Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 77: The Second Half

When Karl pinned Kaija to the wall, he only wanted to get a little payback for how she’d tested his patience. He never expected she would actually indulge his childish, unreasonable demand, but when she did, all of his restraint snapped.

One hand braced against the wall, he lowered himself to her height, deepening the kiss. His other hand left her waist, sliding down her hips and then under her dress, running over the full curve of her buttocks before giving it a gentle squeeze. The sensation made her body jerk, her back hitting the wall.

"Hey, what’s with the naughty hand?" she complained, catching his wandering hand as she pulled away from the relentless attack of his tongue.

He didn’t let her retreat so easily, lips curving into a smile as he captured her mouth again, parting her lips for even better access. "That’s your punishment for playing with my emotions," he teased between ragged breaths.

"Stop, Karl," she protested weakly, struggling to force down the wet sounds of their lips and tongues. "They... they’re about to resume the show."

His rhythm slowed, and the nipping at her lips eased. He pressed his forehead against hers, eyes shut tight as he dragged in a difficult breath, trying to will the blood rushing downward to stop.

"Fuck," he muttered, "you always have to do me like this. I’m already hard."

"Gosh, it’s just you and your horrible timing," she whimpered, still panting. "Why on earth would you initiate this right here and right now?"

A playful slap landed on the side of her buttock, making her flinch. His satisfied chuckle followed immediately at her reaction.

"Alright, my bad, my bad," he grinned, pushing away from the wall and finally giving her space. He reached for the ruffles on her dress, smoothing it, then gently fixed the hair he’d just passionately messed up, his eyes glinting with indulgence.

"We need to get you some lipstick," he murmured, thumb brushing lightly over the smeared color around her mouth. After giving her a slow look from head to toe and pressing a kiss to her forehead, he walked out of the corner, searching for any makeup artist lingering near the stage.

Kaija was stunned, through all of it, and even after he left. She stood frozen, heart still pounding rapidly at the gentle way Karl had rearranged her wrinkled ruffles and curled her tangled strands around his fingers.

"Jeez, I’ve gotta focus on the performance," she muttered to herself, hand over her chest. She couldn’t even recall the lyrics to his song right now.

Speaking of his song... she hadn’t even asked him what he’d named it yet. Taking a deep breath, she left the corner and headed out.

The makeup artist Karl had found quickly touched up her face and applied a soft mauve pink to her lips. Karl stood next to her watching the entire process with fascination, as if he were her manager.

"What should I call the song in the introduction?" she asked once the makeup artist stepped back.

He raised a brow, thinking for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered into her ear, one hand cupped around his mouth so no sound could slip out. "You know what, I already gave it a name, but now that it’s yours, why don’t you name it whatever you like."

She stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief. "Are you serious? Will you not be offended if I come up with something really sucky?"

A chuckle slipped out of him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, eyes glinting with affection as he murmured, "Even if it’s the suckiest name ever, I’d still be perfectly pleased."

Now even her mouth fell open. Was the turquoise-eyed man in front of her still the Karl Hanski she knew? He’d become strangely gentle toward her again and again. Something terribly wrong must’ve happened to him today.

"Alright, I’ll try to come up with something," she muttered, turning her face away to hide her tingling cheeks. "Also... thank you for helping me and Antony earlier, Karl. If it weren’t for you, I honestly didn’t know what to do in that situation."

With a final grateful smile over her shoulder, she headed toward the backstage crew.

Left behind, Karl stood rigid in place like a dumbstruck love fool at that bright, genuine smile. He ran a hand down his face, trying to calm the fluster creeping into his cheeks as he made his way back to the judging table.

So she did realize he’d intentionally thrown a distraction to get them away from Max Kosonen. He was already regretting having helped Antony now.

Outside, the audience, along with the other contestants and judges, were slowly gathering back into the hall. Max Kosonen had returned to the table, and so had Charles.

When Karl walked toward the table, he didn’t forget to throw a contemptuous glare toward the other end before taking his seat. With his sunglasses off now, nearly all the judges flinched at the look on his face.

The MC once again took the stage. He was wearing a white suit with glittery gold trimming around the cuffs and lapels, matching the gold of the mic stand in the center.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his clear voice carrying across the large concert hall. "Welcome back to the KE Annual Festival. The night is far from over, and we have more amazing performances waiting for you."

Over in the zone reserved for contestants who had already performed, Liisi sat perfectly poised with a smug look on her face, still dressed in her full black-swan outfit.

Earlier, while she was sitting with her group during the break, their manager had approached them.

The older woman had informed Liisi that Max Kosonen had asked for her number and expressed interest in having a private talk with her. However, he’d been caught up with something, and with little time left, he had regretfully returned to the front stage and promised to see her later.

Next to her, the members gasped and congratulated her on gaining the attention of such an important figure, and Liisi responded with a shy, charming chuckle. But deep down, she knew exactly how jealous her group mates must have felt toward her.

The moment they noticed Max Kosonen at the judging table, none of them could take their eyes off him. Not only did he have a strikingly powerful aura exuding from his every move and gesture, he also possessed the same breathtaking features as his younger brother, who happened to be their notoriously aloof, untouchable big boss.

A smirk curled on Liisi’s face. She’d seen how Max had stood for a standing ovation for her earlier, his eyes gleaming with admiration as though she’d completely won him over. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Now that Karl Hanski had outright embarrassed her twice, she would love to see what kind of face he’d make when he saw a powerful, wealthy man like Max Kosonen trying to swoon her into his arms.