Chapter 1124:

Elyse approached him, her voice gentle. “What’s got you so wound up?”

He whirled to face her, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You made it. One minute my dad agrees to see you, the next he’s shutting everyone out. He won’t even listen now.”

Frustration simmered beneath Anthony’s words; his father’s mercurial moods clearly taking their toll.

Elyse placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “Deep breaths. I might still be able to reach him.”

She paused, an idea forming. “Any chance I could borrow a violin?”

Anthony nodded, disappearing into the house. He returned moments later, cradling a pristine instrument. “It’s new, though. You’ll need to tune it yourself.”

“Not a problem,” Elyse replied, accepting the violin with reverent hands.

She crouched down, fingers dancing across the strings as she coaxed it into perfect pitch.

Anthony watched, increasingly convinced of Elyse’s prowess. Perhaps entrusting her with that violin wasn’t such a gamble after all.

Rising to her feet, Elyse positioned herself in the yard’s center. With a deep breath, she lifted the violin and began to play. The haunting strains of “Valse Sentimentale” filled the air, weaving a spell around them both.

As the music washed over him, Anthony’s expression went blank. A nagging sense of familiarity tugged at his mind, as if some long-buried memory struggled to surface.

Just as Anthony grasped at the elusive recollection, a creak cut through the melody. The warehouse door swung open, revealing George. Silver-haired and weathered, he stood half-bathed in sunlight, his eyes shrouded in shadow.

Anthony gaped, shocked to see his father voluntarily emerge.

Elyse, lost in the music, played on with her eyes closed. As the final note faded, she looked up, meeting George’s inscrutable gaze.

A heavy silence stretched between them before George’s gruff voice broke it. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Elyse Lloyd. Nice to meet you,” she replied, seizing the moment. “I know this violin means a great deal to you, but I hope we can discuss its purchase.”

A derisive snort escaped George. “Presumptuous and foolhardy, aren’t you?”

Elyse’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “I had to get your attention somehow.”