Chapter 2

Everyone knows that playing the piano is an expensive pursuit.

To be my student, you had to come from a decent background.

Even the two students who got in purely on scholarships had made a lot of money from performances over the years.

So, a three-hundred-thousand-dollar piano wasn't an impossible luxury for them.

But Serena's bank account was about to take a massive hit.

Some of the students realized what was happening. They exchanged glances but chose to keep their mouths shut. They politely thanked Serena.

Serena’s smile completely froze.

I tightened my grip around her waist and whispered, "What's wrong? Do you really want everyone to think you favor Ethan?"

She took a deep breath. "Of course not."

She handed over her card.

On the surface, she tried to act like it was nothing. But her knuckles were white from gripping the card so tightly.

Once the transaction cleared, I laughed.

In the crowd, Ethan looked incredibly uncomfortable, trying his best to disappear.

I looked at him and said gently, "Of course, out of all my students, you’ve been here the longest, but you have the least talent."

"Serena went to great lengths to get you the most expensive piano. If you don't work harder, you’ll be letting her down."

Ethan kept his head down and mumbled, "I'll work harder..."

His voice was trembling, on the verge of tears.

Serena looked at him with so much pity it made me sick.

I had no interest in watching this soap opera. I turned around and walked away.

Behind me, the guests were whispering about the performances.

Ethan, whose skills were clearly inferior to the others, became the center of gossip.

"Who even is that Ethan guy? He completely ruined the show."

"Does he have no self-awareness? You can't just buy your way onto a world-class stage like this."

"Just look at his piano. Even Julian Vance doesn't show off like that. He’s so arrogant..."

Ethan’s eyes were red as he fled the venue in humiliation.

"Julian, don't you think you went too far?"

Serena called to interrogate me the moment she got home.

I scoffed. "What did I do?"

She went quiet.

I didn't start those rumors. It was the consequence of her own foolishness.

I could overlook mediocrity. But the rest of the world wouldn't.

Realizing she was being unreasonable, Serena changed her tone.

"Fine, I didn't think this through."

"You’ve had your revenge. Let's just put this behind us."

She was trying to give us both an easy way out.

I didn't agree, but I didn't refuse either.

Serena paused, then continued, "Come with me to a high school reunion tomorrow. Are you free?"

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. "Send me the address."

We were supposed to get officially engaged in a week.

Just as she said, I had already given her a warning. This little incident wasn't enough to make me call off the engagement yet.

As long as she knew her boundaries and played the part of Mrs. Vance, I wouldn't make things difficult for her.

Without waiting for her reply, I hung up.

I was willing to let it go, but she just couldn't stop pushing her luck.

Before the reunion, she even came to pick me up from my office.

"The people at the party are all my old classmates. We’ll be interacting with them after we get married. Think of this as getting to know them early."

I agreed, treating it like a standard business dinner.

I thought she would at least show some respect for my first meeting with her friends.

But I overestimated her manners.

The moment we walked into the private room, before she could even introduce me, her phone rang.

She looked at the screen, hesitated for a second, and said, "I need to take this."

Then she walked out without looking back, leaving me alone with a room full of strangers.

I wasn't embarrassed, but a wave of disgust washed over me.

And what her classmate said next completely triggered my anger.

"Look at Serena, she’s so busy these days. What could be more important than her handsome little toy boy?"

A man walked over and casually put his arm around my shoulder. "Hey, you must be Ethan, right?"