Chapter 13

"Okay, let's quiet down for Miss Pearl and Hanzel's Goodnight." As Pearl made her way toward the piano, the audience fell silent. When she started playing, Hanzel was stunned. She really knew how to play. He became serious and sang the song with all his heart. They had never rehearsed or cooperated before but their performance showed a deep understanding between them. Hanzel gazed at Pearl as he held onto his microphone. Some fans even started to ship them. Abby smiled and said, "I never expected Pearl to play the piano so well. I think she probably already passed Grade 8. Hanzel can sing and she can play the piano. Oh, what a perfect match!" Although she said this, she was secretly filled with hatred. This stadium belonged to her family’s Flores Firms, so it was easy for her to manipulate the lucky draw. She wanted to see Pearl publicly embarrass herself, but unexpectedly... When Richard heard this, he looked toward Pearl. Her wavy hair cascaded over her shoulder. As the light shined down on her, she looked mysterious and dazzling, making others yearn to know her more. For some unknown reason, he found Hanzel and Pearl performing together an eyesore. ‘Are they really a perfect match? I don’t think so…’ When the song came to an end, the audience applauded. Pearl headed for the washroom after getting off stage. A woman in a brown dress was standing outside the door when she got out. The woman was wearing a mask, so Pearl could not see her face, but the former did have a graceful and noble air, marking her as a wealthy woman. "Pearl, right? I loved your performance. Here, this is for you." The woman handed a bouquet of delicate tulips to Pearl, who accepted it despite her confusion. "You know who I am?" "No, I don't but I think you played beautifully. Okay, bye now." The woman turned around, her gaze full of unconcealable sadness. As Pearl stared at the bouquet, a strange feeling engulfed her. Two hours later, the concert ended. Pearl, the Waldorf brothers, and Abby headed back to the Waldorf residence, where Dustan and Susan had prepared a celebratory dinner for Hanzel’s birthday. After Hanzel blew out the candles on his cake, everyone brought out the gifts they had prepared for him. Although the Waldorfs were a wealthy family, they had a harmonious relationship with one another. Pearl calmly took out the gift she had prepared. Hanzel thanked his family one after another as he unwrapped the gifts. There was a title deed for a villa, a custom designer watch, a cruise ship, and so on. All the gifts were valuable and expensive. In comparison, Pearl's box was average-sized. They were aware that Pearl had not bought anything for Hanzel today, so they assumed she had just casually grabbed something to pacify him. Hanzel enthusiastically opened the box and was absolutely floored. It was a Lare microphone—the only one in the whole world. This microphone had been auctioned off, and a mysterious person had bought it for 1 million and 300 thousand dollars. He had missed the auction and had coveted this mic for a long time. He tried various means to get his hands on it but he could never find the owner. Mobius asked doubtfully, "Is this a fake?" But Hanzel could tell at a glance that it was genuine. He said excitedly, "Oh wow! Pearl, is this really for me?!" Pearl nodded. 'It's just a microphone. Does he really have to be so excited?’ "Where did you get this?" Hanzel asked in confusion. "Well, I’m good at the piano, and the person who bought the Lare mic at the auction came to know about me. They gifted me the mic, hoping I’d make it in the music industry, but I can't sing. So, I’m giving it to you instead." Pearl then excused herself. "All right, Happy Birthday, Hanzel. I'm tired, so I’m going to turn in for the night." She managed to amaze everyone once again. It was evident that the gifts they had prepared for Hanzel had not pleased him as much as hers had. They began to see her in a new light. They assumed she was just a pretty face and an ignorant person, but after a few days, she was clearly different from their assumptions.