Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)
Chapter 516

"Alright, Astar," Parrish grumbled, not caring that they were in the middle of a live show. He voiced what was nagging at him, "Having someone like Karin on our show is odd enough, but I can't quite put my finger on what's off about her. This whole vibe is just awful. Annoying, so annoying."

Silence fell.

As Parrish muttered to himself on his way back, everyone was gearing up to leave.

Clyde was carrying Karin's backpack, and she stood next to him with a smile, the two of them sharing a joke.

When Astrid approached, Karin greeted her with a cheer, "Astrid, we've been waiting for you for ages."

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Let's hit the road," Astrid said, reaching for her backpack. But Elio and Nathan each grabbed a strap.

Nathan said, "Let go, she's my responsibility."

Elio retorted, "No need to trouble yourself, Nathan. This is my job."

Nathan snapped, "What job? No one acknowledges you. Let go!"

Karin suddenly covered her mouth with a giggle, "Astrid, you're quite popular, aren't you? Two handsome guys ready to throw down for you. I've never seen Leo act so juvenile."

The nickname 'Leo' made Elio's skin crawl and his expression darken, "Karin, this is the last time I'm warning you. Don't call me Leo."

"If you don't like it, I'll stop," Karin replied, her eyes downcast, lips pursed in a feigned pout.

Clyde, seeing her upset, turned to Elio, "Mr. Lampard, whatever happened between you two is none of my business, but she's still a lady. You could be a bit more polite." Astrid curled her lips into a cold smile at Clyde as she said, "Clyde, you can't judge a book by its cover. You might regret it."

With that, Elio and Astrid led the way out.

Karin and Clyde lagged at the back. Suddenly, she began to cry, "Clyde, am I really that hard to like?"

Clyde was flustered by her tears, "No, don't cry, Karin. It's just that Mr. Lampard only has eyes for Astrid. He's cold to everyone else. You're doing fine. It's not your fault." "Thanks for comforting me," Karin sniffled, wiping away her tears. "When I get back, I'll write a song for you."

Clyde was visibly moved by the offer, knowing full well how coveted a song from Karin could be, "That'd be an honor."

At noon, the sun broke through, and the group sat on some boulders to soak it up.

Astrid was whittling away at a piece of wood with a pocket knife.

Parrish, curious, leaned in to see that Astrid was carving something that was taking shape. It was a woman with a hairstyle much like Karin's.

"Astar, who are you carving? The hair looks a lot like Karin's!"

At the mention of her name, Karin scampered over and gazed at the wooden figure in Astrid's hands, a spark of joy in her eyes, "It does resemble me! Can I have it?" Astrid didn't look up, her voice soft, "If you like it, it's yours once I'm finished. Just know I don't have the right tools here, so it might be a bit rough."

Karin beamed, "Not at all, I love it. This is the most unique gift I've ever received."