?Chapter 454:


    Rita hesitated, but found herself nodding. Leah’s reasoning made sense.


    Before she could think twice, Leah had already stepped onto the stage.


    “Distinguished guests,” Leah’s voice carried across the hall.


    “On this special evening, celebrating Mr. and Mrs. Archer’s wedding anniversary, Miss Ashton and I would like to present ‘Nocturne’—a tribute to their enduring love.”


    Enthusiastic apuse forced Rita’s hand,pelling her to abandon her handbag and join Leah onstage.


    As they positioned themselves to perform, Leah’s gaze flickered toward Corrine in the resting area, a calcted gleam in her eyes.


    The melodious strains of their duet soon filled the grand hall, earning appreciative expressions from the assembled guests.


    Karina, however, observed the performers with knowing skepticism.


    “What scheme do you suppose they’re orchestrating?”


    Corrine’s eyes narrowed as she drained her wine ss.


    “We’ll discover their intentions soon enough.”


    She recognized the performance’s ulterior motive—one that would inevitably draw her in.


    Nate leaned close, his deep voice resonating against her ear.


    “Perhaps we’ll have the privilege of hearing Miss Hond perform tonight?” His warm breath sent an inexplicable flutter through her heart.


    g?lnσν????s is where dreams unfold


    Corrine met his gaze, her eyes dancing.


    “Care to venture a guess?” Their intimate exchange was interrupted by thunderous apuse as the performance concluded. Praise flowed freely from the audience.


    “Such emotional depth—truly magnificent!”


    “A minute on stage reflects ten years of dedication behind the scenes. Thesedies must have invested tremendous effort.”


    “Their masterful interpretation suggests years of rigorous practice, doesn’t it?”


    Rita seized the moment with practiced modesty.


    “Merely ten years of dedication.”


    Gasps of admiration swept through the room, whispers of astonishment spreading like ripples in a pond. The admiration fed Rita’s vanity, filling her with a sense of long-awaited triumph. Tonight, she had finally reimed some dignity.


    Her triumphant moment shattered when she stole a nce at Nate, only to find his attention wholly consumed by Corrine, as if no other presence registered. Rita’s smile crumbled, her heart constricting with bitter resentment.


    A voice from the crowd suddenly cut through the apuse.


    “Isn’t Miss Hond present tonight? Might we be graced with her performance as well?”


    The request carried loaded implications. Many present understood theplex dynamics between Bruce, Leah, and Corrine through their business connections. While Leahmanded respect even in diminished circumstances due to her privileged background, Corrine,cking such advantages, often faced dismissal.


    “You mean the woman who relentlessly pursued Mr. Ashton?”


    “Indeed—though she seems to have swiftly found constion elsewhere.”


    The barbedments reached Bruce clearly, yet he remained silent, deriving malicious satisfaction from the spection. In his mind, the gossip served to reinforce his perceived im over Corrine’s past.


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