Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

354  Lila’s possessed for real!!!

In the living room, Lila stared at the photo frame on the shelf.

She rubbed her eyes hard, thinking she might be seeing things. But no, she wasn't mistaken—the woman in the photo was unmistakably Stella Summers.

Stella Summers, the once-beloved national idol, hailed as the brightest gem of her generation.

So, Ethan is Stella Summers' child?

Lila was stunned. She realized she might have just stumbled upon a huge secret.

But then, something didn't add up.

The ages didn't seem right. Ethan was seventeen, and if she remembered correctly, Stella Summers was only sixteen or seventeen herself seventeen years ago, right at the peak of her idol career. How could she have had a child back then?

Could she have guessed wrong? Lila had no answers.

She recalled that Stella Summers had suddenly retired ten years ago and disappeared from the public eye. But she never expected to be reminded of her in this way today.

Lila looked at the photo of the two of them. Even if Ethan wasn't her child, they must have had some kind of close relationship, right?

And then she remembered what Ethan had asked her to do earlier that morning. Could it mean that Stella Summers was already…?

But Lila stopped herself from thinking any further.

She was curious, sure, but she wasn't the type to pry into other people's secrets. Besides, she and Ethan were close comrades, and she felt it was her duty to keep what she had seen to herself.

Just as Lila was firming up her resolve, she suddenly froze.

She remembered her performance wasn't over yet. She had just run off in the middle of it to satisfy her curiosity!?

Panicking, she rushed back to her computer, only to find that the stage in the livestream had already changed. The real staff were now on stage, giving their closing remarks.

"Ah…"

Lila stared at the screen, then buried her head in her hands in frustration. What did I miss!?

But there should be a recording, right?

She silently prayed that there would be a replay.

It was personally delivered by the president of Jack-o'-Lantern Company. Of course, for something as simple as delivering payment, the president wouldn't normally show up in person.

The real reason was that the president wanted to offer Ethan a contract, confidently stating that the "Lila" he had been standing in for was a dazzling raw talent. He claimed that once she debuted, she would undoubtedly surpass Liam Hudson as the next big star.

Ethan had heard this kind of thing plenty of times before. The president had said the same thing to more than just him.

It was practically Maxwell Sterling's go-to line when trying to sweet-talk people into signing with his company.

The idea was that when someone heard the president of Jack-o'-Lantern tell them they could surpass his company's top star, they'd get excited and sign on the spot.

So, Ethan didn't even bother responding. He just told the president to talk to his "manager," Ethan, if there was any business to discuss.

Then, without sticking around, he grabbed his pay and made a quick exit.

It's worth mentioning that Ethan left through the side door, just as Lila had requested, sneaking out quietly.

Because of this, he didn't run into Sierra or Serena again. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He had forgotten to get Sierra's contact info, and as for Serena, well, he kind of wanted to mess with that little brat a bit more.

Walking from the side door to the road outside the venue, Ethan flagged down a taxi.

Even though taxis in this country were ridiculously expensive, it was getting late.

Plus, after such a long and eventful day, Ethan could feel the exhaustion creeping into his body. He didn't want to deal with any more hassle, so he opted for the easiest way home.

But when he got back to Lila Harper's house…

The moment he stepped through the front door, he saw Lila's parents sitting on the couch in the living room. They were staring at him intently, as if they had something to say.

But Ethan, with his mind set on getting to bed, didn't think much of it. As he passed through the living room, he casually greeted the Harpers.

"Mom, Dad, why are you still up so late? I'm heading to bed. Goodnight."

The Harper couple followed their daughter's movements with synchronized head turns, their expressions growing more and more complicated. It was as if they couldn't believe their daughter was acting like nothing had happened.

Once "Lila" disappeared from the living room, they exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"Should we call Lila down and ask her what's going on?" Margaret asked hesitantly, looking at her husband.

Thomas sighed. "Let's just wait until tomorrow."

Ethan had already given them a heads-up with a reasonable excuse, so the Harpers weren't too suspicious about their daughter coming home late.

But they couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that their daughter had said she was going to work, only for them to see her performing in a livestreamed concert.

Wasn't this "job" a bit too far-fetched?

Margaret had been worried about her daughter not being home yet and was just about to call her when her husband came rushing over, looking shocked, holding the laptop.

And then Margaret saw it too—their daughter, shining brightly on stage. Sure, she was wearing a mask, but how could parents not recognize their own child?

It wasn't until "Lila's" part of the performance ended that they snapped out of it.

So… our daughter's debuted?

Are we going to be the parents of a celebrity!?

The Harpers had imagined this scenario before, but they never thought it would happen so suddenly.

They were so caught off guard that they didn't even know how to react.

…

The next day, June 7th.

It was a Wednesday morning.

When Lila groggily opened her eyes, she suddenly became fully awake.

That familiar ceiling, that familiar feeling.

Yes! This is my body!

Realizing she had finally swapped back into her own body, Lila was overjoyed. She practically jumped out of bed, ready to throw her arms in the air and celebrate her "rebirth."

But the moment she stood up, her expression froze.

"Ah."

Then, her body collapsed straight back onto the bed, and she started twitching.

"Ahhhhhh…"

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts…"

It felt like electricity was coursing through her limbs, like countless needles were piercing her skin.

This unfamiliar sensation—this was the sweet agony of muscle soreness.

What the hell did Ethan do with my body?

Why am I this sore!?

Tears welled up in Lila's eyes as she slowly adjusted to the pain. She struggled to get up from the bed, barely managing to stand.

Her stubborn spirit pushed her to follow her usual routine and head to the bathroom, but the muscle soreness was so intense that it felt like she was crawling across the floor.

Just as she was about to reach the door, it suddenly swung open.

"Lila, are you awake? Your dad and I need to talk to you abou—!!!"

Margaret's words trailed off as she took in the scene before her. Her voice froze.

Her daughter was crawling on the floor, hair disheveled. The sight was nothing short of eerie.

"Uh, Mom…"

Lila, seeing her mother, was both surprised and relieved. She reached out a hand, hoping her mom would help her up, but her voice came out hoarse.

Margaret immediately took two steps back, her face filled with terror. She turned and bolted from the room, screaming in panic.

"Honey! Lila's possessed for real!!!"

"???" Lila was utterly confused.

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