Concealed in the shadows, Jason watched Cole and Elliana’s clasped hands with mixed feelings. He had identified Elliana the instant she stepped into the spotlight. His mask successfully hid his facial expression, but his eyes took on a soft, tender quality as her voice filled his heart with warmth.

Yet, beneath that warmth ran a sharp current of bitterness. He cursed the cruel timing that had brought her into his life so late. If fate had allowed them to meet before Cole entered the picture, would he be the one standing beside her now, holding her hand in front of thousands?

His love for her was profound and all-consuming, but he could never give voice to those feelings. For the remainder of his existence, he was condemned to watch her from a distance—silently, secretly—keeping his devotion locked away in the deepest chambers of his heart.

Behind the stage, the technical crew stood frozen before their monitors, barely able to process what they were witnessing.

“This can’t be real… The actual Stellara is here saving this concert!”

“The musical deity we’ve all been worshipping from afar… She’s been living among us as Lilah this whole time!”

“This feels like hitting the ultimate jackpot! We’re actually witnessing Stellara perform live with our own eyes!”

The entire staff was buzzing with electric excitement.

The manager stared at the screen in pure disbelief and then delivered a sharp pinch to his own arm. The pain confirmed this wasn’t some elaborate dream. Suddenly, he erupted into wild, hysterical laughter. “Unbelievable! Stellara has stepped up to salvage the disaster!”

Emmanuel and Lance stood equally transfixed by the miraculous scene unfolding before them.

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“Cole has to be the most fortunate man who ever lived to call a woman like her his woman,” Emmanuel whispered with genuine envy.

A dopey, star-struck expression spread across Lance’s face. “Elliana is a living legend walking among mortals,” he breathed with absolute reverence.

But among everyone backstage, Taylor was experiencing the most intense emotional reaction of all.

When Taylor witnessed Elliana stepping onto the platform and beginning to perform one of Stellara’s signature pieces, he found himself staring vacantly at the backstage monitor, an amusing notion briefly crossing his mind. Given that Elliana was such a die-hard fan of his, had she perhaps developed her passion for Stellara’s music simply because she discovered his own obsession with the artist?

But this fleeting idea never had a chance to develop fully. Within sixty seconds, he tumbled from his chair as though he’d been struck by an electrical current. How was it possible that Elliana’s vocals were identical to Stellara’s legendary voice? Could Elliana really be that masterful at vocal mimicry—so skilled that she could reproduce every subtle inflection and distinctive quality? Absolutely not. Such perfection was beyond human capability. Nobody could truly embody Stellara’s musical essence.

Stellara’s distinctive vocal quality was completely unprecedented, and her performance methods were entirely her own innovation—absolutely unique and extraordinarily challenging to replicate. No performer had ever managed to successfully copy her style. Every attempt by wannabe imitators resulted in nothing more than cheap, unconvincing parodies.

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