351 Lillian Grey is special!

Giselle appeared taken back from Lia's light as if there was no trace of any dreary playing in her gaze any more. Ethan got equally surprised as he froze in his seat. Gigi enthusiastically recorded without missing any beat of the stage play. Melanie and Eric held each other's hands in awe, feeling proud of their little granddaughter shining on the stage.

Lia performs her scene well, appearing elegant and graceful in her attire while delivering her lines to resemble her character description. It wasn't the main character, but everyone enjoyed seeing Lia play the young lady and sympathized with her character's concern.

Amid the moment where everyone associated with the young lady, there was one brewing storm in his mind.

Ethan's concern grew dark when he saw Lia acting precisely like an engaged woman, so much that it made him feel anxious.

"Oh, this is not good!" he muttered flatly.

"What?" Both Gigi and Giselle reacted at the same time.

Ethan was watching the scene when the engagement broke up to have the young lady find another guy eventually to get married and settle down happily.

"Lia- is going to- grow up, right?"

The ladies nodded in unison to relate while still wondering where his words are aiming.

"S- She is going to- want- to h- have a lover-"

Gigi and Giselle instantly realized his course of thought.

"She would- want to date-"

Gigi shook her head in disinterest, resuming her role, which was going flawlessly already. Even with her head turned, she had kept a steady hand, focusing the camera on Lia and her scene. Returning to her post, she turned deaf ears to Ethan's worries.

Meanwhile, Giselle couldn't help but join him into thinking alike.

As words faltered while leaving his mouth, one after the other, Ethan's face filled with agony, thinking that his little daughter is going to grow up one day, fall in love, wishing to date someone, etc. His good mood was falling apart.

"Welcome to our world!"

Eric's voice resounded from the front suddenly.

Melanie chuckled to add, "Yes! It is very complicated, but it is worth to watch your children grow."

Just as Melanie and Eric left their comment, Ethan saw Lia's partner sticking closer to her on the stage. The scene went like this:

Scoorge, the main protagonist, who lost his fiance, saw her married to another guy to settle down happily as a family.

To show how the young lady's life evolved through acting, Lia and her partner acted like lovebirds, happy, and cheerful, which made the father rage inside.

"Calm down, man. You are overreacting!"

Eric smirked at Gigi's remark.

"Calm down! That little boy should be the one to calm down!"

Ethan went on to sneer at the little boy, studying to remember his face until the scene ended eventually, relieving the father from his madness.

Lia left the stage as the second act ended to move to third.

Ethan finally sighed as if he had been fighting a critical battle simultaneously as Lia performed.

The story advanced, and everyone continued to watch.

As soon as he came out of his distress zone, Ethan broke out to a grin, praising his daughter's impeccable performance. Giselle saw him show a range of emotions for such a little time. She left him alone while turning to watch the rest of the play. Her mind still bothering with Lia's bright appearance, wondering if she wasn't concerned with Lillian's absence or not.

***

Taking the final step while leaving the stage, Lia ignored all to rush towards Lillian.

The last-minute surprise made her extremely pleased. Because of the play, she couldn't move to meet Lillian Grey. Thus, when her scene ended, at last, she walked off the stage in grace, before racing to see the special guest.

"Ms. Lillian!"

"You came!!"

"Ms. Lillian!"

Lia whispered to rejoice as she sprinted. Her classmate, who got paired up with her in the scene, became startled to see Lia take off like a rocket and disappear in an instant.

Lillian was waiting in the same spot and saw little Lia shooting towards her. Her face lightened, and naturally, she opened her arms to welcome the child into her embrace.

Lifting Lia to a height she could endure, Lillian soon brought her down, still holding her close in her arms. After realizing how long they remained like this, Lia began to feel shy, nudging to release her.

Lillian refused. Holding on to Lia tightly, she remarked playfully,

"Wow, Lia is a healthy baby!"

Lia blushed from the comment to immediately fight back, declaring that she is not a baby anymore.

