Chapter 233
“Laura, are you saying The judge next to her finally found his voice again, though it still shook. “Do you mean Echo, the world-famous pianist?”
Echo had been out of the spotlight for years, not a single new piece released. Laura was the only person Echo had ever called a student, and with her reputation, there was no way she’d make up something just to frame a teenager. This had to be real.
“Who would even dare to copy Echo? That’s asking for trouble,” someone in the audience whispered, awed.
“No wonder the piece sounded different from anything else. It’s a masterpiece “Echo is so mysterious, even Laura has never met her in person. How could Olivia possibly know someone like that, let alone get her hands on Echo’s music?”
The whole room buzzed with gossip. Every eye in the place zeroed in on Olivia, their stares sharp, like they were trying to peel back her every secret.
Charlotte lounged in her VIP seat, her face calm and unreadable. The moment the crowd quieted down, she glanced up, her gaze drifting lazily to the stage.
Olivia stood tall and stiff, her face pale, but her lips lifted in a quiet, confident smile. Echo? Of course she knew that name. In the piano world, Echo was almost legendary. She’d wanted to be Laura’s student mostly because Laura was Echo’s disciple. Getting to Laura meant maybe getting closer to Echo. But the original sheet music had turned up at her own house. She was sure that no one in the Main family knew Echo. Laura’s accusation was only making herself look bad.
“Olivia, Laura has challenged the originality of your piece,” the competition organizer said, stepping in with a steady voice. “You have the right to explain yourself and prove your work.”
“Thank you.” Olivia smiled sweetly, her voice soft but clear. “I hope the organizers will look into this and clear my name.”
She signaled for her bag. Someone
hurried to hand it over, and Olivia pulled out her sheet music. The pages were filled with notes and corrections, clearly a draft that had
been worked on over time
She
handed it to the judges.
“Judges, this is my original
manuscript.” Olivia took a deep breath, trying to sound calm. “Laura says copied Echo That accusation is completely
enfounded and
honestly, a little ridiculous.
Laura sat frozen, her face growing stiffer by the second as she watched Olivia’s calm performance. She put a hand on her hip, pulling in a shaky breath as she grabbed her phone and quickly typed out an email.
Echo, are you still at the theater? Something’s happened at the competition. I have a quick question for you.
Next to her, Charlotte glanced at her own phone, fingers moving slowly as she replied.
Aside from what I’ve published, I haven’t sold or given any of my pieces to anyone. Laura stared at the reply, frowning in confusion. She hadn’t even decided whether to tell Echo everything when another message popped up.
Light is mine. The manuscript is mine too.
Laura’s breath caught in her throat. Shock and anger flashed across her face. Echo was here, and she knew exactly what was going on.