Eunice spilled the beans with a gleam in her eye.
"Your darling granddaughter—she’s none other than the world-renowned piano virtuoso, lody."
Belinda and Darren were thunderstruck, frozen in awe before a cascade of complints tumbled out.
"I simply adore lody’s piano pieces," Belinda gushed toward the end, her excitent palpable.
"Especially when she releases a new track. I listen at ho, in the car, first thing in the morning, and last thing at night. I can’t get enough—I really can’t!"
"Rember your grandma’s birthday? I was dying to have lody play at our house—cost no object—just to see her perform live. But lody was nowhere to be found. The folks at the Piano Association said they couldn’t reach her. And now, my precious granddaughter is lody herself!"
Darren was overwheld with surprise and joy. If only they had found lody sooner, perhaps their reunion with their treasured granddaughter could have happened earlier.
"We must celebrate! We’ve got a miracle doctor in the family, and a piano maestro to boot. Darling, we need to think of sothing special to reward Rose with."
Belinda, in her exuberant joy, was already brainstorming ideas.
Rosemary was about to politely decline when Eunice elbowed her, signaling not to miss this golden opportunity. They had to let Serena hear—straight from her grandparents—what kind of reward a piano maestro deserves. It would keep Serena from getting too cocky about her own piano first prize!
Rosemary caught onto her aunt’s little sche and couldn’t help but smile.
Though Eunice ant no harm, her words felt like a deep insult to Serena.
"At that auction the other day, didn’t I win that tanzanite? Let’s give it to Rose as a reward!"
When Belinda dropped this bombshell, Serena’s face went pale.
Tanzanite was a thousand tis rarer than diamonds, and the piece Belinda had won was of the rarest tanzanite blue.
They say the stone’s magic lies in its ability to show a dazzling array of colors when viewed from different angles—even appearing in different hues under varying light.
If Serena’s mory served her right, that stone was won by Belinda for two million dollars. Belinda treasured it imnsely, and now—to think she’d part with it so readily for Rosemary?
"Well then, I’ll give Rose the natural wild pearl I won at the auction," Darren declared generously.
Eunice chid in with a smile.
"Rose, your grandpa spent a good two million on that pearl. It weighs over 300 grams, and he’s kept it as a treasured possession, believing it brings good fortune. Now, he’s giving it to you so freely—which ans he’s incredibly proud and satisfied with your achievents."
Eunice paused to chuckle before adding,
"And with the tanzanite your grandma’s giving you, the value is quite significant."
Rosemary hadn’t expected her grandparents to be so lavish. The rewards amounted to four million dollars.
She responded warmly, "Thank you, Grandma, Grandpa, for your generosity."
"Silly girl, there’s no need to thank us. It’s the Griffiths’ and the Collins’ blessing to have such a remarkable child in our family."
anwhile, Serena watched as Belinda and Darren heaped praises on Rosemary from start to finish, fuming with envy.
Just monts ago, her grandparents had rewarded her with gifts totaling a re one hundred thousand dollars—but when it ca to Rosemary, they didn’t hesitate to present treasures worth four million!
The disparity was staggering.
Sure, Rosemary was lody, but did that really warrant such an enormous reward in one go?
It was blatant favoritism.
Serena’s jealousy simred just below the surface, a bitter taste in her mouth that no amount of sweet talk from Eunice could wash away.
"Serena, your sister Rose has accomplished sothing truly extraordinary. Just being known as lody puts her leagues ahead of her peers. Heck, she’s a top player in the whole scene—untouchable."
"And once you achieve such bright results, we will surely reward you too. We would never favor one grandchild over another."
While Belinda’s words were ant to comfort, Serena knew better. They all knew she couldn’t beco the next lody or the next Dr. Bell in the near future. Such promises were hollow—just sweet nothings to placate her.
"All I feel is pride and joy for Rose’s success," Serena said, masking her true feelings with a smile.
"There’s no point in fretting over rewards. I aim to follow in her footsteps and make our family proud."
Her eyes shone with feigned optimism as Belinda cooed,
"I knew you weren’t petty, dear. We just want to ensure fairness."
Serena forced a laugh.
"Rose just returned to the family. Even if you were unfair and doted on her a bit more, I wouldn’t mind. I’ve had my fair share over the years. If they neglected Rose, I’d be the first to object!"
Darren and Belinda chuckled at her gracious words, their hearts warming at her apparent understanding and kindness. They had raised her well, indeed.
"Is everyone here?" Bard entered, his gaze landing on Belinda. "Mom, you’ve arrived. Just now?"
He had hastened ho upon hearing of his mother’s visit, wrapping up his work to be with family.
"Bard," Belinda teased, "Guess what other identity your darling niece has?"
The room fell silent, awaiting his guess. Bard’s eyes swept to Rosemary, fearing they’d discovered her secret leadership role. No—their cheerful expressions said otherwise. What other identity could it be?
"Just tell him," chuckled Eunice, stepping forward.
"Rose is none other than the renowned piano virtuoso—lody."
Bard was incredulous, taking a mont to digest the news before realizing it was his turn to reward his niece.
"The grandparents have given their part, so as her uncle, I should contribute too. Eunice, how about we give Rose that famous painting we acquired two years ago?"
"No objections here," Eunice agreed.
Bard ordered the painting to be brought over.
Serena nearly choked on her envy.
That painting had caused a stir in the art world of Dawnstar, its rarity and symbolism fetching a hefty price of four million at auction.
Now it was worth even more!
A single identity—lody—had netted Rosemary a reward nearing ten million dollars!
How was Serena to accept this?
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