"I'm sorry! You look small and adorable, so you are a baby in my eyes," Lillian returned, laughing merrily.

Lia's lips turned to pout longer, and realizing the position she put the child through, Lillian saw how many threw a glance at them. Slowly, she bought down Lia and gave her freedom. The least she wanted is for someone to recognize her and start a whole commotion.

Lia dusted of the wrinkles on her dress, quickly regaining her posture. It was only Lillian who kept an eye around cautiously while Lia had forgotten her surrounding already.

"Did you see me? Did you? Did you see me act?" Lia's attention followed to a series of inquires as she wanted to hear Lillian's praise.

Lillian nodded to praise her indeed.

The joy of hearing such approval made the little girl happy. The two returned to watch the rest of the play, sticking closer together as they did.

They smiled, sympathized, and connected with the actors, and the kid who played the main character performed splendidly. Even Lia, who only had a small part, saw the guy shine truly under the spotlight. With his talent, he moved the audience to follow him intently as act three went on.

"Do you think everyone liked my performance, Ms. Lillian?" Lia suddenly asked, feeling insecure.

Lillian's attention was on the play, but when heard Lia, she could imagine why the child had such doubts.

"I don't know about the others, but your mother would be crying happy tears while you gave your father a mini heart-attack!" Lillian replied.

Lia's face tensed dubiously. She wondered if a simple stage play could cause heart-attacks.

"Why?" she still dared to ask.

"Hmm, let's see, because you will grow up soon," Lillian replied.

"Is growing up something you should be scared of?"

As soon as Lia asked such a profound question, Lillian's gaze was all up on her, focused. She then sighed to loosen herself.

"For most of them, yes! Because it means you can no longer give excuses like you're only a child. Adults have responsibilities. If you fail, they will tease you. If you succeed, then they will praise you,"

"Who is they, Ms. Lillian?"

"They? Everyone else other than you- it could be your parents, relatives, friends, strangers, so on-"

Lia pondered on Lillian's words for a while as she watched the play in silence.

The third act ends to dive into the fourth.

They had a brief break to get the actors and the stage ready. Lillian, who had kept silent, resumed talking.

"Your father- since he saw you dress like a beautiful woman, he must have gotten terrified into thinking that you will grow up soon to find your love. And that is what I meant when I said you gave him a scare!" Lillian explained.

With a quick chuckle, she added, "Are you excited to find your love, Lia?"

"No!" Lia sternly dismissed the idea.

"Why?"

"I want to be with mom and dad and everyone," she added stubbornly.

"What if you meet an adorable boy?" Lillian grilled.

"I will be friends with him!" Lia countered.

"What if he wants to be more than friends?" Lillian bites the bullet to risk her chance.

"More than friends? What is it, Ms. Lillian?"

Lia appeared dazed.

Lillian bites her tongue in shame as she held back from spilling more on the subject that was alien to the little girl. Despite everything, Lia is still a kid who doesn't know anything about romance, let alone how it works between adults. Lillian stopped herself from enlightening the child at such a young age, imagining Giselle's wrath if she gets caught. She shall wait for some more years before having a chat like that.

"No! There isn't! Nothing is greater than family or friends!" Lillian signed peace to settle.

Meantime, Act four started as the main character gets visited by the third spirit, the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, where it shows a harsh reality of the future.

Scoorge, who showed more care to wealth, lost his precious bonds. The ghost revealed him the image of the old guy dying alone without no one to mourn for his passing.

Seeing the play as they did before, this time, it was Lillian who became curious.

"When- you said," she began as found Lia's focus shifts to her. It made Lillian rethink her decision, yet part of her yearned to ask.

"Y- You said you want to be with your mother, father, and everyone. D- Does that include m- me in e- everyone-" Lillian asked, controlling herself from doing such a ridiculous act she could hardly imagine herself to do.

Lia smiled to disagree strongly.

Lillian's face blew up in a big concern, worried if her heart is going to sink from hearing little Lia's cold rejection.

