Ellinor just ignored her and continued on her way Haillie, stomping her heels in annoyance, caught up and tried to stop her, âEllinor, you canât have Theo, and you canât have Balfour either! With your poor background, the best you can hope for is to marry some rich guy from a small town. Donât be under any illusion that one day you could marry into a wealthy family! Can you get real and stop eyeing me and Patriciaâs boyfriends?â
Without hesitation, Ellinor nodded, âSure, I promise. Can you move now?â
Haillie was taken aback, feeling like she had thrown a punch into thin air. âEllinor, whatâs with your attitude?â
âI agreed to your request, arenât you satisfied?â
âHaillie, Ellinor, what are you guys arguing about?â
Patriciaâs gentle voice interrupted them.
Ellinor and Haillie both turned towards the source of the voice.
They saw Patricia dressed in gorgeous clothes and heavy makeup, almost absolutely unrecognizable.
Haillie said, âPatricia, arenât you about to perform for old Mr. Bagley? Why are you here?â
Patricia replied. âHaillie, Iâm so nervous. I wanted to go to the bathroom before going on stage. I heard your voice when I came out, so I came over to check. Why are you and Ellinor arguing?â
Haillie shot a glance at Ellinor, not wanting to upset Patricia before her performance, so she said, âPatricia, itâs nothing. We were not arguing. You should focus on your performance now!â
âThatâs good!â Patricia smiled and turned to Ellinor, âEllinor, Iâm going to perform on stage now! This is the gift Iâve prepared for my grandfather, and Iâve been practicing for a long time! Ellinor, how do you like my outfit?â
Ellinor looked at her and smiled slightly, âMm, it suits you.â
Patricia had always loved acting, so she should be good at singing too.
âReally? Theo also said I look prettyâ Patriciaâs eyes were full of joy. âEllinor, letâs go! Iâm about to go on stage now. Would you and Haillie like to come and listen?â
Ellinor naturally had no interest in going, but Haillie didnât want to disappoint her friend, so she decided to accompany her. She shot a glance at Ellinor, then took her by the arm and led her away, âLetâs go!
Patricia invited you, donât refuse!â
The last sentence was whispered into Ellinorâs ear so that only she could hear it.
Haillie actually didnât want Ellinor to wander around alone at the Bagleyâs and snoop around. So she made sure to keep her close to prevent her from getting near Balfour. She felt safer with Ellinor in her sight.
Ellinor frowned, not wanting to go, but now that she was on Haillieâs radar, she couldnât snoop around the Bagleyâs anymore, so she didnât resist.
As the three girls were descending the stairs together, Patricia suddenly tripped and tumbled down the stairs.
âPatricia Haillie cried out in shock, rushing down to help her, âPatricia, are you okay?â