Chapter 4

Chloe put on her jacket, walked over, and wrapped her arm around Chase's. She whined in a sweet, spoiled voice.

"Chase, you're way too generous. Two hundred dollars for a piece of moldy wood? He's making a massive profit!"

To show off, Chloe raised her heel and stomped directly onto the center of the cracked cello.

*CRACK.*

A loud, agonizing sound echoed through the room.

The already fragile instrument snapped clean in half.

My mind went completely blank. Chloe, however, shrugged as if nothing happened. "What cheap wood. I barely touched it and it broke."

"Oh ouch! A splinter scratched my ankle. Look, Chase, it's bleeding!"

My ears were ringing. I couldn't hear her high-pitched whining. I balled the two bills into a tight fist and threw them hard at Chase's face.

Before they could react, I lunged forward with all my strength and shoved Chloe's shoulder.

She couldn't withstand the force. Her slender body flew backward, crashing hard into the vanity mirror. Makeup bottles and glass shattered everywhere.

None of them expected me to fight back. After a brief pause of shock, the crew members threw themselves at me again.

They pinned me down, raining punches and kicks onto my body. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart.

I curled into a ball, shielding my head. Tears streamed down my face.

Chase wasn't satisfied. He picked up one of the broken halves of the cello, raising it high above his head, ready to smash it down onto me.

Right then, Chloe suddenly called out.

She looked at her phone, her face lighting up with excitement. "The security guard says the directors from the National Opera House are here! They’re looking for the headliner!"

Her eyes shined as she grabbed Chase's arm. "Chase! They must be looking for you!"

"They were supposed to present the award tonight but had to leave early. They must have seen the recording of your performance and came back to congratulate you!"

"Go show them what you've got. If you get drafted into the National Symphony, you'll be set for life!"

Hearing this, Chase's eyes widened in shock, which quickly turned into smug anticipation. He immediately walked over to the mirror to fix his hair.

I wanted to laugh.

Congratulate him?

If Chloe hadn't bribed the judges, did Chase really think his mediocre, clown-like dancing was enough to get him into the National Symphony?

I glanced at the blinking red light of the security camera on the ceiling. The dead embers in my heart sparked again.

The security footage, the physical evidence, the witnesses. Everyone in this room today would pay in blood.

At that moment, the door to the dressing room was pushed open. A crowd of media reporters carrying cameras flooded in.

Chloe reacted instantly, screaming at the top of her lungs, directing all the cameras toward me.

"Look at this! A random psycho just broke in and assaulted our star! Is there no law in this city?!"

She lived up to her reputation, exaggerating every detail, telling the press how I was jealous of Chase's success and how I brutally attacked him. She painted me as a violent monster.

No matter how I tried to explain, my voice was drowned out by the flashing cameras and pointing fingers.

I saw the broken pieces of my cello lying on the floor, being kicked around by the careless reporters. The pain was unbearable.

I dragged my bruised body over and fell to my knees in front of the wreckage.

My hands shook as I gathered the splintered pieces. Hot tears dripped onto the ruined wood.

The legendary, extinct wood was now reduced to splinters, soaked in sticky soda, its original luster completely gone.

Chloe got more excited as she spoke, walking over to kick some dust toward me. "You shameless criminal! Chase is a rising star. If his career is affected by his injuries, you'll rot in prison!"

She pulled out her phone to call the cops, shouting at me.

"We have cameras here, and plenty of witnesses! I will make sure you pay for this!"

Just then, two figures walked into the room.

An elderly man wearing a sharp, bespoke tweed suit scanned the chaotic room. When his eyes landed on the broken cello in my arms, his face went pale with shock.

"What is going on here? Who did this?!"