Chapter 790:

Elyse pushed Edward back and strode into the shop with determination. The shop owner sat behind the counter. When the door opened and the bell chimed, he looked up. The moment he saw Elyse, his eyes widened. “Rickey Benson! Is that really you?”

Elyse froze, shocked. She looked at him, bewildered. “How do you know my father’s name?”

“What are you saying?” The owner’s surprise deepened as he studied her. “If Rickey is your father, then you’re his daughter?”

Elyse nodded, her curiosity growing.

He was a tall, thin old man with graying hair and a beard, his large glasses perched on a weathered face. As he approached, he seemed overwhelmed, bumping into the counter.

Concerned, Elyse quickly supported him. “Are you alright?”

He shook his head, his gaze fixed on her. After a long pause, he said, “You bear such a striking resemblance to your father. I thought it was him.”

Elyse felt a wave of emotion. Since leaving Watscar, her deepest wish had been to follow in her parents’ footsteps and meet those who knew them. Standing before her was someone who had truly known them. She was profoundly moved.

“I’m so happy to meet someone who knew my father,” she exclaimed.

The owner chuckled warmly. Returning to the counter, he produced a picture frame and handed it to Elyse.

“Take a look. It’s a photo of me and Rickey. I keep it here so I can see him every day. That’s how I recognized you,” he said, his eyes softening.

Elyse’s gaze lingered on the photo.

In the picture, a young Rickey held a violin, his expression full of energy and hope. The owner, still tall and thin, wore large black glasses and a serious look that contrasted with the warmth she now saw in him.

Elyse held the photo a little longer before returning it. “Were you and my father close?” she asked quietly.

“We were,” he replied. “He came here for the Swan Cup violin competition—the very one happening now. After every performance, he’d stop by to chat.”

He adjusted his glasses and, with a nostalgic smile, added, “I used to tease him, always asking, ‘Aren’t you going to take the competition seriously and practice?’”

Pausing, he mimicked Rickey’s mischievous tone, grinning. “Geniuses don’t need to practice, you know.”

Elyse laughed; the playful remark reminded her of Edward.

“What place did my father get?” she asked. . . .