Niamh had grown up surrounded by music. It was in her bones–she was gifted, and she loved it with all her heart.
She’d only gone over to wipe a smudge off the organ’s keys, not expecting Jonathan and his friends to mistake her for the cleaning staff.
It had been years since she’d played anything, so as she sat down, a wave of uncertainty washed over her. She had no idea if her fingers would remember how to make music. But when the last note faded, the room erupted in applause. Even the hotel owner’s pianist friend–a man with a reputation in the music world–came over to praise her, insisting she play a few more pieces.
Seeing the excitement in his eyes, Niamh figured she must’ve done all right. At the very least, she’d helped Lana out tonight.
Out in the hallway, Jonathan stood with his phone pressed to his ear, deep in negotiations. He was so focused on the deal that he barely noticed the world around him–until, through the muffled speaker, he heard the faint strains of music. Jonathan knew the lobby didn’t have a grand piano, only an organ. Normally, he wouldn’t have given the instrument a second thought, but the gentle melody seemed to tap on something long–buried in his memory, like raindrops falling on
overgrown grass.
He ended the call abruptly, leaving the conversation unfinished, and hurried back
inside.
When he entered the lobby, he saw a middle–aged man seated at the organ–a well–known pianist, recognizable from music circles.
Marina slipped to Jonathan’s side, catching the look of disappointment in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, slipping her arm through his.
Jonathan’s gaze stayed fixed on the pianist. “It’s nothing. For a moment, I thought the way he played sounded a bit like how you used to, before your hand was injured.”
“Oh, come on, he’s a real master! I could never compare to that.” Marina leaned her head sweetly on Jonathan’s shoulder.
Jonathan started to think he must have imagined it. Listening again, the music from the pianist felt nothing like the sound he’d just heard.
1/2
They returned to join Preston Winslow and the others. No one mentioned Niamh playing the organ–Marina wouldn’t, nor would Lily or Olive, and certainly not Preston.
Even if Niamh could play, Jonathan thought, she’d never measure up to Marina–not in Preston’s eyes.
As the group headed toward their private room, Marina noticed Jonathan glancing around, as if searching for someone. She spoke up with a sly smile, “Niamh left ages ago. She probably still feels embarrassed.”
Jonathan didn’t say much, only gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile. “As long as she knows she should be embarrassed, that’s what matters.”
Monday, FY Headquarters.
Marina had just been made a permanent employee and transferred to a new department.
FY was a luxury jewelry brand, but recently, the higher–ups had decided to branch out. High–end pieces were beautiful, but too exclusive. The company wanted to reach a broader market, so they were launching an affordable jewelry line this and had hired a fresh batch of interns for the project.
In the end, the top five interns–including Marina–were selected for the FY–PO department.
“Marina, have you heard?” Genevieve slid over to her desk, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
year
She had actually scored higher than Marina in the evaluations, but it was obvious from Marina’s style and the bags she carried that she came from money. So Genevieve was eager to cozy up.
“What is it?” Marina asked, curiosity piqued by Genevieve’s secretive tone.
“There’s another new hire joining us today. No internship, no training period–just straight in as a full–time employee.”
“Who could pull that off?” Melanie Lowe chimed in, eager for gossip.
Marina didn’t care who this mysterious newcomer was. Whoever it was, they weren’t going to steal her spotlight.
Just then, their team lead, Monica, walked in, followed by a woman none of them recognized.
The moment Marina saw her face, her expression changed in an instant.
Chapter 37
