Chapter 4

My vision went dark around the edges, and I felt like the sky was caving in.

My reputation! My image as a hardworking, model employee! Cody had ruined everything!

It took every ounce of effort on my part to finally convince Mr. and Mrs. York that it was Cody who was out of his mind, and not me secretly harboring feelings for Violet. When they left the company, there was obvious disappointment on their faces.

…

For the next few days, I holed up in the tech department, working overtime like crazy to rush the project. At least it kept me from running into Violet. Even Cody surprisingly quieted down for a while.

The day before the big project tender, there was an industry dinner that had been scheduled ages ago. I had to attend it with Violet.

As expected, Cody showed up, too. He was in his usual signature sweatshirt, timidly trailing after Violet.

The banquet was full of heavyweights from the industry. Several of them saw me and immediately gathered around.

"Mr. Colson, I heard that things haven't been going too smoothly for you at York Group lately. Any interest in jumping ship to Wade Group?"

"Mr. Colson, our tech department recently hit a serious bottleneck. Would you be willing to give us a few pointers? Name your price!"

Ever since I "married into" York Group as the lead on a national award-winning project, these big shots hadn't stopped trying to poach me. I couldn't believe they still hadn't given up.

I was just thinking about how to turn them down when the event manager hurried over, looking anxious. He said that the pianist they'd booked had suddenly fallen ill and couldn't make it. They couldn't find another professional on such short notice, so things were getting a bit awkward.

After years of following Violet to events, I had picked up a bit of this "high-class" etiquette myself. Playing a simple piece to kick things off wouldn't be a problem.

I stepped forward and said to the manager, "If you don't mind, I can—"

Before I could even finish speaking, Cody suddenly sprang out in front of me like an arrow, his voice full of this inexplicable indignation. "I can't play!"

All eyes in the room instantly landed on him.

I was stunned. "Mr. Moore, I'll be the one playing. No one's asking you to."

But it was like someone had lit some kind of righteous fuse in him. His face flushed bright red. "Did you rich people ever stop to think that many folks like me grew up in the countryside, never even seeing, let alone getting the chance to learn, this kind of 'high-class' stuff?

"You're here throwing this extravagant banquet and listening to piano melodies, but has it ever crossed your minds that there are still many people in this world who can't afford to eat?"

The more he talked, the more worked up he got. In the end, he even turned his attention on me, his eyes full of condemnation. "Mr. Colson! You came from a poor background, too, and now you're helping the wicked! You've completely forgotten your roots! I look down on you!"

Silence.

The entire banquet hall fell into this baffling, absolute silence.

Everyone stared at Cody like he was some kind of alien.

I just stood there, feeling as though it wasn't just thunder rumbling over my head anymore. I'd been struck dead on, charred on the outside and crispy on the inside, my soul knocked clean out of my body.

I was helping the wicked? I'd forgotten my roots? All because… I knew how to play the piano?

Cody swept a disappointed look around the room, then covered his face and bolted out of the banquet hall.

Violet didn't go after him. Or rather, she couldn't, even if she wanted to. After all, thanks to his little outburst, there were still a bunch of "rich people" at the event waiting for her to smooth things over and apologize.

By the time the banquet wrapped up, she was so drunk that she could barely walk in a straight line. Feeling resigned, I did what any long-suffering secretary would do and hauled her off to the five-star hotel where she usually stayed so she could sleep it off.