Chapter 191
As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Keen, hoping to pass the buck onto him.
“Keen, the reason we lost this competition is mostly because you were off your game. Look at Marvin, he played brilliantly! Rachel’s 0.1-point deduction? That’s on you.”
Keen’s mind was still replaying the scene of Stella standing on the stage, a vision he’d never seen before. Was that really his mom? She seemed a world apart— dazzling, almost magical, and yet impossible to look away from.
When did his mom become so amazing? Even more impressive than Rachel, it seemed.
Although he was young and didn’t understand music deeply, his instincts told him his mom’s violin performance was more captivating than Rachel’s.
And then there was Marvin…
He hated to admit it, but Marvin’s violin playing was better than his. The performance he just witnessed, the harmony between Marvin and his mom, was nearly flawless.
His own performance… well, it definitely wasn’t as good.
Keen couldn’t argue back, so he lowered his head and muttered, “I’m sorry, I let Rachel down.”
Jasper nodded, “Exactly, without you, Rachel would have been perfect. So technically, Rachel didn’t lose.”
Deanna, on the other hand, was livid, “That’s total bull! You can feed that story to a five-year-old like Keen, but don’t think we’re all idiots!”
Seeing Deanna’s rage, Jasper decided to tone it down a bit. He cleared his throat and addressed her, “Mrs. O’Brien, I didn’t mean it like that. I just didn’t want Stella to get too full of herself! We all know Keen’s potential. But you also know Rachel made a bet with Stella just now…”
Deanna retorted coldly, “Rachel losing a bet has nothing to do with Keen.”
Jasper argued, “We asked Rachel to team up with Keen for the competition, and we didn’t win first place. Now Stella has it, and she might be gloating. Admitting Rachel lost is like saying Keen lost too. Do you want Stella to come over and flaunt her victory? Besides, Keen is her own son. Is a mother beating her son really something to be proud of?”
“She wouldn’t dare brag about beating her own kid,” he added.
Deanna’s expression shifted slightly at this. She couldn’t stand the thought of someone less competent lording it over her.
Just then, a gentle knock came at the door of the lounge. Haynes walked in with Stella.
As Stella entered the room, a hush fell over the space.
Everyone looked at her with a strange mix of expressions, as if she had walked into a completely different world.
For someone with a weaker resolve, such an unwelcoming gaze could easily drive them away.
Stella, however, ignored the varied looks and focused directly on Rachel.
“Ms. Pearce, is it time to return my mother’s necklace to its rightful owner?”
Rachel instinctively touched the necklace on her neck, her loose hair partially hiding her troubled expression.
When she realized she had lost, she entertained a fleeting thought of tossing the necklace away.
If she couldn’t have it, then Stella shouldn’t either. But she quickly pushed down that thought; it’d be too obvious. If she did that, Haynes might think she did it on purpose.
Before Rachel could respond, Jasper interjected, “Stella, don’t get ahead of yourself. Rachel didn’t lose to you; it was your son Keen who lost.”