Hunter could sense that sothing was off between Adrienne and the man accompanying her. He had never seen Adrienne look this fearful before and wondered if sothing had happened between the two during his absence. He helped Adrienne back to her feet and could feel the other man’s gaze on him.
"Are you alright, Miss Addie?" She was too pale. What could’ve happened for Adrienne to react like this? He recognized the man as Myrtle Han’s elder brother.
"Let’s go back. I’m tired." Adrienne leaned her weight against her bodyguard. She could feel Alistair’s heavy stare on her and tried to ignore it.
Hunter gave Alistair one last look before taking Adrienne away. That man gave him an odd vibe, more sinister than what he’d felt from Lennox Qin.
When Adrienne arrived at her room, she started to have difficulty breathing. She clung to Hunter for help, and he directed her to focus on her deep breathing while Mother Wang panicked upon seeing Adrienne’s state.
"Mr. Nian, what happened to Miss Addie?!" Mother Wang asked. People might start speculating if Adrienne doesn’t show up soon. The party had yet to end, and Adrienne was expected to accompany her grandfather to show her support.
"She’s already like this. Can’t they entertain the guests without relying on Miss Addie?" Hunter gritted his teeth in dismay. If he knew sothing like this would happen, he wouldn’t have left Adrienne on her own.
"It’s fine," Adrienne said in between her breaths. "I just need to show up for the last ti, then I can retire for the night."
She rested her head on her arms and shut her eyes to calm down. She did not expect to et Alistair Han like that. Myrtle said he didn’t co with them earlier, so Adrienne had mistakenly assud that he wouldn’t show up tonight.
With Hunter’s help, Adrienne washed her face to freshen up. She then reapplied so lip gloss and returned to the banquet hall. Ayla wasn’t expecting Adrienne to return and had been basking in everyone’s attention. However, with Adrienne’s return, people couldn’t help but compare the two. She gritted her teeth and almost hit the wrong key while playing the piano.
Adrienne walked gracefully in a calm stride. Her beautiful cold countenance took everyone’s breath away. At this mont, Ayla was playing a soft, classy piano piece for their grandfather. Once done, she received a round of applause from the guests.
"Addie, where have you been? Elise and I have already played a piece for Grandpa. Won’t you play a piece for him too?"
Everyone gradually turned their gaze toward Ayla, then suddenly returned back to Adrienne.
Adrienne sneered inwardly. Ayla was still the sa. Her cousin refused to be overshadowed by anyone and wouldn’t waste this chance to humiliate her. However, since Ayla was thrusting her into the spotlight, there was no way that Adrienne would give her cousin the satisfaction of shining brightly tonight.
Ayla could feel the coldness in Adrienne’s eyes. Once again, she felt that Adrienne could see past her facade and she subconsciously retreated.
"A-Addie..."
"I’m not as good as you and Elise, so forgive if I cannot play a piano piece." Adrienne then borrowed a violin from the musicians hired by Camilla to play for the event. "However, since it’s my grandfather’s special day, I have no choice but to show my poor skills. I can only hope my performance would not ruin this pleasant evening."
She stood firmly, placing the violin securely between her shoulder and chin, and started playing lodiously. Those who heard Ayla’s piece earlier thought that they’d already heard the best, but as they listened to Adrienne’s playing, they felt nurous emotions in waves.
The sounds from the violin were otherworldly and lodious, and as it flowed, there wasn’t even a slight trace of hesitation in Adrienne’s playing. She was so focused on her playing that it dazzled everyone. They suddenly felt like she was a lone snowdrop, expressing her woes and grievances to the world. One couldn’t help but feel sympathetic listening to her piece.
Who hasn’t heard about her plight to keep her mother alive for the past two years? The news of Rosemary Zhao’s car accident surprised many people, but it was even more ridiculous when her husband suddenly remarried his mistress. How can one not suspect that there wasn’t foul play in Adrienne’s mother’s accident?
Ayla Jiang frowned slightly. She had never known that Adrienne knew how to play a musical instrunt. She thought that regardless of Adrienne’s appearance, her skills were still subpar compared to her. Had she known Adrienne could evoke sympathy from everyone, she wouldn’t have invited her to play a piece.
Adrienne’s posture was elegant as she played. Her piece was filled with sorrow despite its constantly upbeat rhythm. It wasn’t until Adrienne hit the last note did everyone break from their trances and gave her a louder cheer than they did Ayla.
Elise clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug painfully into her hand. When Adrienne lowered the violin, her gaze landed on Elise. There wasn’t a hint of warmth in her eyes as she smiled at Elise. Elise felt like she was looking at a vengeful spirit who wanted to drag her to the deepest pit of hell.
Elise stiffened as Adrienne suddenly made a beheading gesture using the violin’s bow. She didn’t know why Adrienne was making a threat in her direction.
"Not only is she an unrivaled beauty, but Adrienne Jiang has allowed us to see a glimpse of heaven and earth at the sa ti. Who would dare to claim that she is good-for-nothing? My eyes were blessed by her presence and performance tonight. Those who were slandering her must have been extrely envious of her."
Sitting upright, Ayla’s complexion was ashen. Her usual sweet smiling face was now contorted with displeasure. Elise could only clench her fists beside her as people continued to praise Adrienne. anwhile, Lewis Jiang had a complicated look on his face.
"She’s an equal match to Ayla Jiang in beauty and talent. Old Master Jiang is blessed to have two beautiful granddaughters like them."
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