"No, Ms. Lillian doesn't belong to everyone!"

Which also means that she certainly won't be the mother or father. Although this response made Lillian heave a sigh, she couldn't help but feel tense. Lia had already said her answer to return to watch the play.

"Ms. Lillian is special!" Lia added coolly to glimpse from the corner of her eyes.

What she saw made her imitate!

Lillian Grey revealed a little smile as her lips curved upwards from satisfaction.

"So, does that mean now, Ms. Lillian will also worry that I'll grow up?" Lia asked eventually.

"Of course, I do!"

Surprisingly, Lia's face fell to a sulk.

"What happened? You don't want me to worry about you?" Lillian asked.

"If everyone worries for me, then who will be there to go along with me?"

It seems fair from the little girl's perspective. If everyone worried about her, then there will be no one left to go along with her. Lillian admitted to her argument, agreeing to become that person who would do that for little Lia.

However, Lillian also vows to tell, in any case, if Lia does wrong, then she would switch sides to support.

Seeing how an adult's mind worked, Lia gets frightened but consents to the idea as it sounded reasonable.

Act four ends as well to enter the final act when the main character goes through redemption by correcting his mistakes. He starts by doing a good deed, donating his wealth to the needy, and finally accepts people into his life.

Out of all the acts, stage five was more substantial as it left the audience speechless and in tears. They clapped and cheered for Scoorge's change of heart and his newly found compassion.

The play soon reaches its end. Lia received the signal to join the stage with her classmates.

"Wait for me, Ms. Lillian! I'll be back," Lia spoke as she hurried to join her friends.

Lillian resigned, leaning against the wall as she obeyed Lia to wait patiently.

The sound of hard claps echoed inside the auditorium as every parent's face filled in delight. Some even stood up to show their appreciation. The boy who portrayed the main character, Scoorge, received loud cheers from his family as they celebrated the child's excellent acting.

Meanwhile, Lillian's presence backstage finally started to make a fuss as people now began to wonder who it was. Some could notice her features to guess vaguely.

Soon, it turned to hot gossip as Lillian sensed the rising tension from the receiving stares. She put her glasses back on to cover herself, but it was too late as a few staff surrounded her already to throw questions randomly.

Lillian dodged every single one of them with a standard response, trying her best to stay disguised as long as she can when a single command stopped everyone from attacking her.

Lillian's gaze lifted from the ground to follow the voice and found an aged woman. Her stance revealed the power she holds as the people who bothered her a second ago became silent.

"What's with the noise? The play just ended!" Mrs. Beth inquired, taking a look.

She found a mysterious figure representing that of her gender swarmed by the school staff. Lillian's entire figure stiffened at the tone.

The huddled group stuttered as they shared their concern, making it sound like a complaint to the vice-principal of the school. However, Mrs. Beth did not get fazed by their chants and kept a calm face. Moreover, she never spared any look for her staff but only studied Lillian Grey in silence.

Shortly, Mrs. Beth helped Lillian with their pursuers, and the group dismissed following her command.

"Thank you!" Lillian gasped for some air, return to lean against the wall in relief.

"I don't want anyone to know I'm here. Thankfully, you stepped in to save me!" Lillian added in ease.

Mrs. Beth never responded once and only had her eyes fixed on Lillian.

Lillian soon felt the tinge of the woman's gaze firmly stuck on her. She stood straight to cough twice, awkwardly.

Just as she wished to escape from this piercing watch, Lia returned, shouting her name.

"Ms. Lillian!"

"Ms. Lillian!"

"I'm back!"

This time her voice grew audible.

Mrs. Beth's fixed eyes fluttered to the call, as her lashes extended to take a closer look. Once confirmed to the live gossip, she found herself speechless.

Lillian returned to greet Lia and was planning to flee with the little girl at once when Lia already saw Mrs. Beth.

Lillian never knew of the relationship they shared and was expecting Lia to follow her. However, the child remained idle, still smiling brightly at Mrs. Beth.

