[
BONUS
Chapter
for reaching 800PS! Thank you all! ????]
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Eve's fingers hovered above the keys, her heart steady, unlike the storm brewing inside her.
She wasn't good at the piano because she lacked passion—she never found the joy others did in coaxing melodies from the instrument.
But what she did have was precision. Cold, calculated precision.
As she pressed the first key, there was no gentle introduction, no sweet prelude like Sophie's earlier performance.
Eve's playing was a force, a relentless and powerful cascade of sound that filled the room like a tidal wave. Every note struck with sharp, unyielding intent, echoing off the walls with a weight that seemed to hang in the air.
She wasn't playing for enjoyment, she was playing to conquer.
Each piece that followed was precise, measured—an exact replica of the great compositions she had memorized over the years, though she had no love for them.
The room fell silent, as if the very air held its breath, captivated by the raw energy of her performance.
While Sophie's delicate and sweet tune had charmed the audience like a gentle breeze, Eve's music was a storm, a commanding force that demanded attention.
The crowd's hearts raced in time with the surging rhythm, their gazes fixed on her as if under a spell. They had expected something softer, something more hesitant. But Eve delivered a performance that was nothing short of powerful and damning.
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It wasn't passion, it was sheer will, a machine-like execution that defied their expectations. There was no warmth in her notes, but there was undeniable mastery.
She had learned every piece, memorized every shift in tempo, every crescendo, for moments like this—just in case. And now, she was showing them.
The audience stood, eyes wide and breathless, hearts pounding as if they were all tied to her performance, unable to look away. It wasn't the kind of music that soothed—it was the kind that consumed you, pulled you into its dark current and didn't let go until the very last note.
I looked up, startled, only to find myself face to face with Cole. He always seemed to appear out of nowhere, materializing from the shadows.
However, his next words? They shocked me—and everyone else around us.
"Eve is my fiancée. Do I have to repeat it again?" His voice was calm, but it carried an authority no one could ignore.
My lips pressed into a thin line, rage boiling beneath my skin.
How dare he?!
Hadn't I already broken off the engagement? What game was he playing now? We had agreed to go our separate ways, to sever the ties that bound us. And yet, here he was, declaring our engagement as if nothing had changed, as if my words had meant nothing.
I wanted to scream at him, to tell him off in front of everyone. But unlike Cole, I knew better than to cause a scene. Not with so many eyes watching us.
Rejecting him now, publicly, would only make me look bad—and it could damage the Rosette's reputation. Among the families present, the Fays were the most powerful. Severing ties with them would send investors running. But if Cole favored me, it could strengthen the Rosette Empire, a benefit I couldn't ignore.
Still, frustration churned inside me. I needed to talk to him—
alone
. This ridiculous engagement had to end, once and for all. Clearly, Cole hadn't understood the first time, so I'd just have to remind him the second time.
Cole's words had the desired effect. The crowd parted, their expressions disappointed, downcast. No one dared challenge a Fay, not even the most ambitious families.
Well, almost no one. Sophia and Sullivan, unable to contain themselves, immediately protested.
"What are you saying, Cole?" Sophia's voice was sharp, teetering on the edge of hysteria. "You're engaged to my daughter, to
our
Sophie! The deal was for you to marry
her
! To marry my daughter. Everyone knows that!"
Sullivan stepped forward, backing up his wife, and daughter. "That's right. Though Eve is adopted, it doesn't change the fact that she's just an ordinary girl I picked up from an orphanage. Are you really willing to taint your bloodline with someone of unknown origins?"