Chapter 126
“Isn’t the best seat on stage?” Elowen said, standing behind Gwyneth and looking at her champagne–colored dress. Her fingers lightly played with Gwyneth’s soft hair. “Want to try some curls?”
Before Gwyneth could answer, Elowen had already called the stylists over. “Gwyneth looks too plain. When the stage lights hit her, her makeup will fade away. She’s naturally pretty–you should give her full glam!”
The stylists worked quickly, Soon, Gwyneth came out gracefully, her long hair in soft waves that nicely framed her face. The makeup made her features stand out.
With a gentle lift of her eyes and a soft smile, she looked like a royal portrait come to life. “How do I look?” she asked softly.
Elowen cheered, “Absolutely perfect, babe! If you just step into the spotlight, I can make you a star!”
Elowen praised Gwyneth a lot, while Gwyneth turned to look at herself in the mirror–she hadn’t worn stage makeup for a long time. Her time with Zachary made her forget how it felt to be on stage.
She forgot the tiny vibrations in her ears when she played the violin, the soft sounds when her fingertips hit the piano keys. Dressed in her performance gown, those familiar notes from the past echoed again, giving her a deep feeling of peace.
Oh, right! Here’s that mask you wanted,” Elowen said, handing it to her. Gwyneth said thank you softly and put it on her face.
Elowen led Gwyneth through the dark backstage and onto the stage behind the curtain. As bright stage lights shone down, Gwyneth sat down gently–just like old times.
“Ugh, my stomach-” someone whispered softly. Gwyneth looked toward the sound and saw it was the double bassist, who suddenly looked unwell and grabbed her belly.
“We don’t need the bass until the second half. Take a break backstage now, and come back on later from backstage,” Elowen said calmly and carefully.
The short incident was soon forgotten as the curtain opened and the orchestra’s music grew louder.
Gwyneth looked at the audience, seeing many faces. Her heart beat fast with the music as her fingers went to the keys, and the piano melody flowed like a gentle stream, touching everyone in the hall.
Bella whispered softly, “That’s a pianist I haven’t seen before.”
Zachary’s eyes moved from the piano to the woman sitting at it. She looked strangely familiar–like Gwyneth. He thought, ‘No, that can’t be Gwyneth. She hasn’t played on stage in a long time.
“This isn’t some school music club–it’s a famous orchestra show. There’s no way Gwyneth is on stage.
Meanwhile, Bella looked at Elowen and thought, ‘Isn’t she the woman who teamed up with Gwyneth to embarrass me at the cafe?‘
She had seen Elowen take off her mask while getting into a car–she recognized her profile. She thought, ‘How can someone like her be in the Luna
Orchestra?‘
“Why is Harrison here?” someone in the crowd whispered quietly.
Everyone turned to look at him. On stage, Gwyneth also looked over. Across the crowd, their eyes met–Harrison was at the entrance, his calm eyes finding her instantly, as if he saw right through her.
At that moment, Gwyneth felt a strange feeling. She quickly looked away, her fingers almost slipping off the keys. Harrison’s deep gaze stayed on her as he sat down quietly.
As if nothing had happened just now, his gaze stayed on Gwyneth. By the time the music reached its middle, the violinist still hadn’t shown up.
Elowen felt a bad feeling. When the other members all looked helpless, she quickly winked at Gwyneth–her eyes practically saying, “Cover for
me!”
Gwyneth saw Elowen’s urgent look and quickly looked at the sheet music–her piano part was ending, and the bass section was about to start.
When the last note finished, surprising everyone, Gwyneth gracefully lifted her gown and quickly moved to the double bass spot, while the audience looked confused.
“Isn’t she the pianist? Why is she at the violinist’s place?”
1/2
3:09 PM
Chapter 126
“Keep quiet–this is Luna Orchestra, full of top talents. Just enjoy the show.”
The crowd whispered, but as beautiful violin music filled the hall, everything went quiet. ‘Perfect, Zachary thought.
Even though the melody was familiar, every note had its own special charm.
“I’ll be on that stage someday too,” Bella muttered. Her voice, like a wrong note, suddenly broke Zachary’s listening. Zachary frowned a little, wishing he could just enjoy the music without Bella talking.
Meanwhile, Gwyneth was totally lost in her performance. Only when the last note ended did she slowly open her eyes, hearing the loud applause and feeling her heart beating fast.
+15
Following Elowen, Gwyneth bowed slightly. The mask covered her face but couldn’t hide the smile on her lips. Only after leaving the stage did she finally relax, feeling her excitement fade.
With her violin in hand, Gwyneth smiled at Elowen. “Oh my god, I missed being on stage so much!”
“You were amazing!” Elowen exclaimed, hugging Gwyneth tight.
As they hugged, someone brought a bouquet. “These are from Mr. Flynn. He said he really liked your violin in the second half.”
Gwyneth touched her mask. “There’s no way Zachary knew it was me. He probably just likes the music,‘ she thought. She asked the guy to put it aside. Honestly, she didn’t want to accept flowers from Zachary.
Elowen laughed. “Who would have thought you’d get flowers from a fan on your first show? That’s my girl!”
Gwyneth said, “Oh please, stop teasing me. You get ten times more bouquets than I do!”
“You know me,” Elowen said, and they smiled.
The staff knocked and said, “Mr. Flynn wants to see the orchestra director.”
“I’ll go check,” Elowen said and left.
Gwyneth was packing up to leave, not noticing the fuss at the door. ‘Harrison definitely recognized me just now, she thought, feeling more suspicious. She decided to go see if she was right.
There was only one exit behind the scenes. Gwyneth just changed into regular clothes and stepped out when she heard Zachary’s voice: “I heard the orchestra is having auditions. Bella’s violin is really good–she wants to try out.”
Elowen said, “I won’t take Bella.”
Just as Gwyneth stepped out, she heard every word. The others saw her too. Bella looked upset.
She asked, “Gwyneth, you’re so close to the orchestra director. How can she reject me without even hearing me?”
2/2
