Chapter 269

Years ago, when Stella was pregnant, she suffered from severe morning sickness, halting her work completely. She had planned to return to her career after having the baby, but when Keen was unexpectedly born prematurely, she chose to stay home and care for him. Over the past five years, she missed countless opportunities.

Stella shook her head and said, “I heard from my mother that Mr. Walden is quite strict and detests nepotism. He loathes people trying to push someone into his presence.”

“My mother had a highly talented peer who was expelled from his tutelage for this very reason,” she added.

Abby was intrigued. “What happened? Tell me more.”

Stella explained, “As you might know, Mr. Walden only accepts extraordinarily gifted individuals. Being selected by him is like winning the lottery.”

“My mom said her talent was unmatched, outshining even her own by a...”

“Apparently, the peer who was expelled was a phenomenal cellist. My...”

Abby was astonished. “Are there really people that talented?”

Stella sighed, “There’s always someone better out there. Mr. Walden takes on prodigies not because they’re easy to train, but because he wants to explore the limits of human talent.”

After a brief pause, Stella returned to the main topic. “That peer introduced her cousin to Mr. Walden,” she continued, “from a family of musicians. Perhaps due to family pressure, she…”

“Mr. Walden listened to the cousin play and felt she didn’t meet his standards, so he declined.”

“But then the cousin falsely claimed to be his student and used his name for her own gain.”

“Mr. Walden’s reputation suffered because of it. When he found out, he expelled the peer and established a rule that no student of his may recommend family or friends. Failure to comply meant expulsion.”

“He said that if someone truly had talent, he would find them himself without needing introductions. That’s about it.”

Abby nodded in understanding. “I was wondering why, with your talent and Nora being his student, she never put in a good word for you. Now it makes sense.”

Though Abby felt a tinge of regret, she quickly perked up. “But it’s okay. With your skills, someone is bound to notice you soon. Oh, by the way, Star, our account is nearing ten million followers.”

“In a little while, we can start live-streaming to boost your profile even more.”

Recently, Abby had been uploading videos of Stella playing music without showing her face. While one earlier video had revealed Stella’s face, the camera was at a distance and only caught her profile. Yet, even from that angle, it was clear she was a natural beauty, a far cry from the typical influencer look!

To enhance Stella’s enigmatic allure, Abby ensured none of the videos showed her face. Fans were eagerly anticipating the day Stella would reveal herself.

Abby planned to build anticipation but knew they shouldn’t keep the fans waiting too long. She decided that soon Stella should do a live stream.

In these matters, Abby was far more adept than Stella. Stella nodded gently, “Alright, I’ll leave all that to you.”