Chapter 797



At home, Freya, blushing with embarrassment, hastily ushered Rola away. On their way back, Sophie’s curiosity kept tugging at her. “Mom, how did you manage to get Rola to confess?”

With a sly smile, Kallie tapped Sophie’s nose and teased, “Ever heard the phrase, ‘strike where it stings’?” Despite Rola’s rebellious and unruly demeanor, her true passion lay in playing the piano. Her drive to win at all costs had pushed her to steal Sophie’s sheet music.

When confronting Rola, Kallie laid it out plainly: if Rola didn’t come clean, all of her wrongdoings would soon be known throughout the piano circles. Rola had done more than just this one shameful thing. It was fortunate that Tyrone, a once-celebrated pianist with widespread influence, and his globally recognized students could sway public opinion.

As Rola wavered, Kallie pointed out that her scheming had done nothing but humiliate Sophie and sabotage her chances of victory. Despite the baseless accusations of plagiarism, it wouldn’t diminish Sophie’s innate skill. Rola had stolen Sophie’s composition, but Sophie’s talent was something no one could capture or contain. Before long, the plagiarism talk would fade, and Sophie would still stand out as a gifted pianist. In contrast, Rola would be doomed to remain in Sophie’s shadow, with Sophie present at every competition Rola entered.

After Kallie explained these two points, Rola was visibly shaken. Still green and a bit naïve, Rola felt real fear—enough to quickly concede to Kallie’s terms. Kallie wasn’t asking for much; she just required Rola to own up to her mistake publicly.

Hearing this, Sophie’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “Mom, you’re really something else!”

With a warm hug, Kallie replied, “My dear, I’ve kept these tactics from you, not wanting you to engage in manipulation. But I see now it’s better you learn how to defend yourself than be left vulnerable.”

Kallie confided that her warnings to Rola were somewhat overstated. “Sometimes, you have to adopt some tactics to stay ahead,” she explained.

Sophie pondered this new lesson, and then her thoughts shifted. “Mom, should we head back to Avalon? I miss my dad.”

The mention of Jake caused Kallie’s smile to briefly disappear, though she didn’t react much.

The sorrow that had once clouded their discussions about Jake had lifted somewhat. While Kallie had never organized a formal funeral, she had created a memorial space for Jake at home. She didn’t view having a grave at home as inappropriate, especially since she had consulted a master in this matter.

Keeping Jake’s memorial at home wasn’t meant to alleviate Kallie’s longing. It was a heartfelt gesture from the entire family, expressing their hope that Jake’s next journey would be one of happiness and freedom. The memorial served to keep his spirit alive in their hearts.

At times, the children would gather around Jake’s grave and talk to him as if he hadn’t really left them. For Kallie, accepting Jake’s death was still a struggle. It seemed more plausible to her that Jake was just away on an extended journey, perhaps soon to return.

When Sophie shared her feelings, they resonated with the other two kids, who also longed for the familiarity of home. Kallie gave a small laugh and reassured them, “We’ll need to stay here a bit longer, but our return isn’t far off.” Kallie had committed to attending a banquet with Clayton, scheduled for two days later, though the venue remained undecided.

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