At this moment, Mia’s face was gloomy.She had secretly glanced at the three judges, and they had actually given Maria a perfect score of ten points!This was ridiculous.Mia was confused.How could they give her perfect scores?Seeing Mia hesitating to give a score, one of the judges jokingly asked, "Mia, is it really that difficult to give Maria a score?"Mia cursed in her heart and gave him a cold stare. Under his watchful eyes, she reluctantly gave Maria a score of 9.7.She really couldn't make it too obvious!Before leaving, Andrew specifically instructed her that if she wanted to regain her foothold in the piano world, this competition was her most important comeback show. If she couldn't be fair and impartial, who would dare to invite her in the future?So, she had to swallow her pride and give Maria a relatively high score.At this moment, she truly experienced the frustration of wanting to eliminate someone but being unable to do so.After seeing her score, the judge next to h
On the night before Mia’s wedding, Charles handed Maria a golden card, "Take a look."Maria took it and unfolded it. When she saw the names Mia Lesser and Alexander Caine, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my God! Mia is marrying Alexander?"Charles had already read the invitation card. He nodded and sat down next to Maria, "Hmm, so tomorrow we will be attending Mia and Alexander's wedding.""Uh..."Maria thought about what Alexander had done to her before. It made her feel disgusted.Alexander mistook her for Mia back then, so she could tell that Alexander treated Mia like a pet and didn't invest much genuine affection. But Mia still chose to marry him.Suddenly, Maria wasn't as angry anymore.Mia became a daughter of the Lesser family, but she also paid a price.Maria wouldn't trade her own happiness for fame and fortune.Luna sat beside them, shaking her head and sighing, "Alas, it seems that Alexander approached Mia and asked her to marry him.""Forget about her."Maria wasn't in the
The Lesser family and the Caine family invited almost all the big shots in Beijing to attend Mia’s wedding. Due to the unparalleled status of the Lesser family in Beijing and the awkward identity of Alexander as the illegitimate son of the Caine family, the wedding was held at the Lesser family's mansion.Maria looked at the over a hundred luxury cars parked outside the mansion and couldn't help but gasp, "The Lesser family is really amazing. It seems that the guests are all prominent..."Charles furrowed his brow and turned to look at her, "Since your father has become the son of the Lesser family, you will also be a member of the Lesser family as long as you reunite with him, right?"Maria shook her head, "No, I only care about my dad. I have no desire for the identity of the daughter of the Lesser family. I just want to be with my dad like before."Charles looked at Maria’s face, and her determination deeply moved him."Alright!"He tightly held Maria’s hand and walked towards the
"Hmm?"Maria looked at Charles in confusion, feeling that he and the Lesser family had a secret that she couldn't know.But out of trust for Charles, She, although doubtful, didn't ask and nodded obediently, "Okay, I'll wait here.""Hmm."Charles took a step closer to Maria and gently kissed her forehead, "Ria, remember, wait for me here and don't leave with anyone."Maria became more puzzled and looked up at Charles, but she couldn't see anything on Charles' face."Okay, I got it. Don't worry. I'll definitely wait for you here and won't go with anyone else."Charles chuckled softly and caressed her face fondly, but as he turned around, the smile froze on his lips, and he walked into the yard indifferently.************The yard was large, and it took Charles ten minutes to walk to the house. He saw a lady sitting inside as soon as he entered.The lady looked young. If it weren't for her facial structure, which hinted at her aging, her skin alone made her look like a thirty-year-old w
Maria had been waiting outside for half an hour.She didn't know what Charles was doing inside, but just as she was getting anxious, two girls suddenly approached her.When the two girls saw her, they smiled maliciously."Hey, aren't you Maria?"Maria looked at them. Both girls were very beautiful. One had a round face with very pretty features while the other also had a round face but it was slightly smaller than the first one.From their attire, Maria could tell that they were from some noble family.Seeing Maria examining them silently, the two girls chuckled mockingly and walked towards her. "Hey, Maria, my grandpa wants to see you. Come with me."Maria furrowed her brows and once again observed them. "Who is your grandpa?""My grandpa..."The girl raised her chin proudly, "My grandpa is Old Master Lesser!"The girl with a smaller face impatiently urged, "Hurry up. Don't make my grandpa wait."If Charles hadn't said those words to Maria before entering the yard, She might have re
The girl was thrown to the ground, clutched her stomach in pain, and started crying. Eva watched in horror and felt like her heart was breaking...Charles immediately pulled Maria into his arms. Seeing her swollen face, he gritted his teeth furiously and turned to glare at Eva standing behind them.Eva's heart skipped a beat again as she took two steps forward. When she saw Maria’s face, she frowned slightly. "Charles, I didn't expect..."Before she could finish her sentence, the girl who was slapped by Charles covered her face and cried out with grievance, "Mom! That bitch and this man attacked us...""Shut up!"Eva shouted sternly, "Maria stands here alone. You must have provoked her first!"Maria felt wronged. She looked up at this noble woman and said calmly, "They started it. They attacked me first!"Eva felt a bit irritated. She never expected her two daughters to come here and cause trouble for Maria instead of attending the wedding.It seemed that Maria was not easy to deal w
