Still hearing the applause for her performance in her mind, Mikaela was beyond pleased with how it went. The whole day had passed by in a blur, though she was grateful that it was one less thing to worry about—for now.

She still couldn’t believe she’d done it. Last night, she hadn’t even been able to sleep, far too much adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Logging into the application, Mikaela hesitantly waited for her profile to load. Hopefully, she’d made it through.

Seeing the green tick next to her name, she let a sigh escape her lips as her eyes skimmed the words of criticism and support. She had made it through the audition stage.

It felt surreal, to have so many people cheer her on for putting her heart in a song, especially given how shy she usually was about her feelings.

She’d performed to the best of her ability, sitting and putting her emotional distress in her performance. In all honesty, she hadn’t anticipated people to like her song as much as they seemed to.

Looking up to see Yvette’s eager grin, Mikaela felt relief. Yvette had made it too.

Swapping phones, Mikaela read through Yvette’s comments and was grateful to see that her friend’s performance was received with a joyful fervour that had the blond woman crooning.

‘Do you know that the director pulled me aside to say my stage was completed with a splendour that apparently reeks of talent!’ Yvette gushed, and Mikaela couldn’t help but grin at her friend.

They’d made it. That idea alone had made both women grin with childlike glee.

Giving the blonde her phone back, Mikaela couldn’t help but smile.

Everything was going well for them, and she couldn’t wait. Sure, the pants had made her incredibly uncomfortable, but she’d received compliments on them, which surprised her.

So far, the duo had managed to remain unseen by Hayden, thankfully. Furthermore, Mikaela had left him notes under his hotel door, thanks in part due to a gossip website that had listed the man's room number. Being a successful actor evidently came at a price which Mikaela was more than happy to exploit in the name of her prank. And, since they were staying in the same hotel, Mikaela had been able to request her message be relayed via concierge.

Seeing as they were known friends, things were really working in her favour.

All in all, she was chuffed, but not chuffed enough to forget her newest mission. Everywhere she went, she was leaving clues for Hayden to signify that she was there. Her social media accounts were littered with pictures that she knew were infuriating the man. She posted an image of herself and Yvette enjoying breakfast at a café near their hotel before moving on to the next venue. Shortly after, she’d read a gossip mag’s online article that Hayden was there, and it had pleased her immensely to know he was on her tail, though had no idea where she was going next.

If anything, she was certain he was becoming as irritated with her as she was with him.

They’d known each other for years, having worked on the same television show, and she could already picture his barely contained rage at her unashamed taunts. Unsurprisingly, she knew him better than most, and she was willing to exploit it in the name of justice. It was simply astounding that she’d managed to evade the man, in spite of his irritated texts asking where she was. However, there was only so long she could avoid him, especially since she were both in the same hotel.

With a smile, Mikaela held her friend’s arm, ‘let’s go somewhere and celebrate our successful audition!’

In response, the blonde grinned back, ‘you don’t need to tell me twice!’