As soon as Sharon stopped talking, everyone looked at North.Had she never heard of Ryan Keys? No way! Just how ignorant was North Myers?Ryan’s expression soured. “Such ignorance!”Gerald looked up coldly, but North caught his hand just in time. Then, she asked in confusion, “What’s your signature piece, Mr. Keys? Is it so strange that I’ve never heard of you if you don’t have one?”“Hmph! What an uncultured young woman!” Ryan was so angry that his face turned red.He hated it the most when people mentioned signature compositions. Many people commented that he only became famous because he was a student of Ivan Ivory.However, he believed he was just down on his luck. Once he finished performing “Homecoming” today, that would be his signature piece!“Miss North.” Sharon stepped forward with a sigh. “In any case, Mr. Keys is a famous pianist. You can’t dismiss his achievements just because you’ve never heard of him. Everyone here knows who he is, you’re the only one who…” she tr
Everyone exchanged silent looks. For a moment, no one dared speak.Seducing the judges? Banned for life?How dare she?!She was only eighteen four years ago. How shameless would she have to be to do something like that four years ago, and then marry Gerald Howard?!North, though, was perplexed. She had never even been to Seatown four years ago.Sharon put a hand over her mouth in shock. “Goodness… Are you sure there hasn’t been a mistake, Mr. Keys?”“Why would there be a mistake? I’ll never forget North Myers’ name! You all have no idea how shameless she was! She stripped and climbed into the bed of a judge old enough to be her grandfather!“And when she failed to seduce one of them, she turned to seduce the others! Even me! Disgusting! Despicable!” Ryan spat with disgust. “Madam Bracken, I refuse to share the same space as someone like her. Goodbye!”As Ryan began walking out, everyone started looking at North in a different light.“How could she be so disgusting?” someone as
Everyone fell silent, then suddenly burst out laughing.Ryan’s mockery only got worse. “Hilarious! My student won the Pianist Tournament! Why would she lose to you?”Sharon had already taken her seat in front of the piano. “Then I’ll perform “Homecoming” and dedicate it to Madam Bracken.”When North heard her play, she raised an eyebrow.Sharon’s talent was undeniable as a tournament champion. Getting to show off in front of the Brackens and win the admiration of the crowd, as well as mocking North? That was killing three birds with one stone.Sharon’s music was very gentle, the melody instantly getting the whole hall to quiet down.When she was done, they responded with thunderous applause.“Oh wow, it’s “Homecoming”… everyone can tell how difficult that song was. I didn’t think Miss Sharon could play it so effortlessly!” one person exclaimed.“As expected of the Pianist Tournament champion! Looks like North is about to embarrass herself…”Sharon could not help but look at Ge
She was close. She was so close. North was going to lose to her…The next thing she knew, the crowd fell silent again upon hearing music that sounded elegant, yet intimidating.Unlike Sharon, North’s performance of “Homecoming” evoked a sense of melancholy.The music itself seemed to paint a picture of an unforgiving winter, and everyone could almost see soldiers and horses right in front of them.That style and sense of melancholy… They all suddenly remembered why this song was called “Homecoming”.The song’s imagery of violent war gradually calmed, as if the dust was settling on a battle.When the performance was done, everyone stared. Some even cried.A few moments later, the hall erupted in chaotic discussion.“I get it now… this wasn’t talking about a traveler who missed her homeland at all.”“This was written for soldiers guarding the front line! What the heck was Sharon performing, then?“I remember now. Didn’t Paige Bracken get adopted by a family of soldiers before s
Everyone silently figured out what Gerald meant.How could such a biased man with an inability to tell between good and bad playing become a judge?Madam Bracken, too, scoffed. “Preposterous! Do you think we don’t have ears?”Ryan was embarrassed, but he pushed through anyway. “Mr. Howard, Madam Bracken, I’ll be blunt with you. The rest of you aren’t experts on the piano, so you wouldn’t know the difference. But as a judge, of course, I’m going to analyze it from every possible perspective.“Truly, Sharon was the one who played this song better.”North smiled slightly. “Please explain how Miss Sharon played it better, Mr. Keys. In terms of technical difficulty, my performance surpassed hers. In terms of smoothness, I believe everyone could see the results for themselves.”“Why, you…” Ryan turned red in the face. After a moment of being unable to answer North’s question, he got angry and yelled, “Miss North! I’m Ivan Ivory’s student. Are you questioning my professionalism?!” Iva
“What a joke!” Ivan interrupted him mercilessly. “Sharon’s performance was stiff, unrefined, and showed zero understanding of the piece. The high notes didn’t flow together and neither did the low notes. By what standards are you judging her performance?!”Ryan and Sharon paled in response to his words, shaking as if they were about to faint.Sharon’s hands balled into fists as she bit her lip.She did not expect Ivan to be this merciless in his criticism!It did not matter if her performance was not as good as North’s! She was the eldest Lane heiress. She was meant for that title!Ivan scoffed. “The way I see it, I don’t want a student with ears like yours.”Was he trying to expel him?! Ryan was terrified. He had begged Ivan to accept him as his student despite being a full twelve years older than he was, and he had used his identity as Ivan’s student to reap many benefits. If he was expelled…Ryan hastily shook his head. “No, Mr. Ivory, please listen! O-Of course I know Miss
Boom! Sharon felt like she had just been struck by thunder, and her mind had just blown up.Gerald’s words knocked some sense into everyone.Of course! If North was a better pianist than Sharon, and she was Ivan Ivory’s sister, how did she lose the tournament?Moreover, how did she get accused of “seducing the judges”?North put on a thoughtful tone. “Hmm… that’s weird. I play the piano better than Miss Sharon does, and yet she’s the champion. Did her skills go downhill that quickly, or… was there something fishy about that tournament? What do you think, Mr. Keys?”Sharon began trembling as she broke out into a cold sweat.Ryan gulped. “O-Of course there’s nothing fishy about the tournament. The judges all decided she was the winner, and the judging criteria were mostly objective.“M-Maybe the judges just liked Sharon more at the time…”“Really?” Ivan interrupted him mercilessly. “Even at a time like this, you’re still making up excuses for yourself!“If their performances wer
Sharon claimed she was ill and excused herself, but everyone knew the real reason she left.Madam Bracken said plainly, “If you know you’re sick, then you shouldn’t have left the house. Don’t ruin such an important day for me.”Sharon’s face paled. She could tell Madam Bracken was mocking her.However, the only thing she could do was grit her teeth and endure everyone’s disapproving gazes. “You’re right, Madam Bracken. I’ll be leaving, then.”She did not understand how Ivan Ivory was related to North Myers.Siblings? Yeah, right! If Ivan Ivory was connected to North, then how did the Myers family kick her out?“At this point, other people’s opinions don’t matter. You need to find a way to steal Gerald’s heart,” Mr. Lane said coldly. “Do I need to teach you everything?”Sharon lowered her head. He was right. She was one of the most eligible heiresses around, and she had her own business. She was just as capable as Gerald was.North was the kind of woman who only knew how to depe