Maria followed the girl from the Lesser family inside, and finally, the girl reached out her hand to her, "Ms. Swinton, please come in. Old Mrs. Lesser and Old Master Lesser are waiting for you inside."Maria politely thanked her and took a deep breath before stepping forward.As she walked in, Old Mrs. Lesser and Old Master Lesser immediately noticed the slap mark on her face. If it were someone else, they would feel embarrassed, but Maria remained composed and confident as if nothing had happened.Maria stood in front of them and greeted them politely, "Old Master Lesser, Old Mrs. Lesser."Old Mrs. Lesser squinted her eyes instantly, exchanged a glance with Old Master Lesser, and saw the appreciation for Maria in his eyes as well.When Mia came, she ignored them and went straight to Andrew. Even though she was excited to see her father at the time, she didn't greet them when she saw them afterward.Maria was clearly slapped by someone from the Lesser family, but she harbored no res
Maria’s eyes turned red in an instant. She felt so sorry for Charles.If she had known about this beforehand, she would never have let Charles help her.Old Mrs. Lesser saw all the expressions on Maria’s face and nodded with a smile, "Yes, if it weren't for Eva's contributions to the Lesser family over the years, we would never have agreed to let you come here today."She smiled amiably, "After all, you and Mia don't get along, and today is her wedding. If you were to make a scene, it would be a disgrace to the Lesser family.""I won't."Maria took a deep breath and calmed herself down, "Even if I don't get to see my dad today, I won't cause trouble for the Lesser family. I respect his opinion."Old Mrs. Lesser raised an eyebrow, "If Andrew doesn't want to see you, why did you come here to see him?"Maria calmly replied, "Because I just want to figure out why he is ignoring me. If he still doesn't want to acknowledge me after I tell him about what happened in the past, then I won't fo
After leaving the banquet courtyard, Maria and Charles got into a sightseeing car and headed towards the Lesser family gate.Along the way, Charles remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his face looked terrifyingly solemn.Maria also didn't say anything. She held his hand tightly as if she wanted to give him her strength.Even when they got into their own car, Charles didn't say a word. He just gently rested his head on Maria’s shoulder, like an injured child.**********Back at the villa, Maria fetched a bottle of red wine, opened it, and took out two glasses. She tilted her head at Charles."Let's go and drink in the room."She smiled and raised the wine bottle in her hand. Charles noticed and finally relaxed the corners of his tightly pressed lips.He stood up and laughed softly, "How is one bottle enough? You are never drunk after a thousand cups."Maria looked at him speechlessly, seeing him take out two more bottles of red wine. She felt like things wer
Eva had been with Eric for more than twenty years, and she had no doubt about his feelings for her. Moreover, Eric always took good care of her and loved her deeply. If there was any rift between them, it was Charles.For the past twenty years, she had always been cautious in protecting their relationship, never inquiring about any news about Charles. That's why they had been living in harmony, until Mia came to Beijing. She had started investigating Charles' affairs under the old lady's orders.And since then, she felt that Eric had become more and more distant from her, a distance that she couldn't close no matter what she did.Now that Charles had come to Beijing, she had to make a choice between Eric and Charles. She didn't want to, but she had to…"Eric…"Her voice trembled as she pleaded, looking at him. "Can't you…?""No!"Those two resolute words instantly crushed the only hope in Eva heart.On one side was her husband, and on the other was her biological son, and she owed C
David and Hamya exchanged glances as they heard this. It was as if they had made a decision. They immediately said in unison, "We want to go too!""Huh?"Charles looked at them with confusion.David patted his stomach and smiled at Charles, "Young Master Smith, I wonder if your company is in need of pianists? What do you think of me?"Hamya chuckled and nodded, "I think I can do it too. Young Master Smith, please consider signing both of us. We don't ask for much, just a chance to perform in top music halls."David was worried that Charles would disagree, so he put on an even more sincere smile. "Ah yeah, haha... We just feel that Patrick is not enough on his own. With Hamya and I joining, after all, we have better qualifications than him. When the three great piano masters embark on anglobal tour together, and with Maria and Linda, it will be twice as successful.""Exactly!"Hamya laughed happily, "Young Master Smith, a single concert takes too long, Patrick won't be able to handle i
