Chapter 218:

Jayden laughed bitterly. "So, it's still my fault?"

Elyse pinched his waist, her voice tense. "If it's not your fault, whose is it then?"

"Ouch," Jayden gasped, gently removing her hand and wrapping his arms around her. "Alright, it's all my fault, okay?"

Her expression softened, though reluctantly, and she allowed him to embrace her.

Outside the door, the servants silently peeked in, observing the couple. The sight of Jayden and Elyse reconciling brought a collective sigh of relief.

"They've been arguing a lot recently," one whispered. "It's been quite unsettling."

"Exactly," another agreed. "I'm always worried one of their fights might end their relationship. It would be terrible if they split up."

"But they've been at odds so much lately," a third added. "I can't help but wonder if there's some unresolved misunderstanding."

Driscoll overheard the conversation and felt a pang of sadness. He had seen Jayden and Elyse's relationship blossom from the start, yet he understood their current predicament better than anyone.

A servant noticed Driscoll's distress and asked with concern, "Are you worried about them? Don't overthink it. Mrs. Owen is incredibly kind, and Mr. Owen is dependable. They're bound to stay together forever."

Driscoll gave the servants a wry smile. "Their love isn't that deep. How can you be so sure? Anyway, get back to your work and try not to spy on them."

Dismissing the gossiping servants, Driscoll opened the door and entered. Elyse had returned to her room to change, while Jayden had retreated to the study.

Driscoll hesitated at the study door, then decided against knocking. He reassured himself that as long as Jayden and Elyse continued to reconcile, their love would endure.

The next day, Elyse resumed her usual routine at the orchestra. Her recent isolation had reduced unnecessary social engagements. Apart from chatting with Darren, Freddy, and a few others, she spent most of her time practicing the violin alone.

In contrast, Vicky frequently made errors during practice—hitting wrong notes or speeding up unnecessarily.

Noticing this, the conductor halted the session and approached Vicky with a serious tone. "What's going on with you today? You're usually not one to make such careless errors."

Vicky lowered her head, silent.

"Do you really think you can outdo everyone just because you won a competition? Take a good look at your team—five of your rivals are right here," the conductor said with urgent sincerity. "If you don't step up your game, you'll lose your lead sooner or later."

These words struck a chord with Vicky. Overwhelmed, she burst out, "That's not going to happen. I won't let them take the top spot. It's mine to keep, always."

After her outburst, Vicky stormed out, her expression stormy. The other members and the conductor exchanged bewildered looks.

The conductor massaged her temples, then turned to the murmuring group. "Continue practicing on your own for now. We'll regroup shortly." She then left, presumably to find Vicky.

Once the conductor left, everyone relaxed.

Grace approached Elyse, her curiosity evident. "What do you think's going on with Vicky? She made four errors today—that never used to happen."

Elyse bit her lip, her voice uncertain. "Maybe she's just off today. I know I'd mess up too if I wasn't feeling myself."

Grace countered softly, "But you and she aren't the same. She's always been on top of her game. I've never seen her falter."

Darren joined them, his tone knowing. "It just shows she's under stress, and it's affecting her performance."

Elyse looked puzzled. "Vicky's stressed because of me?"

Darren nodded. "Absolutely. Your presence is probably weighing on her. If she didn't resent you, why would she encourage others to ignore you?"

Elyse hadn't realized this before. The isolation now made more sense.

Hearing Darren's analysis, Grace stroked her chin, surprised. "So Vicky can get scared too? I overestimated her. Thinking about it now, how could anyone always come out on top?"

After a moment of reflection, Elyse added, "Maybe Vicky's never learned to handle defeat. Without losing, she doesn't know how to cope with a real challenge."

...