Chapter 930:
Fiona was confident she could do anything Elyse could. A lump formed in her throat, and tears fell. She quickly wiped them away, determined not to let her distress show.
Upon arriving at the park, Elyse picked a spot and suggested, “This place looks good. Shall we start the competition here?”
Fiona looked around with little interest and nodded emotionlessly. “If you think it’s suitable, I have no objections.”
Elyse nodded, opened her violin case, and began tuning her instrument. Once ready, she noticed Fiona hadn’t prepared. Frowning, she inquired, “Why aren’t you tuning your violin? Have you been practicing lately?”
Snapped back to the present, Fiona realized Jayden and Elyse were observing her. She quickly opened her violin case and retorted, “I don’t need your reminders. I know what I’m doing.”
Noticing Fiona’s distracted demeanor, Elyse sighed, wondering if Fiona was truly serious about competing.
Fiona opened her case and began tuning her violin. Perhaps because she hadn’t played in a while, or because the weather was too cold, a string snapped after a few light plucks.
Elyse pulled out a new string. “How long has it been since you last played? Here’s a new string; use it.”
Fiona didn’t move. She remained bent over her violin, silent.
Elyse presumed Fiona’s lack of response stemmed from her ego. She sighed and encouraged her. “You wanted to compete with me, right? You’ll need a new string.”
Fiona glanced at Elyse, then at Jayden, who was smoking nearby, idly scrolling on his phone. Sensing he was being watched, he looked up and met Elyse’s stare. “What are you looking at me for? I don’t know anything about music.”
Elyse sighed and pointed at Fiona. “She stared at you first.”
Jayden turned to Fiona, whose face was filled with grievance. She seemed deeply hurt.
Suddenly, Fiona raised her hand. “My finger got injured. The string cut me when it snapped.”
Jayden’s brows furrowed, and he looked as if he wanted to speak.
Fiona’s expression turned expectant, waiting for his concern, as he’d shown Elyse earlier.