The two of them walked onto the stage and sat down at the piano. Maria raised her head and exchanged a glance with Linda, who placed her hands on the keys.The young pianists were curious about what music Maria and Linda would play. This was the second round of the training camp's open competition, and they usually wouldn't get to hear it.Suddenly, the piano played a melancholic melody, carrying a touch of elegance in the air, instantly striking at people's hearts!"This is..."Some couldn't remain calm instantly. "Butterfly Lovers?!""Is that possible? Butterfly Lovers arranged as a piano piece?""Yes, everyone knows that Butterfly Lovers is best played on the guqin, or the zheng would also work. It's my first time hearing it played on the piano.""Hey, no, this version of Butterfly Lovers has been adapted for piano. It suits the instrument perfectly while still preserving the essence of the original piece. It's absolutely refreshing!"After a few seconds of discussion, an unexpect
Two days later, Maria and Linda arrive at the venue of the exchange conference in their finest attire.They hand over their invitation cards and wait for the security guard to check them.Suddenly, a mocking voice comes from beside them, "Oh oh, who is this? Linda!? Am I mistaken?"The one speaking is Linda manager, and standing next to her is the pianist signed by Linda economic company."Aria, you're not mistaken, isn't that Linda herself?"Hearing their voices, Linda's face darkens. She turns her head and glares at them, "Aria, your eyesight is really not good, you can't even recognize me. You should go to the hospital to have your eyes checked."Aria originally wanted to embarrass Linda, but she didn't expect her to retort so sharply. She immediately gets furious."Linda, the company didn't give you an invitation card. Tell me, where did you steal it from?""Hehe..."Linda raises her chin triumphantly, holding Maria's arm. "Do I need the company to give me one? Just look at who's
After arriving in Beijing, the feeling of uneasiness never appeared again, and Maria felt an indescribable relief.Charles had sent someone to take Andrew back to the Lesser family, while Patrick and Linda followed Charles and Maria back to their villa.Originally, Andrew had strongly invited Patrick to come back to the Lesser family with him, but Patrick knew that the Lesser family was big and complicated, so he used the excuse of being with Linda and followed Charles.***********On the third day, when Luna returned from Brussels, she went directly to Maria’s place and looked at Linda, her expression becoming more flattering."Linda, I heard that your contract with your previous agency is about to expire, right?"Maria sat next to Linda, holding a big doll in her hands, feeling very angry."Yes, they told me before that if I could achieve good results in the training camp this time, they would sign me for another ten years and give me all the resources. But just when I announced my
At this moment, Maria had already packed up and left the hotel with Charles, Linda, Andrew, and others.On the way to the airport, Linda still couldn't understand and turned back to Maria, "Ria, as long as the misunderstanding is resolved, we can still stay in the training camp, right?"Of course, Maria knew that if she returned to the training camp now, everyone would treat her like a deity.Just kidding, being able to decide the life and death of their teacher, they would definitely flatter and serve Maria obediently.Maria shook her head, "Actually, I have already achieved my goal. Linda, if you want to go back, you can go back, no need to accompany me.""Hey!"Linda casually waved her hand, "Without you here, why should I go back? Besides, I have hugged your thigh, and you have hugged Master Smith's thigh. Am I still afraid of not being able to reach the pinnacle of the international piano world?"She said it so casually, as if she was joking. But Maria could tell that she still f
Maria, so smart, why couldn't she understand what they meant?She smiled and turned to shout inside the house, "Honey, it turns out they are looking for you." Charles was inside, and he had heard everything at the door clearly. The girls had looked down on him before and said he was weak, but now they all came to beg him with a straight face. It was really funny.He remained silent for a while before saying, "Ria, in our home, I make the major decisions and you make the minor ones. But in my eyes, besides you, nothing else is a major matter. So, you make the decisions."The girls outside, "..."Didn't that mean that Maria would be in charge of everything in the house?They felt a toothache and couldn't believe they were caught off guard by this unexpected situation.Maria shrugged and looked at them again.Originally, they came to apologize to Maria as a pretense, hoping that she would persuade Charles, but now, the initiative was completely in her hands, and they had to lower their
Maria was not foolish. Why did her reputation stink so much? Was it only because of the ambiguous relationship between her and Charles at that banquet?Just that one time was not enough to make everyone dislike and envy her.Lucy's face was extremely embarrassed, but at this moment, she had already lost all confidence in front of Maria and could only cry helplessly."Maria, I really know I was wrong. Can you forgive me? Please...""Lucy, your intentions were truly wicked. You even used Rivata as a weapon. Honestly, I admire you for that."Even while saying this, Maria's expression remained calm, her tone as if chatting with a close friend."You, alone, have bewitched the hearts of all the girls in the training camp. You treated others as pawns to sacrifice for your own gain. Wasn't your goal to drive me out of the camp? Congratulations, you achieved your goal. You should be happy, so why are you crying?"When Maria said this, the other girls immediately began pondering.After thinkin