stage.
As the scion of a musical dynasty, Nathan Rowan had music in his blood.
The bar might look unassuming, but its sound system was first-class.
Before stepping onto the stage, Ivy Holden casually grabbed a guitar.
As she settled into her seat, she smiled, nodded at the nearby DJ, and said, “*Grandma’s Bay*, please.”
The DJ gave Ivy a quick “OK” sign.
Ivy cradled the guitar, raised her hand, and plucked the strings.
A clear, tinkling melody flowed from her fingertips, and the chatter in the bar slowly died down.
“The evening breeze softly blows o’er Grandma’s Bay, where white-capped waves come chasing on the sand.
No coconut trees to grace the setting sun, just an endless sea of ocean blue…”
Her voice, soft and gentle with a slightly husky quality, was like a soft croon, yet also like an intimate confession.
She somehow managed to transform the cheerful old ballad, infusing it with nostalgia, a touch of reluctance, and a hint of melancholy.
Jessica Tyson, who had been completely dismissive just moments before, slowly sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing as she watched the girl in white on stage.
Twenty is a young woman’s most radiant age.
But this Ivy Holden was different from other girls her age.
Before she’d stepped on stage, she had been pretty, but not dazzlingly so.
The moment she began to sing, however, her entire presence transformed.
Perhaps it was the stage lighting, but as Ivy Holden sat there singing with her guitar, she was like a Queen of the Night flower slowly blooming in the darkness.
You didn’t dare to blink, afraid that in that single moment of inattention, she would wilt and vanish, never to be found again.
Jessica Tyson felt a faint ache in her heart.
When the song ended, the bar remained silent.
It was Jessica Tyson who broke the spell, clapping first.
Only then did everyone else seem to wake from a trance and join in the applause.
Ivy Holden rose, bowed deeply to the patrons, and then gave a respectful nod to the DJ before walking off the stage.
Jessica Tyson watched Ivy Holden take her seat opposite her again.
She shook her head.
“Your voice is good, but your style is too gentle.
It isn’t suited for a competitive live broadcast.”
“I’m only asking for a chance to compete,” Ivy Holden said with a sincere smile.
Jessica Tyson gave a nod, granting Ivy Holden’s request.
Then she shook her head and sighed.
“It would probably be better if you weren’t Carson Holden’s daughter.”
Ivy Holden nodded in agreement.
“I don’t want the production team to use that for publicity, either.
I’m a complete novice in this industry, and a background like mine could easily attract negative attention for the show.
I don’t mind what happens to me, but if it affects the broadcast, I’d be to blame.”
“It’s so much easier talking to someone who gets it.
In that case, I’d say we have an agreement.” Jessica Tyson extended her hand to Ivy Holden.
“Thank you for this opportunity, Ms.
Tyson.” Ivy Holden took Jessica’s hand with both of her own.