Chapter 30

Ever since that sultry jazz night, Sienna had become an overnight sensation. Thanks to Henry's strategy, she was now the hottest dancer at Maze. Many patrons were eager to catch a glimpse of her beauty, willing to pay a premium for the chance. But Henry understood the value of rarity and hadn't agreed to any of the offers. Moreover, he hadn't even revealed her name, referring to her only as Silver Fox.

This piqued the guests' curiosity immensely. Knowing Silver Fox had a performance tonight, the venue was packed, and the revenue was several times that of an ordinary day. “Look, she’s on!” In an instant, all eyes were fixed on the stage. Suddenly, the stage plunged into darkness.

Strangely, the entire venue fell silent; no one made a sound, everyone holding their breath in anticipation. Suddenly, a beam of light shone from above, and a figure in red filled the stage. Then, a Latin tune started, and the dancer began to move.

With a flick of her flowing sleeves and a nimble leap, she looked down at the audience, teasingly raising her eyebrows. Once again, the guests didn't see her face—because she had covered it with a light veil. The stunning entrance left the guests momentarily stunned before they erupted into thunderous applause.

The dance continued. Sienna's supple body swayed like a willow branch. She was also rigged with wires, and with the ebb and flow of the dance music, her light body moved effortlessly. “The dance is truly exquisite,” Thomas complimented. Yosef agreed. “This new dancer at Maze is a cut above the rest we’ve seen before.” The dance itself was a feast for the eyes. Josiah frowned slightly, remaining silent. Cedric, however, said, “Of course. Silver Fox is a graduate of a professional school, not like the amateur dancers we’ve had before.”

“Really?” Yosef glanced at Cedric. “You seem to know quite a bit. So you like her?”

Cedric, being young, blushed under the teasing. “I heard it from other guests; you were too busy talking to hear.”

“Wow!” Suddenly, the guests cheered in unison. Sienna had taken flight, long ribbons swirling around her, making her seem like a fairy descending from heaven! People began to speculate. “Where is she going?” “No idea!” “Come to me, quickly!”

Many guests were on the edge of their seats, even raising their hands high, hoping to touch the hem of the fairy’s dress. However, Sienna flew straight towards the booth opposite the stage—Josiah’s table. Josiah sat still, watching as the beauty flew towards him. It was only when Sienna got closer that she recognized him. Slightly surprised, she didn't stop her routine, swinging her right hand and casting her sleeve towards Josiah.

Josiah instinctively raised his hand to catch it. However, Sienna was faster, whisking it away in a flash. Josiah’s hand closed, leaving only a hint of a subtle fragrance in his palm. Behind the veil, Sienna, unafraid of being recognized, smiled, then turned and flew back to the stage. The crowd began to discuss again. “Who’s that lucky guy?” “It’s the one in the booth above!”

While everyone was still excited, the stage suddenly went dark, and the music stopped. When the lights came on again, Silver Fox was no longer on stage. Josiah still held the same pose, deep in thought. To Thomas and the others, it seemed as if he had lost his soul. Thomas patted his shoulder. “Snap out of it! Come back to reality.”

Yosef laughed. “It seems Josiah has changed. First, he wants to buy a gift for a girl who wasn't Yvette, and then he’s captivated by the head dancer at Maze. Josiah has grown up.”

“Shut up!” Josiah was both embarrassed and amused. However, he couldn’t explain the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat when Silver Fox flung the sleeve towards him, his instinctive holding of breath, and most of all, this familiar sensation he couldn’t quite place.

Sienna danced only once tonight, as usual. The shouts from outside for her to dance another round were relentless, which made her a bit embarrassed. However, Henry didn’t mind. “You only dance once, but in just a few minutes, do you know how much money you’ve made for Maze? Just relax. Once the ‘Toasting Project’ kicks off, you’ll get a cut, all of which you deserve.”

Hearing this, Sienna felt a secret joy. She loved money—who didn’t? If it weren’t for the money, why would she be here dancing? “Clean up and go back to rest,” Henry said. “Okay, Henry,” Sienna replied.

After leaving the manager’s office, Sienna headed towards the dressing room. Unexpectedly, a young man approached her. This was the staff passage, so she assumed he was an employee. By this point, she had already removed her veil. When she crossed paths with the man, Sienna nodded and gave a faint smile.

Suddenly, the man stopped, staring at her blankly and swallowing repeatedly. “Are you… Silver Fox?” Sienna was surprised. “You’re not a Maze employee?”

Cedric had recognized her. “It’s me. Last time, you dropped your key pouch; I found it and returned it to you, remember?” With his reminder, Sienna remembered. “Ah… it’s you.” Her memory wasn't the best, but she could still recall recent events. “Why are you here? This is the staff passage,” Sienna asked.

Cedric scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “I… I rarely come here. I’m not familiar with the place. I was looking for the restroom.” Sienna gave him directions. “You go out this door, straight, turn left, then right, and when you look up, you’ll see the sign.”

“Okay, thanks,” Cedric said, reluctant to leave, looking back three times with every step. “By the way,” Sienna stopped him. “What is it?” Cedric immediately turned around, smiling at her. Sienna couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me. It’s our manager’s marketing strategy, please.”

Cedric nodded repeatedly. It was their secret. “Alright. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’m leaving, goodbye,” he said. “Goodbye,” Sienna smiled at him again. This smile was like a hundred flowers blooming; everything came to life. Even after walking a great distance, Cedric still had her smiling face before his eyes.