Yes, Miss Manoban

CHAPTER 17

"I sincerely apologize for what my grandson just did. I'm really sorry."

An old man, around age 50 or so, bowed continuously as he apologized for what the kid did to him. They're currently in the police station sorting things out.

"It's okay, sir," he replied. "It was all just a misunderstanding. I'm sure he has learned his lesson..."

The kid, who was sitting in front of the police officer with his head down, is currently receiving an earful from his grandmother. The grandparents rushed to the station as soon as they heard about it.

He didn't press any charges. He felt that the kid was just upset and didn't know any better. Plus, the knife he held was too small to even kill or anything.

Joshua and Miss Manoban stood outside the station as they watched the couple leave with their grandson. He heaved a sigh as soon as they were out of sight.

"You're fairly stupid, you know," Miss Manoban commented. "He attacked you and you just let him off the hook."

"He's a kid," he argued. "A criminal record can ruin his future. And judging from what I just witnessed, they're not well-off."

Miss Manoban rolled her eyes.

"That's very noble of you. I'll make sure to bring a plaque or something on your funeral if that kid attacks you again."

He just smiled at her earning him a scowl. Then she sighed.

"Call the PR team," she instructed confusing him.

"Miss Manoban, we can't release this information to the public. The kid might get bullied—"

"We'll release information about you girlfriend. Joshua. Not the kid."

That made him more confused.

"Girlfriend? Who—"

Miss Manoban folded her arms and her cold gaze locked with his. Then she smirked.

"Me."

-

"It's not like we'll actually date. It's just for a press release so those rabid fans would stop. Relax, you're not exactly my type. And that kid already thinks I'm your girlfriend so, it's too late to back down. The PR team will release a couple of my pictures and being the temporary CEO of JHS Entertainment would justify the reason why the company decided not to reveal images beforehand. I think this would be enough to pacify the fans."

Joshua sighed. It wasn't a bad idea but, it's a bit uncomfortable fake dating your boss. Even if it was clearly for his sake.

He directed his attention to his computer's screen where he's currently editing Serena's airport pictures. He needed to blur out the people in the background and post the pictures within the night.

"Huh?"

A picture caught his attention. Amongst the crowd behind Serena, a certain brunette in aviator sunglasses caught his attention. He squinted his eyes to check whether he's right or wrong.

"Miss Manoban..." he mumbled.

Right. She was there that day and... well we all know what happened that day with her.

Curiosity grew and he opened a web browser typing 'Astrid Manoban' on the search bar.

"Wow."

Why didn't he think about this before?

Various articles talking about a dance prodigy named Astrid Manoban was fed to him with a couple of videos linked.

The youngest member of New York Ballet company lands leading role on Broadway show, The Glass Slipper.

Prima ballerina Astrid Manoban astounds audience and critics for her stellar performance as the Sugar Plum Fairy on this year's Nutcracker.

Thai-Korean ballerina stuns the crowd with her excellent portrayal of Giselle in the annual NYBC Charity Gala.

He couldn't stop himself from reading more and more about her. He also watched her performances online which made him question, did she really not like dancing? She was incredible! But what made her performances more like-able was her expressions. The emotions she showed dug deep inside him. It's like her eyes hypnotize you to pay attention. To hear her story through the movement of her body. To feel what she feels too.

His mind suddenly transported him back to that night practice room. He remembered vividly how he felt that night. It was like his heavy heart suddenly grew lighter. The raw emotion she gave had trapped him in a trance that almost made him feel light-headed. For some unknown reason, he felt captivated—no, enchanted with her.

Astrid Manoban...

A few videos and two articles later, she found himself wandering through the comment section of a certain Swan Lake rehearsal video.

user00977: why can't i find her actual performance video of this? It's not on the NYBC page. i love her! ❤️

  ↪️ kweendomse: @user00977 i think she retired or something.

  ↪️ simplyballet: @kweendomse @user00977 nooo. she's just on a hiatus. they said she'll be back after she recovers from her accident.

  ↪️ xxnewyorkie: @user00977 the nybc said she's on an indefinite leave but she's been creative director in a few shows at vegas. i've seen one of the shows she directed and it was amazing! she actually discovered Annie Kim.

  ↪️ user00977: @xxnewyorkie why'd she take a leave tho? Thanks guys for answering!

  ↪️ xxnewyorkie: @user00977 accident. she had to get leg surgery.

Wait. What?

His eyes grew wide as soon as he read the word "accident". It all adds up now. Why she threw that thing towards the mirror when she fell. She was frustrated.

He opened another tab and searched "Astrid manoban accident". Unfortunately, there was no article detailing it except maybe one or two saying that it was a car accident and that she's indeed taking an indefinite leave from the Ballet Company.

He skimmed through a total of seven pages on google before landing on an article with the title "Fall of the Prodigy: What Happened to New York Ballet Company's Brightest Star?" and immediately clicking it.

The article starts off with a backstory of Miss Manoban—how she graduated as Juilliard's top students and immediately offered a spot at the New York Ballet Company. Then it recalled all her roles in various productions applauding every one of it not forgetting to mention she's the youngest and blah blah blah. He already read and watched those.

Three and a half paragraphs later, the article started to throw questions like: "What made the talented ballerina leave the scene?" and "What really happened Astrid Manoban after that gruesome accident?"

It says in the article that Miss Manoban fractured both her legs and tore her ACL during an accident. It did not give details as to where, how and why the accident happened. Only that it was some sort of a vehicular accident. It even said that the injuries she suffered may cause her to permanently retire from performing.

Joshua stared blankly outside the window. Now he understands. He might not know the details but he understood why Miss Manoban seemed a bit... cold. Or why she acted that way in the practice room. She's been through a lot and quite frankly, knowing you can't do what love the most... is terrifying. And frustrating.

"I don't really like dancing..."

"He's a kid. A criminal record can ruin his future..."

"I think I killed someone..."

Funny how one incident can change your entire life completely.