Chapter 1

I didn't answer. I just watched Layla show off.

"Dad said he's going to formally introduce me to everyone at dinner tonight. Evelyn, we're going to be living together for a long time."

Her smile widened as she stepped closer and patted my shoulder.

"Don't you think so?"

Just then, my parents walked out of the house.

When they saw me, there was none of the excitement I'd imagined. They just exchanged an awkward glance.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, Ron stepped out behind them. He curled his lip when he saw me.

"Perfect timing. What, you heard about Layla's recital and rushed home because you couldn't stand her getting all the attention?"

He laughed softly before handing Layla a cup of coffee.

"Evelyn, you weren't born with musical talent. Don't blame Mom and Dad for putting their time and money into someone who was. You have no one to blame but yourself. Everyone else in this family was born with talent. You're the only one stuck with that awful voice."

My parents kept their heads down and said nothing. They didn't even try to defend me.

My grip tightened around my suitcase. So this was how they really felt about me.

Just because I didn't have a beautiful voice, I wasn't even worth listening to.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and spoke in a hoarse voice. "I'm not competing with her. Do whatever you want."

The moment she heard my rough voice, Layla burst out laughing.

A few servants by the door quietly laughed at me, whispering among themselves.

"Ms. Evelyn still sounds terrible. No wonder Mr. and Mrs. Bennett don't want anything to do with her."

"She could scare a kid just by opening her mouth. Forget singing. Who'd even want to hear her talk?"

Layla gave me a mocking look before quickly hiding it behind an innocent smile.

"A singer needs a beautiful voice more than anything. Evelyn never had one. No wonder she hasn't gotten anywhere after all these years. But that's okay. When I have my recital, she can stand somewhere in the back. At least people will get to see her."

I said nothing. Whatever desire I'd had to give her the gift was gone.

When I'd heard about Layla's recital, I'd turned down two international performances and flown home just to help her prepare.

But I'd barely made it through the door before she started treating me like a threat.

I moved to walk past her, but she suddenly grabbed my bag. Its contents spilled all over the floor.

The gift I'd brought her tumbled out with everything else. All eyes immediately fell on the stained box.

"An original score by Melina Reeves? The National Medal of Arts winner? And it's... for Layla?"

Ron spotted the inscription first. The moment he read it aloud, everyone went silent.

Anyone who knew anything about music knew Melina Reeves was a legend.

Even with all my parents' fame and connections, they'd never managed to meet her in person.

"An unpublished Melina Reeves score? Evelyn, how did you get this?"

My mother gasped as she carefully picked up the score and examined it.

There was no point hiding it anymore. I took a deep breath.

"I got it from Melina herself. It was supposed to be a homecoming gift for Layla. I just didn't expect—"

A scoff cut me off.

Layla snatched the score out of my mother's hands and held it up between two fingers, barely giving it a glance.

"Melina left the music industry years ago. If you're going to lie just to impress us, at least make it convincing. You probably bought this off some random street vendor and decided to call it a Melina original. Do you really think we'd fall for that?"