Chapter 179
“This time, Sharon rearranged the piece,” Wendy said. “She tailored it to fit Matty’s strengths-recomposed it with him in mind. From now on, White Moonlight can be performed as a duet.”
Xavier spoke up. “I believe you now.”
The audience seats were still shrouded in darkness. No one could see Xavier’s face-just his voice, low, husky, and resonant.
“She’s… truly extraordinary.”
Wendy shifted her gaze toward the Biggs family’s section.
“They said Sharon was just copying Kelly. Said she was nothing but an imitator…” A small, cold smile curved her lips. “Well, now they’ve seen what she’s capable of.”
Across the aisle, Madeline and Denise sat frozen, staring at the stage.
When Sharon had first started playing, they’d still been sneering, tossing out their usual insults in low murmurs.
But somewhere along the way, the mockery had stopped. Neither of them could say exactly when.
Denise’s jaw hung slack. “Mom… wasn’t Sharon supposed to be useless? Just some pretty little airhead? How the hell does she know how to play the violin?”
And not just play-what Sharon had done went far beyond that. This wasn’t just skill. It was something else entirely. Something transcendent.
Madeline looked just as shocked. Her eyes betrayed a disbelief she couldn’t conceal.
To the average person, the music might have sounded pure, clear, and beautiful-like spring water flowing over smooth stone.
But to anyone who actually understood violin?
It was breathtaking. Flawless. Genius.
Wasn’t Sharon supposed to be talentless?
Hadn’t they all agreed that, at best, she’d scrape by with a few squeaky notes-and at worst, sound like nails on a chalkboard?
So why… why had it been the exact opposite?
Meanwhile, Kelly sat rooted in her seat, eyes fixed on Sharon. Her lips were pressed into a bloodless line, and her wide eyes gleamed with disbelief. Her body trembled, like it was rejecting what it had just witnessed.
She shook her head again and again, whispering under her breath, “No… no way… This can’t be happening…”
Kelly had always believed in her talent.
Sure, she wasn’t world-class yet-but she was damn close. At her conservatory, she ranked consistently in the top ten. That was proof enough of her ability.
She’d gotten into Bell University. Her skill, her hard work-they were real. Undeniable.
She knew she couldn’t compete with Sharon when it came to looks.
But the violin? That was her domain. Her battleground. Her pride.
She’d always had absolute confidence she could beat Sharon at something that really mattered.
In her mind, Sharon had always been nothing more than a pretty face. A shallow girl who flirted and schemed her way upward.
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Someone decorative. Built to produce heirs and smile for the cameras-nothing more.
Beautiful, sure-but empty. Undeserving of Carter. Unfit to be Mrs. Biggs.
She’d always believed that if Madeline hadn’t pushed her out back then, she would be the one standing beside Carter now. She should’ve been Mrs. Biggs.
And now that she was back, she was going to dismantle Sharon piece by piece. Tear down that perfect mask. Make her feel small.
Powerless. Insignificant.
And today-today was supposed to be her big moment.
She was going to win the right way-by doing what she did best.
But even that her greatest strength-had been blown away.
Sharon hadn’t just won. She’d crushed her. Completely.
Kelly’s pride was in shambles-shattered without mercy.
She couldn’t accept it.
She refused to accept it.
After the judges finished scoring, Sharon and Matty bowed in sync, then began walking slowly offstage.
But just as Sharon reached the curtain, she saw someone waiting in the wings.
Carter.
He stood quietly, just a few steps away. His gaze locked onto hers-dark as a frozen lake, still as a midnight sky. His eyes shimmered with something soft. Something unfamiliar.
She had never seen him look at her like that before.
So intense. So focused.
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