Chapter 82
When the assistant director called cut, Cordeliaâs fingers froze midâmelody, and the music stopped abruptly.
In the extrasâ seating area, Hayley was utterly perplexed by Cordeliaâs sudden halt, but considering the distance and the pianoâs orientation away from her, she hadnât seen Cordeliaâs hand movements. Unable to contain herself, Hayley snickered, âThatâs hilarious. Are they even dubbing piano music now? Does that mean Cordelia hasnât touched a key? How are they going to shoot the closeâups?â
The others around her couldnât help but chuckle, too. It wasnât out of malice. They just found the situation amusing.
Hayley continued to poke fun. âJuliana, doesnât your family have a piano? Has she never pretended to play? It is like some funny pantomime act, right? Hilarious!â
Juliana turned even paler, her mouth agape with no words coming out. She just wanted to escape this place before she became the butt of everyoneâs jokes.
Finding Hayleyâs comments distasteful, Merry retorted with a pout. âSo, what if Lia doesnât play piano? No one can be perfect, right? Sheâs got to leave some room for the rest of us, donât we?â
Hanley frowned and turned to Hayley, exhaling deeply. âWeâre classmates here. We should help each other out. Why do you have to be so prickly all the time?â
Hayley wanted to argue, but looking at Hanleyâs face, she was at a loss for words.
After a moment, Hanley turned to Juliana., âWhy donât you go up and give her a few pointers to make it look good? It should be simple enough.â
Julianaâs lips quivered, and she finally uttered, âShe can play the piano.â
Unfortunately, her voice was so soft that neither Hanley nor Hayley could hear her. âWhat was that?â they asked.
Embarrassment and anger flushed Julianaâs cheeks. But before she could speak again, a crew member called out loudly, âDirector, the music isnât playing!â
Everyone was stunned. No music
The assistant director was baffled. âNo music? Then what was that just nowâ¦â
Midâsentence, realization struck him, and he turned to Cordelia in disbelief. âGod, you can play the piano?â The class looked at her incredulously, including the shocked Hayley and the bewildered Hanley.
Cordeliaâs misty eyes looked ahead, and just as she was about to speak, a crew memberâs voice echoed from the doorway. âDirector, Stantonâs student, has arrived!â
Upon hearing this, a slender figure in a white dress, Joy, stood timidly at the door, followed by a translator hired by her family.
Joy disliked having a translator with her when mingling in high society, it made her feel out of place. She preferred the quiet sanctuary of her home. But with its high status, the Collins family ensured she had the appropriate entourage when she ventured out.
The translator inquired, âAssistant director, who needs Miss Collinsâ guidance?â
The assistant director was still dazed, pointing to Cordelia before realizing, maybe, just maybe, they didnât need her help after all.
Following his gesture, Joy looked at the figure behind the piano, and her eyes lit up. She started to gesture with her hands.
Unaware that Cordelia sign language, the translator translated after a momentâs confusion, âLia, itâs you? But why would you need piano guidance? Mr. Stanton wouldnât dare to teach you, so what right do I have? Lia.
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Mr. Stanton mentioned he composed a new piece and would like you to review it when youâre free.â
After the translator finished, the room fell into silence, Even the assistant director was stunned.
Had the translator made a mistake?
Did the renowned Stanton, Joyâs teacher, need plano guidance from Cordelia?
From the crowd, Hayley couldnât help but exclaim, âThere must be some mistake in the translation, right?â
The translator replied with a serious face, âIâm professional, and Iâve been serving Miss Joy for years. How could I make any mistakes? As the student of Mr. Stanton, Miss Joy would certainly never tarnish her teacherâs reputation!â
Hayley blurted out reflexively. âHow could she not? I heard when Stanton was choosing a student, Juliana stepped aside for Joy to have the opportunity to study under him. Whatâs so great about that?â
After her outburst, the âinformed translator countered, âNonsense! When Mr. Stanton visited the Delaney family to select a student, there four candidates. Miss Cordeliaâs piano skills were so advanced that Mr. Stanton didnât dare take her as a student. As for Miss Juliana and another girl, Mr. Stanton has dismissed them, and it was only on Miss Cordeliaâs recommendation that Miss Joy was taken as a student!â
The classroom fell silent.
After a moment, Merry exclaimed in awe. âDamn, Lia! You donât leave any room for the rest of us!â
What?
Hayley and Hanley were dumbfounded. They turned to Juliana. âYou didnât tell us that!â
Juliana had complicated looks. Finally, in a flushed state, she stammered, â1⦠Lâ¦â
Unable to continue, her eyes welled up with tears she stood up and ran out of the room.
Hanley watched her leave, speechless. He had thought Juliana was at least better at piano than Cordelia, but
nowâ¦
How could he have ever thought that making Juliana his fiancee was a good idea?
At Midnight Scent since the scandal on social media, Calvert has been constantly monitoring the Greenmeadow International School forum. Sure enough, he stumbled upon an explosive post. [OMG, Iâm freaking out! The scenes with our beloved school genius Cordelia and pop idol Landie together are too gorgeous!]
Calvert eagerly showed the post to Everard, silently marveling at how many shipsâ Cordelia seemed to have.
Hayleyâs repeated interruptions during filming got her expelled from the set by the director.
After a brief exchange with Cordelia, Joy left.
Cordelia performed a piano piece from start to finish in one breath. The director demanded silence on set and recorded the music live. They completed the piano scene in one take, and with that, Cordelia had accomplished her task.
Even under the best circumstances, the whole ordeal had taken two hours.
After the shoot, Cordelia changed her clothes, and Merry accompanied her to the ladiesâ room.
It was a school building with no private restrooms in the classrooms. The public bathrooms were at the very end of the hallway. As approached, they noticed that Bland was also there.
Merryâs eyes instantly lit up, but the sight of her celebrity crush turned her brain into mush.
06:15
Chapter 82
Bland was there, hoping to catch a moment alone with Cordelia. After all, Lia had cast him in a play, and he needed to smooth things over with the boss in their group.
He wanted Cordelia to put in a good word for him, to avoid the jealousy that might get him into trouble.
Stepping forward, Bland fixed his gaze on Cordelia, his eyes coyly lifting in a foxy grin, oozing charm. âHey, Lia, Merry, how are you guys doing?â
Cordelia was a bit slow on the uptake, offering a slight nod in response.
On the other hand, Merry was so nervous that her hands started to shake, and she blurted out, âHoney, did you come to the restroom personally?â
Chapter 83
Chapter 83