Chapter 31 I’m Not Crying
But voices like that were far too few; in the blink of an eye, they were drowned out by the flood of blessings pouring in for John and Elsa.
Later, the videos and screenshots Lily posted online were all taken down. It was as if everyone had simply forgotten that Elsa had shamelessly stolen the wedding dress Lily had sewn by hand.
Seeing all the online praise so one–sidedly directed at Elsa, Lily couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. How amusing.
John had power and pull. With his backing, Elsa could be painted as the picture of innocence, even after being the other woman. When a man really loves you, he’ll bend over backwards, walk through fire, move mountains if he has to. But if he doesn’t, then it doesn’t matter how much of your heart you lay bare; he’ll make you feel like you brought it on yourself.
She wished John and Elsa would be stuck with each other forever–and stop dragging anyone else down.
What man with a changed heart would ever matter more than food? Lily didn’t want to let her mood be ruined. She stopped reading the news and focused on getting herself together, then went downstairs for dinner.
She had barely eaten all day.
After downing a big bowl of porridge and two steaming hot pepper–and–ham meat pies, she finally felt alive again.
“Lily?”
She had just stepped out of the restaurant when a bright, cheerful voice called out.
But she didn’t recognize the voice, so she figured whoever it was hadn’t meant her and didn’t bother turning around.
To her surprise, that person stepped right in front of her.
When she looked up, she was met with a sunny, boyish face that was strikingly handsome.
Once he got a clear look at her, his smile grew even wider. “Lily, it really is you! I’m Ivan–James‘ little brother!”
Lily had never interacted with Ivan before, but she certainly knew about her fiancé, James–the man still in a coma.
In just over ten days, she’d be getting their marriage certificate. After that, she’d be moving into the Luke family home.
She’d been worried about whether the Luke family would be hard to get along with, so facing Ivan now made her a little nervous. But then she caught the respect and warmth in his eyes.
Their gazes met, and that unsettled heart of hers slowly eased back into place.
*Lily, have you eaten? Let me treat you.”
“I just finished.”
As soon as Lily spoke, she turned to head back to the hotel. She honestly had no idea what to talk about with her future brother–in–law.
“Lily, I‘
Ivan had hoped to use dinner as a chance to talk about something.
But now that she’d already eaten, he anxiously ran his fingers through his dyed yellow hair, again and again.
Just as it looked like he might actually tear out that tuft on top of his head, he finally spoke, a bit awkwardly. “I wanted to ask
you for a favor. I… accidentally overheard your voice acting as “Tinker Bell‘ once. I really liked your tone and delivery. Lily, I’ve just finished making an animated movie–Born Defiant. Would you be willing to voice ‘Blaze‘?”
“Born Defiant“?
Lily froze in disbelief.
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Chapter 31 I’m Not Crying
+8 Pearls
“Born Defiant” told the story of three rebellious youths in the Celestial Court, banding together to fight the injustice of the heavens.
She’d read “Born Defiant” back when it was just a comic. Never in a million years did she think this legendary, god–tier series would actually get the animated film treatment.
No question-“Born Defiant” was a major franchise.
What she didn’t expect was for a golden opportunity like this to land in her lap.
And yet, Ivan looked genuinely worried she might say no.
He scratched his hair again, even more self–conscious now. “Actually, I’ve auditioned a bunch of voice actors recently. But none of them really nailed it for me. It wasn’t until I heard your performance as ‘Tinker Bell‘ that I felt it-‘Blaze‘ should sound just like that. Lily, will you help me out?”
Usually, in front of his family, Ivan came off as a little over–the–top, kind of a goofball, even a bit adorably clueless. But when it came to his beloved anime work, he was dead serious–meticulous, even.
He didn’t want a single flaw in “Born Defiant“. Worried she might say no, he added quickly, “Don’t worry about the pay, will 140,000 dollars work?”
Lily still couldn’t believe it was real.
Lately, anytime she landed even a halfway decent gig, Elsa would swoop in and take it from her.
She’d been voicing tiny background roles–for a whole project, she might earn a thousand bucks.
She never imagined someone would offer her a chance like this. And that opening offer–140,000 dollars–was sky–high by voice acting standards.
It was the first time anyone had ever offered her that kind of money. Lily felt a bit guilty just thinking about it.
She stayed quiet for so long that Ivan assumed she thought the pay was too low.
Ivan mumbled to himself, “Is 140,000 dollars too little? Right, of course it is. You’re my sister–in–law! How could 140,000 dollars match your value? I can add more, I…”
“I don’t think it’s too little.”
Just holding the thought of 140,000 dollars made Lily feel guilty–she definitely wasn’t going to let Ivan add more.
After a pause, she went on, “I’d be happy to voice ‘Blaze. I just think we should do a voice test first. After all, ‘Tinker Bell‘ and “Blaze have completely different personalities and backstories. Even if I give it a try, you might not end up liking it.”
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