Nina's mental health wasn't in the best condition. It took almost all her courage just to attend the banquet.Hannah made sure to keep an eye on her. When she heard her voice trembling in fear, she immediately approached her in concern. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to step out?""I'm fine." Nina lowered her head. Her face was pale. She looked frail and pitiful, yet she forced out a determined expression. She bit her bottom lip while saying, "I'm fine. Can I lean against you for a moment?""I'll take you to the lounge," Hannah decided. She turned to the other socialites. "Sorry, Nina isn't feeling very well. Let's continue the conversation another day."The cunning wench!How could Hannah not notice that Nina was so cunning?The socialites were frustrated. But they showed nothing but polite smiles on the surface and nodded. "Sure, Mrs. Winchester. Let's talk another day."Naomi resented the attention on Nina, but she was glad that the socialites were g
The first day Nina returned to the Winchesters, Winnie's performances played on the TV. She remembered how elegant and calm Winnie was. Her sight was fixed on her. Nina also noticed the huge, intimidating instrument. It could play the most emotional sounds. She longed for it.Winnie was her first idol.Hannah jolted when she felt Nina move. She grabbed her hand and was just about to say something when laughter broke the silence. "I heard Ms. Nina likes playing piano too," one of the socialites said loudly. She smiled maliciously at them. They'd never even spoken to her before. "This is a rare opportunity. Aren't you going to go up and play for us? It would be an honor to be heard by Ms. Yates!" The women around her snickered."Karen Lawson!" Naomi's face was flushed in anger as she glared at Karen. "Are you trying to cause trouble for us?"The Lawsons had just moved their business back from abroad. They were eyeing the market in Hopeldon hungrily.Karen's clique did not
"I think I would know better since I'm her family," Hannah said coldly. "Ms. Lawson, you'd better watch your words. Where I came from, snitches get stitches. That goes for nasty shit-stirrers, too."Shit-stirrer? How dare she call her that!As expected of an uncultured woman!Karen was furious. "You have a sharp mouth, Mrs. Winchester. So what if you're protecting her? Nina still can't play a complete piece, and her music sounds no better than nails on a chalkboard! Let her go onstage, and we'll see who's right!""Karen Lawson! You've gone too far!" Naomi was also angry. "You know Nina is traumatized, and yet you keep pushing her!"Karen scoffed, clearly thinking that she was winning. "She can't, right? Hannah was the one who said she was good. If she's not, then don't brag about it!"Hannah was not bothered by this at all. She turned to Nina and said gently, "Nina, can you go up there and play me a song?"Nina was stunned. She looked into Hannah's eyes."I'll go with you." Han
Winnie did not seem at all bothered by the entire fiasco. She said to Nina encouragingly, "It's okay. Just do your best."Nina closed her eyes and calmed herself.Then, she nodded to herself and opened her eyes again. The usual uneasiness in her eyes was now replaced with determination. She moved her fingers, playing a smooth melody.It was a familiar piece—"The Swan."In her music, the beautiful swan danced and played on the surface of the lake. As the sun rose, it spread its wings under the light of the graceful dawn.There was no sign of her loneliness anymore. Her music differed from Hannah's determination to fight against her destiny. It was like she'd thrown off the darkness hounding her and embraced the light.Hannah couldn't help the amusement in her eyes as she played a couple of notes every now and then. With her additions, the wind became the swan's partner in dance. The water beneath them sang in the darkness before dawn. As the sun rose, the grass waved cheerily fr
This was one of the rare times when the entire Winchester family gathered for breakfast.After the meal, Kaden and Andrew went back to their studies. Meanwhile, Anthony stayed at home with seemingly nothing to do.Naomi was on vacation, so she stayed at home as well.Nina looked at her siblings and gripped her spoon tightly. For the first time, she voiced out a request. "Hannah, I promised Ms. Winnie I would attend a class today. Will you come with me?"Before Hannah could reply, Darren frowned at her. "I'll get the driver to send you."She was old enough to be independent."I …" Nina looked at Darren timidly, then turned to Hannah with reddened eyes. "It's my first class, and I'll be alone with Ms. Winnie. I'm a little nervous, Hannah."She looked like she was about to burst into tears.Children who grew up in the slums were tough. Even when she beat them up, they would get over it almost immediately. They would laugh and continue annoying her. No one there was a crybaby.
This was still a new area, and the buildings nearby had yet to be made public. As such, people already living in the building were people of a certain status.For instance, only people such as Winnie, who were world-renowned, could get early access to the building.The two old people studied Hannah meticulously, and Hannah did the same to them.The both of them had kind faces and an amiable sense to them. The tranquil presence enveloping them, a quality discernible only to those well-versed in life's trials, stirred memories of Molly within Hannah.Besides, the manner in which they addressed Winnie made it clear that they were much more senior than Winnie.Hannah felt an odd sense of familiarity with them. Her gaze softened before she shook her head. "My name is Hannah Emerson, and I'm Nina's sister-in-law. I'm here to escort her to class.""Hannah Emerson," the short-haired old man mumbled thoughtfully as he cleaned his glasses. Suddenly, he broke into a smile and exclaimed, "
It was a mystery. When she looked at the paintings that the wealthy women were fawning over, she couldn't see their meaning, nor could she say anything about them. However, looking at Maurice's ordinary painting of a garden, she was filled with a swirl of emotions. Maurice's expression grew somber as he listened to her speak. His face, which had been kind, with a hint of a smile, also darkened and made him look quite serious.Hannah wondered if she had offended Maurice with her nonsensical rambling about his painting.Artists usually had all sorts of odd moods. He was probably annoyed by her shallow interpretation of his painting.Now that there was a chance that she had offended both of them, she worriedly wondered if it would be disadvantageous for Nina as well.She silently cursed herself for being so loose-lipped around paintings that she liked. Hannah steeled herself and prepared to apologize to Maurice, but before she could, Maurice pushed a pencil into her hand and sai
Eventually, the elderly pair yielded to Hannah's request and agreed to teach the children, their expressions marked by a blend of complexity and acquiescence.The three of them then agreed to meet again next weekend with Kaden. After that, Hannah bid her goodbyes to the elderly couple with a satisfied smile and took Nina home.As prominent figures in the art community, both of them were also world-renowned artists and musicians. At that moment, they exchanged looks and shook their heads with a smile."Silly woman," Maurice chided with a smile, "She doesn't know how lucky she is. She's wasting her talent.""As long as she's happy, I don't think she's wasting her talent," Jamie replied calmly. She had taken Hannah's rejection better than Maurice had. "Based on how she understood my music, I can tell she has had a hard life. Now that she can live the life she is leading now, it wouldn't make sense for us to force her," Jamie continued sympathetically."I know. I'm just lamenting th