Chapter 10 You Think I’d Ever Touch Your Filthy Hands?
Hearing that, Elsa froze. Slowly, she began walking toward Quinn.
Quinn, seeing her approach, instinctively raised her hand high to keep the USB out of reach.
But she was no match for Elsa.
Within moments, Elsa had her firmly pinned.
“Let go!”
Quinn shrieked and struggled, and the USB fell to the ground with a clack.
She lunged to grab it–but Elsa’s foot landed on it first.
“Give it back!” Quinn snarled, her face twisted in panic. “Or I’ll have Mom and Dad throw you out of—”
The screen behind them lit up.
Surveillance footage rolled.
”
Quinn, wearing a mask, slipping into the judges‘ lounge.
Five minutes later, she hurried out, clutching an envelope stuffed with cash.
The livestream chat exploded.
“Holy sh*t! It really was Quinn!”
“Everyone who dragged Elsa better apologize right now!!”
“You people believed that obvious trash lie? Y’all blind?”
“I don’t get it–why does Quinn hate Elsa so much?”
“Imagine someone stealing your whole life. You think you’d be calm about it?”
“Now this is a real dancer?”
“You’ve all been fooled!”
Quinn was losing it.
+8 Pearls
“Elsa destroyed my entire dance career!” she screamed, her face contorting. “You deliberately taught me the wrong moves! You tore my ligament on purpose so I’d never dance again!
The judge slammed the gavel down, lips tight.
“Witness, control your emotions.”
“Control?” Quinn let out a cold laugh, eyes wild. “And how exactly am I supposed to do that?”
She grabbed a water boule and hurled it at the screen.
“Play the memory! Right now! Let everyone see what this vicious woman did to me!”
Elsa sat quietly at the defendant’s bench.
She felt nothing She’d endured these accusations far too many times already.
If Quinn was so desperate to show the world the truth, so be it.
*As you wish.”
The judge raised a hand, activating the playback.
12:25 PM P
Chapter 10 You Think I’d Ever Touch Your Filthy Hands?
The memory opened on a stormy night.
Inside the Moore family’s second–floor dance studio, Elsa was wiping the floor.
The water stains came from a bottle Quinn had shattered half an hour ago.
“Elsa!” Quinn called out in a saccharine tone from the doorway.
She strolled in, flashing her freshly done crystal nails in Elsa’s face.
+8 Pearls
With a scowl, she tossed a tablet to the floor. “Why do your videos get over a hundred million views while mine can’t even hit a hundred thousand?”
Elsa kept her head down, silently scrubbing the last tile.
She’d had this exact conversation countless times since the night she won the championship.
“Teach me,” Quinn suddenly grabbed her wrist, eyes burning. “Teach me now! I want the trick that’ll make me go viral overnight!
“There are no shortcuts in dance,” Elsa said, yanking her hand back without hesitation. “You can’t even do a basic turn—”
Smack!
A sharp slap echoed through the studio.
Quinn flexed her reddened palm, sneering. “Don’t act so noble. If Mom and Dad weren’t forcing you to teach me, do you think I’d ever touch your filthy hands?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa saw two figures appear in the mirror’s reflection near the door.
Felix and Mandy.
Mandy was holding Quinn’s favorite mousse cake.
“Elsa, Quinn is still your sister,” Felix said coldly. He looked at Elsa the same way he might look at a piece of malfunctioning equipment.
*Starting tomorrow, teach her three hours a day. No-” He noticed Elsa’s swollen cheek and corrected himself. “Start tonight.”
Elsa wanted to refuse.
But the memory of Felix’s cold words silenced her.
“Feet shoulder–width apart.” Elsa stood by the mirror and demonstrated. “The first thing to learn is weight transfer. It’s the foundation for all spins–”
“Ugh! So annoying!” Quinn kicked the yoga block aside.
Hands on her hips, she looked down her nose at Elsa. “I want to learn your most viral move–the aerial flip!”
“Now! Right now!”
Elsa gripped the barre and explained patiently. “That move takes three years of foundation training.”
“Three years?!” Quinn gawked at her, convinced Elsa was just messing with her.
She snatched up her phone and yelled into it. Dad! Elsa says she won’t teach me until I’m fifty! She’s dragging this out on purpose!”
On the other end of the call, something shattered.
Mandy’s shrill voice rang out through the house. “Elsa! We’ve been too kind to you, haven’t we?”
“If you can’t teach Quinn the opening move tonight, you can sleep in the basement!”
12:25 PM P
Chapter 10 You Think I’d Ever Touch Your Filthy Hands?
A
+8 Pearls
11:00 p.m.
In the studio-
Quinn hit the floor for the fourth time.
Furious, she picked up her knee pads and hurled them at the mirror.
“Why do I have to practice these stupid moves?!”
“I’ve never seen you do any of this! You’re hiding all your real tricks!”
“Your pelvis tilts too far forward…” Elsa reached out gently. “If you want to take dance seriously, you’ll have to start with alignment correc—”
“Don’t touch me!” Quinn suddenly screamed. “My ankle!”
“You did that on purpose!”
The door burst open.
Felix stormed in and saw Quinn curled on the floor in tears.
Elsa’s hand hovered just above her ankle.
“What are you doing?!” Felix grabbed the barre and swung it.
Elsa stumbled into the mirror, taking the blow head–on.
“Get Quinn to the hospital, now.”
Mandy came running in with the first–aid kit.
“As for you…” She flung gauze at Elsa’s face. “You’re not going anywhere. Stay here and reflect.”
“Don’t even think about getting up unless we say so!”
The memory shifted to a hospital hallway.
Quinn’s leg was wrapped in a cast, propped up high.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed to Felix and Mandy, “The doctor said… I’ll never be able to dance again….”
Instantly-
The comment stream erupted in fury.
“There’s no saving Elsa after this. She was holding Quinn’s ankle!”
“Knew it. She’s not innocent.”
“She’s a monster. Look how brazen she is!”
“Ungrateful snake. Makes me sick.”
Send Gifts
20
12:25 PM P.
