Chapter 259
In the quiet of the private dining room, Warner narrowed his eyes at the young man and woman seated across from him.
“This young lady,” he said flatly, “doesn’t appear to be the person I’m looking for.”
Warner Ringo was nearly sixty-five-silver-haired, blue-eyed, leaning on a cane. His gaze was piercing, with a kind of quiet aloofness, as if nothing escaped him and few things interested him.
Kelly sat beside Carter, unable to hide the trembling excitement in her body.
If Shayla was the idol she longed to surpass, then Warner was the figure she had spent her whole life revering from afar.
Never had she imagined she’d find herself in the same room with someone like him.
What musician wouldn’t dream of meeting such a legendary figure?
Carter’s expression was calm, almost moonlit. “Warner, the young woman beside me may not be the one you were looking for. But she is no less qualified.”
Warner turned his gaze on Carter. His eyes were sharp, cold-like knives honed in ice.
“May I ask,” he said, “what your relationship is to the woman I’m looking for?”
Carter didn’t hesitate. “She’s my wife.”
Warner shifted his attention to Kelly. “And this young lady-what is she to you?”
“She’s a friend,” Carter replied. “She graduated from the Bell University Conservatory of Music.”
At that, Warner let out a sharp laugh, as if he’d just heard something genuinely amusing.
“Mr. Biggs, are you under the impression that graduating from the Bell University Conservatory of Music means something remarkable?”
Carter raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it?”
Warner chuckled. “It’s true that Bell University Conservatory of Music ranks in the top five globally. But you seem to have forgotten-your own country, Zachemaine, is home to the second-ranked conservatory in the world: Grandis Conservatory of
Music.
“Grandis specializes in traditional Zachemaine instruments. Bell, on the other hand? Pure Western classical.”
Warner paused, his tone softening slightly with genuine appreciation. “I’ve studied your Zachemaine instruments. The sound is … unique. Beautiful. But I won’t sugarcoat it-they’re a bitch to master.”
His eyes locked back onto Kelly.
“Sure, Bell has its prodigies. But where I come from? A Bell grad might not even make it past the front door.”
It was clear now-he had little interest in Kelly.
He turned back to Carter. “Mr. Biggs, the one I’m searching for is your wife. Where is she?”
A faint crease formed between Carter’s brows, but he answered honestly.
“Warner, the violin is just a casual hobby for her. She has no intention of pursuing advanced studies. And performing publicly? That’s out of the question. Her focus… will remain on our family.”
Warner, though known for his rigid standards, had always cherished talent. So long as his boundaries weren’t crossed, he had a remarkable tolerance for genius.
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“Family and music are not mutually exclusive,” he said, his ice-blue eyes fixed on Carter. “Especially not for someone from a family like yours. With the Biggs family’s wealth and influence, there’s hardly a need for her to devote herself entirely to domestic life.”
Warner was at the top of his field. He constantly dealt with elites. And Zachemaine was one of the world’s superpowers. He knew the names that mattered there-and naturally, he knew Carter.
Carter replied calmly, “Didn’t you just say a graduate from Bell might not even make it past your front door?”
He looked Warner in the eye. “My wife didn’t even finish middle school. I suppose that disqualifies her even more.”
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