"Mrs. Beth! You're here! Wait- did you see the play? How was I?" Lia's attention focused somewhere else, shocking Lillian.

Mrs. Beth returned the smile to pat Lia's head, praising her good looks as well as her performance. Feeling satisfied, she now remembered calling for Lillian. Before she could turn back to utter a word, Mrs. Beth took command herself.

"So, you are Lillian Grey? The author!" she asked, now appearing confident.

Lillian took time to acknowledge and nodded lazily.

Mrs. Beth finally showed her a smile that disappeared in a flash.

"It's my pleasure to meet you! I'm assuming you are here- for" Mrs. Beth glanced at Lia and then spoke, "I believe you are here for Lia, is that so?"

Lillian returned the gesture to admit.

Lia remained quiet as the adults conversed.

Mrs. Beth did not take too much time as she advised Lillian to use her name in case if people began to bother her later. Lillian Grey was equally surprised when she heard this, but considering that the person who gave her permission is none other than the vice-principal, she had no choice but to concur.

Soon, Mrs. Beth left the scene to oversee the audience.

"Ms. Lillian!" Lia called.

Lillian resigned again, for two reasons. She had no clue how this person appeared out of nowhere to save her. It seems to be strange in her eyes. Nonetheless, seeing that the person meant no harm, even providing her assistance, Lillian chose to overlook everything. Her attention returned to the child as another concern stood in front of her.

"Lia? You do know that I am not your teacher, right?"

Lia nodded flatly, still confused.

"Then why do you keep calling me, Ms. Lillian! Ms. Lillian?"

"Because-"

Both Lia and Lillian fell quiet for sometime before Lillian dared to make amends.

"There is a nickname for me, which I only let people close address me by that name,"

Lia's eyes flare up in interest.

"I will only tell if you promise me to use it!"

Lia hesitates, but the eagerness to hear the nickname for Lillian made her yield.

"Hmm-" she agreed.

Lillian grinned.

"From now on, you should call me-"

Lia's eyes widen to hear but soon shrunk to its fear.

"I- can't call you that!"

Lillian's smile vanished to a frown.

"What? But Lia said she would do!!!"

"But Lia can't call Ms. Lillian like that. Mother will scold me!"

"Giselle won't-" Lillian firmly reassured.

Lia hesitates, sternly refusing Lillian's intention.

"Fine," Lillian finally exclaimed.

Lia's fears dissolve lightly in relief, hearing it. She kept her head lowered, still feeling uneasy as Lillian watched her.

"Fine! Then, call me, Lillian. Don't add any 'Ms.' before that! I don't like it!"

Lia returned to gloom as her thin smile froze again.

"Come on, that is doable, right?"

Lillian kept pressing until Lia couldn't escape, ultimately surrendering.

Lia's pout reappeared on the surface. Lillian smirked softly to lean down to reach the little ears, which were turning pink from Lillian's pressuring.

"You can still call me Lilly when it's only us! Just a suggestion!" she softly whispered as Lia flinched to blush.

Following the stage play came the announcement for the dance show. Hearing the news made Lillian return to her post in full excitement. Since the stage play had left the audience affected, everyone was looking forward to seeing the children dancing.

Listening to the announcement made Andy jump in laughter as she pointed at Jessica, commenting teasingly,

"Is this the performance you got kicked out, Jessica? Here I was, looking forward to seeing you dance! Haha-"

Jessica's face flared in embarrassment. She did volunteer to participate in the dance team. However, from seeing her move so stiff like a robot, the dance teacher tried his best before politely rejecting Jessica, leaving her to join Andy in the audience.

When shared the humiliation, thus began Andy's teasing, leading to numerous bickerings, including the one they had before the program.

Earlier she was able to fight back, but right now, seeing her classmates, in front of whom she exerted her dancing skills, take the stage, Jessica sunk to her seat, only peeking her head out to watch. Their parents silently watched over them with a smile, hushing Andy to discontinue teasing and cheer Jessica.