Worried that Niamh might be cold, Elmer slipped off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders.
“Maybe it’s because we talked so much tonight. My mind’s still racing…”
A faint, bittersweet smile touched Niamh’s lips.
“Are you still blaming yourself? I’ve already woken up, haven’t I? If anything, I got lucky in the end.”
She met Elmer’s gaze.
He had striking eyes–deep–set, dark irises that sparkled as if dusted with tiny gems.
“Was it really a blessing in disguise…” Niamh finally voiced the worry that had been gnawing at her.
Elmer had told her and Lana the whole story of what happened after he woke up–the kind of thing that sounded almost too dramatic to be real. A star student, struck by a car and left in a coma, only to miraculously wake up, turn into a prodigy, and earn a doctorate in two short years. Now, every major institution was vying for him.
But to Niamh, none of it made sense. His physical condition was just too unusual.
What if this was some kind of after–effect from his time in a coma? Worse, what if the whole miraculous transformation was hiding some deeper risk to his health?
“I feel like…I ruined your life,” she said quietly.
If that accident had never happened, Elmer would still have become the remarkable person he was—without detours, without the threat of any lingering side effects.
“That’s not true.”
Elmer shook his head.
“Actually…it’s the opposite. I ruined yours.”
Niamh glanced up, surprise flickering in her eyes.
At that moment, Elmer reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a small gift box.
“You already gave me that gorgeous dress. I can’t accept anything else from you,”
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10:18
Niamh protested, trying to refuse.
She was certain that the extravagant dress Elmer had bought for her was his way of repaying the enormous medical bills she’d paid for his treatment.
Elmer met her gaze, reading her thoughts.
No… It wasn’t about the money…
He held back the words.
“The dress was your armor for tonight. This,” he said, opening the box, “is for your nights after.”
He took out the gift.
Niamh stared in shock.
Resting in Elmer’s palm was her latest design for the Grand Piano Collection–a
music box.
It wasn’t jewelry, but as a finely crafted piece, it could be set with gemstones. Peter, their marketing director, had said customers wanted something just like this, so she’d used the same signature invisible setting as the rest of the Grand Piano Collection.
“If you don’t take it,” Elmer warned, his tone gentle but playful, “I’ll sing you to sleep all night. Right in your ear.”
That was a threat with real teeth–at least, to Niamh.
“Have mercy!” she laughed, shaking her head but accepting the music box, even as her mind whirled.
“How did you even think of this? This is the newest piece from the Grand Piano Collection. Don’t tell me you actually follow my work?”
Elmer ran his fingers over the intricate, abstract pattern etched into the surface.
The Grand Piano Collection was famous worldwide, not just for its advanced invisible setting, but for the subtle, enigmatic designs. Each piece had its own motif–abstract patterns that left a sense of mystery, something broken yet beautiful.
Collectors and experts had studied those patterns for years, but no one had reached a consensus about their true meaning.
But Elmer saw it instantly. Those abstract lines-
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Chapter 372
They were wheels.
“That’s my secret,” Elmer said with a mischievous smile.
If it hadn’t been for him, Niamh would probably be a world–renowned pianist by now, instead of working a job she excelled at but never truly loved.
Ebonwood Hall.
Marina’s mother, Edna, had been berating her daughter all night.
Marina had left the house looking flawless; she returned with her dress torn halfway up and her underwear peeking out from beneath her coat.
“Just look at yourself! No wonder Jonathan won’t acknowledge you even after his divorce!” Edna’s voice had been a whip all evening, and by now Marina’s eyes were so swollen she could barely see..
“Mom, do you think I wanted this?”
Edna sighed, exasperated.
“You embarrassed yourself tonight, sure–but what about Jonathan? He hasn’t even bothered to comfort you. And you’re supposed to be the love of his life, his first love!”
“What if…” Marina choked back a sob, her eyes rimmed red with despair, “what if I was never really his first love at all?”
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