Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 161

From those first fluttering moments of a young girl's secret longing—captivated by love—to the woman who'd traveled far, seen so much, and dared to dive back into the unknown, Serena's performance was a revelation. The stage shimmered in dazzling blue, and the Masked Mermaid's dress billowed in the breeze, the fabric swirling and flickering like a living, breathing tail of a great fish.

The melody, too, began in hushed tones, low and gentle, then climbed steadily higher and higher, gathering momentum as it soared.

The audience couldn't look away.

Online, the live-stream chat exploded, scrolling so fast it was hard to keep up—

"Oh my god, she's incredible!"

"Seriously, this is a feast for the eyes and ears!"

"Wait, this is Serena? I always thought her songwriting was decent, but her stage presence was just so-so. Is this really her?"

"And she's gorgeous, too!"

"Has anyone else noticed? Her entire look is completely in sync with the stage theme—everything's perfectly matched!"

"I was at one of her concerts before, and honestly, Serena's live shows are always electric. It's just the livestream quality that never does her justice. I kept saying it, but no one believed me, and now I'm just speechless."

That comment from a live concertgoer racked up thousands of likes in seconds.

"Yeah, the video quality just jumped, did anyone else see that?"

"I did! It was just for a second or two, right when the show started. I blinked and it went from looking cheap and grainy to this!"

"People in the audience, is it always this good for you? You guys are so lucky!"

"Trust me, it's even better in person," a live viewer replied.

…

The internet was abuzz, speculation flying in every direction. Behind the scenes, Seven and Joyce directed their teams in a flurry of coordinated chaos, stirring up hype and fueling the fire.

Meanwhile, at the taping of Voice of the Divine—

Vivienne kept her eyes glued to the livestream feed. The Masked Woman had already performed half her set, but the camera still hadn't switched back.

Christian hadn't shown any sign of aggression before, so Wyatt hadn't brought backup. Now, it was too late to call for help.

He'd been outplayed.

Now Vivienne was calling again, and it only made his headache worse.

"I'm dealing with it, aren't I?" Wyatt muttered, brushing her off before hanging up.

"Wyatt, don't you—"

Beeeeep.

Vivienne didn't even get to finish before the call dropped. She was left fuming.

Back on stage, the Masked Mermaid's melody continued its ascent, higher and higher.

She held every gaze in the room, the whole audience spellbound.