Seeing Henry’s indignant expression, Elena actually wanted to tell Henry the truth, but thinking about the reason Nolan was injured, she suppressed the thought.
It would be better if Nolan told them himself.
Elena patted Henry on the shoulder in a friendly manner and said, “Alright, since we know it’s just rumors, let’s not worry about it. By the way, the teacher mentioned on Friday that there’s going to be a New Year’s Eve party. Do you have a performance? If not, there’s no need to sign up.”
“A New Year’s Eve party?”
Elena fell silent for a moment.
I remembered that in my previous life, a big shot had come to the New Year’s Eve party at Westbrook High School.
Sarah, who had been proficient in music and the arts since childhood, had played a piano piece in the auditorium during the school’s New Year’s Eve party and became famous overnight.
She had also won the appreciation of that big shot, and afterward, Sarah had become a prominent figure in Westbrook.
It was also because of this that Sarah had decisively ended her relationship with Zayden when the Holt family went bankrupt in her senior year.
In my previous life, I had always been shy and timid, too afraid to perform on stage, so I hadn’t gone that day.
Naturally, I didn’t know which big shot had appreciated Sarah.
But if in this life, I can prepare a performance to outshine Sarah, then I can take Sarah’s place and leap into the upper-class circle.
“Elena? Elena!”
Henry called out twice before Elena finally snapped back to reality.
“Huh? What?”
Seeing that Elena was finally responding, Henry let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and said, “I was asking if you have any performances for the New Year’s Eve party. If you do, I’ll sign you up.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
Henry was a bit surprised and asked, “What are you going to perform?”
“The piano.”
Upon hearing this, Henry was taken aback.
Piano?
In the months that I had known Elena, I had never heard that she could play the piano.
Elena’s ability to play the piano was unknown to others. That was because in her previous life, after Zayden had fallen for Sarah because of her piano playing, Elena had learned piano pieces specifically to win Zayden’s favor after their marriage.
But later, Elena realized that no matter how well she played, Zayden wouldn’t pay her any more attention.
Because she and Sarah were just not the same person.
Unexpectedly, the skill I had learned in my previous life to please a man would come in handy in this life. Thinking about it this way, it didn’t seem like a waste after all.
In the afternoon, when the sign-up list for the New Year’s Eve party was posted, Elena’s eyes immediately fell on Sarah’s name. As expected, just like in her previous life, Sarah had signed up to play her best piece, the Moonlight Sonata.
Elena’s eyes darkened.
This piece wasn’t particularly difficult for a high school student. It had only won the favor of the big shot behind the scenes because of Sarah’s good looks and the contrast with other competitors.
The piece Elena had signed up for was the Crimson Rhapsody. She had submitted the list in the morning, and by the afternoon, she was called to the music teacher’s office. The music teacher said earnestly, “Elena, I know your class didn’t have any acts, but you can’t just fill in anything.”
“Teacher, I didn’t fill it in randomly,” Elena said.
“But you didn’t know how to play the piano before, did you? Even your sister might not be able to play this piece well. Are you sure you didn’t just make it up?”
The music teacher handed the sign-up sheet back to Elena and said, “Think it over again. Don’t waste the spot.”
“I can play the piano, teacher,” Elena insisted.
“There are many people in our school who can play the piano, but few who can play it well. Being able to play and playing well are not the same thing. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The music teacher clearly didn’t believe in Elena’s ability.
After a brief silence, Elena directly changed the piece on the sheet to a simpler one, “Whispers Beneath the Keys.”
The next day, Sarah already had the latest New Year’s Eve party program in her hand. When the students from Class One saw the program, they all laughed.
“Elena is going to play Whispers Beneath the Keys? Wasn’t it the Crimson Rhapsody yesterday?”
“Who doesn’t know how to brag? I never saw Elena play the piano at the last arts performance. I think she just wants to copy Sarah.”
Ever since Sarah had started dating Zayden, the school’s opinion had swung overwhelmingly in her favor.
Everyone thought Sarah and Zayden were a perfect match.
