Chapter 306

“Haynie said he’ll make it up to you with something even better, and it’ll be at tonight’s auction,” Jasper said.

“So, what do you think? Interested?”

The mention of an auction immediately piqued Rachel’s curiosity.

“What kind of auction is it?”

Jasper grinned. “It’s Neo-Vespera’s annual auction. Totally different from those run-of-the-mill ones that happen every month.”

“Just imagine—all the treasures that only come out once a year.” He put on a theatrical expression. “Rumor has it there’ll be all sorts of rare and one-of-a-kind items, things I’ve never even seen before.”

“This auction draws half the city’s elite. Even if they’re not buying, they show up just to see what’s on offer.”

Jasper paused, then lowered his voice. “Rachel, do you remember your violin, the Nereid’s Sonata? Haynie bought it for you at this very auction years ago.”

The Nereid’s Sonata was the last gift Haynie ever gave Rachel—a farewell present, of sorts. Over the years, Rachel had played that violin in numerous international competitions, winning more than a few prestigious awards. Her talent spoke for itself, of course. But having a world-class instrument only helped her shine brighter.

Remembering that, Rachel asked, “Jasper, did you ever find out what Stella was up to before she got married? Did she ever compete, or join any music societies or something?”

Jasper scoffed. “Haynie and I both looked into it. Turns out she dropped out of high school—never even got her diploma.”

“Mrs. O’Brien wasn’t wrong about her; she really did only finish middle school.”

Seeing Rachel lost in thought, Jasper chuckled. “Don’t tell me you actually bought into that story from Abby?”

“You know, the whole ‘Neo-Vespera University’ thing? I had someone check with the university, door to door. Not a single person there has ever heard of Stella.”

“She just didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of everyone, so she made the whole thing up.”

Rachel said quietly, “Still, she does have some talent. She had real ability.”

The average person might not notice, but Rachel was an expert—and she could tell Stella had real ability. Jasper waved it off. “So she pulled off one impressive performance—so what? Haven’t you ever had an exceptional day, played better than usual? She is that famous violinist, Nora. Even if she just picked it up by osmosis, it’s not surprising she knows her way around a violin.”

“And come on, her mother is Groundaviolini. Besides, maybe she found out Haynie likes violin music and has been secretly practicing for ages. Who knows how long she’s been at it?”

“At the end of the day, she just wants Haynie’s attention—same as with this whole divorce stunt.”

Jasper sounded confident in his analysis. “She thinks filing for divorce will give her the upper hand, but Haynie’s not falling for it. Just wait—she’ll come crawling back to him before long.”

Rachel’s expression softened a little. It’s true, she’d had her share of moments when everything just clicked. She’d even reached out to some friends in the music world to ask about Stella. No one had ever heard of her!

Maybe, just maybe, Jasper was right—maybe Stella had been practicing in secret all along.

7:30 pm, the Neo-Vespera auction house