Chapter 137 Becoming the Stepmother of Somebody Else’s Son
“We’ve arrived. We’re looking for a parking spot right now. Don’t worry about us; just focus on getting ready for your concert.”
“Courtney, there’s an open spot there.” Oliver’s voice interrupted what Courtney was about to say.
“Really? Where?” Looking in the direction Oliver was pointing, Courtney hurriedly turned the steering wheel in that direction. “Shay, I can’t talk to you right now. I’ll call your assistant once I finish parking.”
“Okay.” The inside of the car reverberated with Shay’s voice coming from the speaker of the car. It wasn’t easy for Courtney to find an empty parking spot. After Courtney parked the car she borrowed from Cameron, she headed directly to the backstage area where Shay’s assistant had been waiting for a long time. Meanwhile, Oliver held Tina’s hand as he followed behind Courtney.
When the assistant saw Courtney, he breathed a sigh of relief. Hastily leading them to the dressing room, he talked as he walked. “I’m so glad you’re here, Courtney. Shay has been nagging me for over two hours now! He wanted me to wait for you there since noon! He was so worried you might not find the right place.”
Courtney felt a little exasperated. “How could I not find it? Seriously; Shay is looking down on me. It’s his first concert! How can he be so distracted? Who would dare to come again next time if he continues acting like this?”
While they were conversing with each other, she saw two workers carrying props in front of her. They hurried past her like the wind and nearly hit her in the face with what they were carrying. Fortunately, Oliver pulled her back just in time, and both parties avoided colliding with each other.
Shay’s assistant immediately paled in fright and shouted at the two workers, “What are you doing?! Watch it! You can’t afford to damage either this person or the props in your hands!”
“It’s fine; it’s fine.” Courtney quickly smoothed things over.
The corridor was bustling with people making last-minute preparations for the concert. Too many people were running about and too many things were going on at the same time. There was no need to create conflict. Still, she was worried about Tina. Looking back, she wanted to remind Oliver to watch over her child. However, she discovered that he was already carrying Tina in his arms. Moreover, he was carefully protecting Tina so that nothing could touch her.
For a moment, Courtney felt stunned. Her impression of Oliver had always remained the same. It was the first impression she got of him when she knocked him over—the terrified expression on his face when he first woke up in the hospital. Back then, he was like a child seeing the world for the first time. Filled with terror, he had regarded her as his sole support in this entire world. At some point in time, he became an adult even though his memories were not recovered. Perhaps, this is how he originally was. However, she couldn’t help wondering, What sort of environment did this eighteen or nineteen-year-old child grow up in for him to be so mature?
“There are too many people here. Why don’t I bring Tina to the front first?” Oliver’s voice pulled her wandering thoughts back to the present.
“Okay.” Courtney nodded. “Please bring her there first. I’ll head over after speaking to Shay for a bit. It should be almost time for the concert to start soon.”
Shay’s assistant made a sound of agreement as he glanced at his watch. “It’s almost time; the concert will start in less than 10 minutes.”
After that, Oliver carried Tina and went to the seats in front. On the other hand, Courtney followed Shay’s assistant into the dressing room.
“Where’s Shay?” Courtney glanced around the room. The hairstylist, makeup artist, manager, and everybody else were standing outside the room. However, she could not find a familiar face among them.
“He just headed to the restroom. He’ll be back soon,” the manager said. When he saw Courtney, he smiled warmly. “You’re here, Courtney. Have a seat. Why don’t I see Tina?”
“There are too many people in the backstage area. I didn’t want to cause extra trouble for you, so I sent her to the front.”
The team members in charge of Shay’s acting work were quite familiar with Courtney. When Shay was filming for a travel variety show in the past, both Shay’s manager and assistant had followed along throughout the entire journey. Moreover, the entire team especially liked Tina.
Although Alexander always claimed to dislike Shay, the team he prepared for Shay was first-rate. He was also very willing to go all out with publicity efforts. It was only months since Shay first made his debut on a variety show, but the tickets to his solo concert were almost sold out. At that thought, Courtney couldn’t help feeling a glimmer of appreciation growing in her heart. For a while, she forgot about the unpleasant encounter she had during lunch today.
“Miss, you can’t enter—”
“Why am I not allowed to enter? Don’t you know what relationship I have with Shay?”
A sudden commotion outside the room caught their attention. Following the sound of the door opening, a gigantic pink bouquet burst into the room. The size of the bouquet was large enough to cover half the body of the person holding it. Then, a coy female voice rang out. “Surprise, Shay! Congratulations on the success of your first concert!”
“Who is this?” The manager immediately frowned. “A fan? Who allowed her in?”
The security guard that followed this woman until the door looked nervous as he said, “She slipped in when I wasn’t paying attention. Besides, she claimed to be Shay’s sister. We didn’t dare to stop her.”
“Sister?” The manager’s friendly expression was gone. “Shay’s sister is sitting right here. How could another sister pop out of nowhere? Please leave immediately.”
“Courtney Hunter?” When the person behind the bouquet heard what the manager said, she quickly put the bouquet down and revealed her face. As soon as she saw Courtney’s face, her expression instantly changed. “Why are you here?!”
This time, the manager was the one taken aback. Hesitating slightly, he asked, “Courtney, do you know her?”
Courtney leisurely sipped on her tea and smiled perfunctorily at those words. “I guess you can say that.”
From the moment she heard Anna’s whiny voice ring out, she could tell who it was. That voice gave her goosebumps. At the same time, she happily watched the show playing out in front of her. She wanted to see how Anna shamelessly came in without Shay’s invitation.
“I guess you can say that?! What do you mean by that, Courtney Hunter?!” Anna placed the bouquet on a nearby sofa. Looking around, she did not see Shay anywhere and immediately glared at Courtney. “Did you get so used to living outside that you even forgot what your family looked like? What an ungrateful thing you are! Why didn’t you say this to Dad when you asked him for a house?!”
Upon hearing those words, everybody immediately understood who this person was. Then, they gathered closer to each other and whispered among themselves.
“That is that, and this is this.” Courtney glanced at Anna coolly. “You barged in so arrogantly that I honestly did not dare to admit that I know you. I don’t want to bring shame to Shay’s name in the future.”
“You—” Anna was livid. Then, she sarcastically said, “What’s wrong about coming to cheer for Shay?! I grew up with him! How could I bring shame to his name?! You, on the other hand, fled abroad without getting married and came back with a daughter. I wonder whose illegitimate child that is? Did you think that you’ve become successful after getting together with the president of Sunhill Enterprise?! What are you so proud of?! You’re just his son’s stepmother!”
Courtney clenched her fists tightly—what annoyed her the most was other people talking about her child in front of her. Luckily for her, Tina is not here right now. If Tina were here, I would immediately rip her mouth to pieces.
“I don’t believe my private affairs have anything to do with me coming to cheer for my brother, right? Sister.” Courtney spoke up suddenly. Moreover, she emphasized the word ‘sister’. The way she said that word seemed to hold a different meaning behind it. “On the other hand, everybody knows just what kind of feelings you have for Shay, sister. Rushing here to cheer for Shay… Aren’t you afraid that boy toy you have at home might get jealous?”
As soon as Anna heard those words, her complexion immediately turned deathly pale. “What nonsense are you saying?!” How does she know about my personal affairs?!