After all, Sarah was recognized by Zayden’s mother as her future daughter-in-law, and no one wanted to offend the future Mrs. Holt.
Sarah walked up to Elena and said with a sigh, “Elena, I’ve never heard that you can play the piano. Do you really know how? Don’t get me wrong, I’m just worried about you. I heard there will be some important people at this party. I know you want to make a splash, but Whispers Beneath the Keys is too simple. If you can’t even play that well, it’ll be embarrassing.”
Sarah’s tone was filled with concern for Elena.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think Sarah was being incredibly kind to her sister.
Someone nearby said, “Sarah, what’s the big deal? Let her play. Besides, Class Six doesn’t have any other acts. We’ll just watch the show.”
“Yes, I think someone’s just trying to force it. I heard that Elena can’t play the piano at all.”
Sarah glanced reproachfully at the two classmates beside her and said, “Stop it. My sister doesn’t really know how to play the piano. It’s already good that she can play Whispers Beneath the Keys.”
Listening to Sarah’s words, Elena felt nauseous. As she turned to leave, Zayden suddenly walked out from Class One and grabbed Elena’s wrist, saying, “Come with me.”
Sarah’s face flickered with discomfort for a moment when she saw Zayden take Elena away. A classmate asked curiously, “Sarah, why did Zayden take Elena away?”
Seeing the puzzled looks around her, Sarah forced a smile and said, Zayden just wants to prevent my sister from making a fool of herself. After all, there will be important people at this year’s New Year’s Eve party. We can’t afford to be careless.”
“I see. I think Elena is not only trying to steal the spotlight but also trying to catch Zayden’s attention. Sarah, you have to be careful.”
“Yes, does she really think playing a piano piece will win Zayden over? She should take a good look at herself in the mirror.”
…
Listening to her classmates’ gossip, Sarah felt uneasy inside.
Since the day before yesterday, Zayden hadn’t spoken to me at all.
And today at school, there hadn’t been a single glance exchanged between us.
Could it be that Zayden had really taken a liking to Elena?
Sarah frowned in frustration.
Never mind, as long as I could catch the eye of an important person at the New Year’s Eve party, as my parents had said, my future would be smooth sailing. I don’t necessarily need Zayden.
On this side, Zayden had already pulled Elena upstairs.
“Zayden! Let me go!”
Elena’s wrist was tightly held by Zayden. After they reached a deserted floor, Zayden finally released her.
“Why didn’t you fight back?”
Recently, Elena had been quite sharp-tongued, but facing the ridicule and mockery from Sarah and her classmates just now, Elena hadn’t reacted at all.
“Fight back? Me?”
Elena suddenly laughed and said, “Why would I waste my time and energy on people who don’t matter?”
Hearing this, Zayden fell silent.
Elena said, “I’m fine. I’m leaving now. Don’t just touch me casually in the future.”
With that, Elena was about to go downstairs.
But at this moment, Zayden spoke, “I already know that Sarah was the one who spread the rumor about you and Nolan having a hotel room together.”
Elena’s figure froze. She asked, “And then?”
“……I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I heard you.”
Elena didn’t seem to care much.
Zayden said, “Elena, I’m not trying to discourage you, but when it comes to piano, you can’t beat Sarah. I suggest you… change to another act.”
“Even you think I can’t beat Sarah?”
Zayden didn’t speak.
Not only did he think so, but all the students and teachers in the school felt the same way.
Sarah had been learning the piano since she was young, had endured a lot of hardship, and was very talented in this area.
Sarah’s piano skills were of a caliber that could compete on an international stage. But Elena…
Zayden and Elena had grown up together; how could he not know whether Elena could play the piano?
“Trying to cram at the last minute won’t work. You should know that,” Zayden said.
“There’s no need to say more,” Elena replied indifferently. “If there’s nothing else, I need to go practice. Don’t waste my time.”
More Kickass Romance Reads
Dive into irresistible romance stories packed with possessive heroes, forbidden passion, billionaire obsession, mafia intrigue, and heart-stopping twists. One chapter is never enough—your next addiction starts here.