Chapter 11

That socialite hadn't finished saying "duckling" before she and everyone else noticed the young woman descending the steps from the second floor. The young woman donned a soft-colored dress. Her long locks cascaded down her shoulders, framing her slim face even more. Those qualities and her elegantly sculpted features made her gorgeous beyond compare. Nobody at the scene could take their eyes off her. "How pretty…" "Is that the Murray's long-lost daughter? Look at how she presents herself… She doesn't seem like someone who grew up in the countryside." "Yeah! See looks classier than Yasmin, whom the Murrays spent years raising!" Yasmin's expression soured once those compliments for Yvette filled the hall. Jealousy dripped from her gaze as it snapped toward Yvette's stunning appearance. She regretted not pulling a few stunts to disfigure Yvette's face. As for the socialites, they reflected on their comments about Yvette earlier. Their faces heated up with humiliation, as if an invisible force had slapped them. "Everyone, this is our precious daughter, whom we've finally reunited with!" Yara and Irwin announced as they led Yvette onstage. Yvette allowed it to happen without any emotion in her eyes. She disliked the situation but played along because she couldn't bear disappointing her parents. Yasmin watched Yara and Irwin embrace Yvette, finding the scene particularly jarring. She bit her lower lip before following the trio onstage. Then, she squeezed between them and smiled. "Our family is finally complete! To celebrate, Yvette has specially prepared a piano piece for everyone. We hope you'll enjoy it!" With that, chatter immediately filled the hall again. "How surprising! I didn't think the Murray family's young daughter knew how to play the piano! Didn't they say she grew up in the countryside?" "Indeed! I never imagined a girl who grew up in the country would know how to play the piano!" Yvette's eyes met Yasmin's, recognizing how the latter was challenging her. Even so, her expression didn't change one bit. She looked at the piano and could tell someone had tampered with it at first glance. The corners of Yvette's red lips tugged as she sneered at Yasmin. She decided to go all out since the latter insisted on playing these little games. "Yasmin, aren't you going to play with Yvie?" Yara asked in confusion. "Today's banquet is in Yvette's honor. So, the first song should be played by Yvette, of course!" A perfect smile sat on Yasmin's innocent face, yet venom brimmed in her eyes. "I'll play with Yvette for the second song." Irwin and Yara's hearts warmed when they heard Yasmin's thoughtful words. They quickly praised her, saying, "You're so considerate, Yasmin!" Yasmin lips curved into an innocent and sweet smile. Little did anyone know she was scoffing inwardly. She had to admit Yvette's piano skills were above average. However, she had already tampered with the piano onstage. Because of that, Yvette wouldn't be able to play well, no matter how skilled she was. Yasmin thought to herself, "Go and make a fool of yourself in front of all these people, Yvette! I'll get the household staff to switch out a new piano once Yvette fails superbly. With such a drastic contrast, everyone will know Yvette is no match for me!" Yvette gradually sat before the piano. The stage lights shone on the graceful contours of her side profile, which were as stunning as a sculpture's. All eyes couldn't help shifting toward her. Everyone held their breaths and waited in silence. Even Yasmin kept her eyes on Yvette, who was now on stage alone. Yasmin couldn't wait for Yvette to humiliate herself on stage and become today's laughingstock. … A white Porsche came to a steady halt outside Murray Manor just then. "It's all you guys' fault for stopping me from leaving the hospital! Thanks to you, I'm now late!" Martha exited the Porsche with Samuel standing respectfully by her side. He helped open the car door for her. "Where's Will? Why hasn't he shown up yet?" Marth asked. Samuel's brows furrowed as he cautiously spoke. "Mrs. Quinn Senior, Mr. Quinn has asked me to drive you here first—" Before he could finish, Martha interrupted him, "Don't beat around the bush. Tell me right now—where is Will? Where's he gone? It's his fiancée's banquet today! How can he not be present?" Samuel could only helplessly respond, "Mrs. Quinn Senior, Mr. Quinn has things to deal with today, so he can't make it—" "What's more important than his fiancée!" Martha scoffed before adding, "I don't care! Have him get over here ASAP! I'm going inside now. You'd better inform him that he's to rush over right this instance!" Having said that, Martha hastened toward Murray Manor. She was nervously smoothing out the creases on her clothes and had a noticeable grin on her face. Excitement bubbled within her at the thought of meeting her future granddaughter-in-law soon. Upon entering the banquet hall, Martha heard a beautiful piano piece being played. There was a whimsical quality to it. She couldn't help immersing herself in the music like everyone at the scene. For a brief moment, she forgot all about finding her granddaughter-in-law. While everyone was engrossed with the masterful playing, only Yasmin's face paled to a ghastly grey. She didn't understand how this could have happened. Yasmin swore she had tampered with the piano, yet Yvette played the instrument like nothing was wrong. On top of that, Yvette even played incredibly well. Yvette stopped playing once everyone became deeply enthralled by the music. Her striking eyes looked up from the piano and settled on the scowling Yasmin. "This song's a duet. Why don't we play the piece together?" Everyone's attention snapped toward Yasmin, rendering her unable to refuse. If she turned Yvette down, everyone would think her skills were lesser than Yvette's. However, there was no telling how things would turn out if she went on stage now. "You're not afraid, are you, Yas?" Yvette's frosty tone rang out. While she spoke slowly and innocently, her voice was extra aggravating to Yasmin. It angered Yasmin so much that she stormed up to the stage with a malicious gaze. However, she concealed her burning hatred with a smile on her face. "Alright, everyone. Please bear with my average skills." "Oh, yay! I'm so looking forward to this!" "Yasmin's the first-place winner of this year's piano competition! I doubt her skills will lose to Yvette's!" Because Yasmin kept bragging since winning the piano competition, everyone looked forward to seeing her play. It took Yasmin a great deal of effort to play the tampered piano. Plus, the piece was challenging, so she struggled to keep up with Yvette's pace. She was so frantic that she accidentally played the wrong note. From her finger movements to her rhythm and beat, Yasmin lost in every aspect to Yvette. The loss was painful to the eyes—and ears—of others. All the expectations of the audience turned into intense disappointment. Some couldn't help frowning and voicing their opinions. "What's going on? What on earth is Yasmin playing?" "Yeah! What a flop! Could it be that her 'first-place' win was falsified?" "It has to be! How could she win first place with such poor skills? What a joke!"