Chapter 553

Kathleen smiled before she intentionally praised the other woman. “I’m rooting for you too.” The rest of the orchestra members also began to show their support for Cindy. “Cindy is the most skilled among us-she’s sure to win the competition,” one uttered.

“When that happens, you will be the lead violinist of the second orchestra team. You’ll have to look out for us then, Cindy.” The rest of the members knew themselves well enough to know that Cindy was both more experienced and skilled than them.

Cindy was pic was pleased to hear their words and vowed to look out for everyone after becoming the concertmaster.

A look of disdain flashed across Kathleen’s eyes when she saw the few of them laughing and chatting.

But for the sake of her plan, she forced herself to be patient with them. “Actually, this whole competition wasn’t supposed to exist at first. It was only hosted because my mother requested for Tessa to be the concertmaster of Group Two. The other shareholders had initially chosen Cindy to take up this role.”

The few members who had been laughing felt their smiles freeze on their faces upon hearing this. Even Cindy’s expression turned sour, and she stared at Kathleen before questioning her. “What’s going on here?”

Kathleen didn’t bother to hide anything; however, she did exaggerate the story of how her mother tried to fight for Tessa to be the lead violinist. “I agree that Tessa is a good player, but I think you’re just as good as her. Furthermore, you’re way more experienced than her, so I think you’d suit Group Two better. The whole competition only exists because my mother is biased toward Tessa.

It’s really a waste of everyone’s time.”

“It seems like Miss Hathaway is truly biased,” someone commented.

“She is! She usually doesn’t allow us to perform outside, but those rules didn’t apply to Tessa at all.”

The other members began to protest, heating up the discussion they had. Cindy felt more enraged upon hearing their words. “Who does Tessa think she is? During this competition, I will show her what it means to respect her seniors!”

Tessa should just wait for her turn, right? Does she think that everyone else has to step aside just because she is Miss Hathaway’s protégé? Cindy thought.

Tessa wasn’t aware of what happened at the bar at all. The next morning, she brought her violin case to practice as usual. “Good morning!” She smiled and greeted the members around her. However, many of them ignored her and pretended as if she didn’t exist. Her smile stiffened when she realized that no one was responding to her. She gazed at her surroundings and pressed her lips together before walking to the practice room when she saw that everyone was ignoring her. While she made her way there, she wondered why the members showed such a massive change in attitude toward her.

Could all of them be distancing away from me because they all see me as a threat in the competition?

If that’s the case, these people are way too scary. But, on the other hand, it’s just a competition-is it worth it to hurt someone else’s feelings over such a matter? she wondered.

Mona came over to speak to Tessa during their lunch break. She edged close to Tessa’s ear before whispering to her. “Did you realize that everyone is acting a little oddly today?”

“I did.” Tessa nodded and told Mona her thoughts. “I tirink they’re going overboard by doing such a thing,” she commented. Mona agreed with her sentiment. “The competitions within the team aren’t usually so intense,” Mona commented. She held onto her chin as she tried to figure out what was happening.

Tessa decided to look past this matter when she saw Mona struggling to comprehend the situation.

“Regardless of the reason, I guess this isn’t entirely bad news. But, since the competition is so strong.

it’ll put everyone under more pressure. I kind of like this feeling-it forces everyone to improve.”

“Is that so?” Mona stared at Tessa with a look of surprise on her face. However, Tessa only raised an eyebrow before speaking in a confident and firm tone. “Why not? I feel confident about my abilities, anyway. So, no matter how powerful my opponents are, I’m sure I’ll be able to overpower them and win this competition!”

Mona was stunned when she saw the self-assured woman speaking with a glow on her face. Mona was dazed for a moment before she praised the other woman. “You have such a great attitude, Tessa. I believe you can win the competition and obtain the spot as the concertmaster too!”