Chapter 4

Aurora was so absorbed in her piano practice that she'd become almost completely unaware of the world around her.

The sky was getting dark, and her hands ached a little from the nonstop playing, but she still felt the climax of the piece wasn't hitting the way she wanted it to.

Her slender fingers gripped a pencil, scratching and crossing out notes on the draft sheet music, yet something still felt off — just a hair's breadth away from right.

She closed her eyes and played the piece through in her mind, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong.

Then came a knock at the door.

"Aurora, time for dinner." Wayne stood in the doorway, frowning slightly as he watched his newly found sister lock herself in her room every day like a music obsessive.

Aurora murmured a soft response, then noticed the wall clock showing it was already early evening. She quickly got up and followed Wayne downstairs.

"I'm so sorry. Were you and Mom and Dad waiting for me again? I always lose track of time the moment I pick up the violin..."

"It's fine," Wayne said with a casual shrug. 

"Mom and Dad went out for a dinner engagement tonight, so it's just us — but I do have a friend coming over."

Seeing Aurora about to apologize again, Wayne rubbed his temple.

"He's a good friend of mine. Don't feel like you need to be too formal with him. He's a bit older than you, but not by that much."

At the dinner table, Aurora met the friend Wayne had described as a little "old."

He wore a black shirt — no visible brand, but the fabric alone made the price obvious. The cuffs were traced with fine gold thread in subtle patterns, and everything about his manner was polished and composed.

Aurora had been looking at Wayne's handsome face every day lately and thought she'd built up a solid immunity to good looks — but when she saw Marcus, she still blanked out for a few seconds.

"Ms. Rivera, I'm Marcus Sterling, a friend of Wayne's. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Wayne shot Marcus a sideways glance, looking like he wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down.

Just as Aurora was about to take her seat, Marcus stepped over and pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling."

Wayne found the whole dinner deeply strange. The Marcus sitting across from him seemed like a completely different person.

The Marcus he knew — ruthless in business, cold and distant with everyone — was now the one who had brought up Western music composition and struck up a conversation with Aurora entirely on his own.

Wayne had reached out several times, half-wanting to feel Marcus's forehead for a fever, but held back each time when he saw how intently Aurora was listening.

Whatever. Aurora had only just been brought home. Their parents had prepared jewelry, designer clothes — she'd shown zero interest in any of it. Music was the only thing she cared about.

If this makes her a little happier, that's enough.

"Mr. Sterling, your perspective on music is really unique. I hope you don't mind me asking — what did you think of the piece I was playing earlier?"

After turning it over in her head, Aurora finally asked. This new composition mattered too much to her, and it was rare to meet someone she could actually talk to about music.

Marcus was quiet for a moment before he spoke.

"Ms. Rivera, the melody and rhythm of your piece are flawless. It's pleasant to listen to. But it feels like something is missing — just a touch of genuine emotion."

"Emotion?" Aurora murmured, turning the word over in her mind.

"Yes. Think about why you wrote this piece in the first place."

The words hit her like a thunderclap. She had written this piece to win — or more honestly, to win fame. To beat Cecilia. To keep the tragedy of her past life from happening again.

But chasing something so calculating was exactly what music couldn't afford.

When Marcus said his goodbyes and left the Cooper Mansion, Aurora suddenly turned and gave him a deep, earnest bow.

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling. You probably have no idea how much you've helped me."

Marcus didn't say much. He left his business card and simply mentioned that they should go to a concert together sometime and talk more about music.

Wayne watched Marcus walk away, thinking back over his strange behavior all evening, and narrowed his eyes.

If he had to guess, the card Marcus had handed Aurora was the one with his personal number on it.

That sly man.

Not long after Marcus left, Aurora's phone buzzed. The name on the screen read "Thora White" — a classmate she'd been fairly close with.

Aurora's expression dimmed. In her past life, after Cecilia came back to the Rivera family, the girlfriends she'd been close to had all quietly drifted away. Seeing that familiar name still stung.

She answered. A warm, familiar voice came through.

"Aurora! Where are you? Did you forget about our class graduation dinner tonight? Almost everyone's here — you're the only one missing! Radiant Pearl Hotel. We're waiting for you."

Aurora paused, caught off guard that Thora had actually called to get her to come.

She vaguely remembered Thora mentioning the graduation dinner before, and she'd told her she needed to practice her exam piece and wouldn't be able to make it.

But Thora was completely ignoring that now, just cheerfully inviting her over the phone. Something felt slightly off, though Aurora couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She thought it over and said yes. Since she'd been reborn, her mind had been running nonstop. She was probably overthinking things — getting out to see old friends might actually do her some good.

She hung up, and Wayne glanced over at her.

"Go. I've got some things to take care of, so I'll have the driver drop you off. Stay safe, and call me when it's winding down — I'll come pick you up."

Aurora nodded, feeling a quiet warmth settle in her chest.

It took her a while to dig through the closet full of bold, flashy evening gowns, but she finally found a pale gold dress — understated and simple, but cut just right, the kind that looked better the longer you looked at it.

She loosely gathered her long hair, dabbed on a thin layer of lip gloss, and headed out without any extra fuss.

On the way there, she found herself thinking about her simpler student days — little funny moments with classmates that made her smile without meaning to. Things were cleaner back then. No schemes, no calculations.

Well. Tonight she'd just let herself miss who she used to be.

Aurora composed herself, a soft smile on her face, and stepped into the banquet hall of the Radiant Pearl Hotel.

Her eyes swept across the room — and her smile froze.

Standing right in the center of the hall was Cecilia. She wasn't even in their class, and yet here she was.

Around her were several faces Aurora knew very well — girls who used to be at her side every single day — now all wearing their most eager, fawning expressions as they hovered around Cecilia.

Cecilia had on a violet haute couture gown, the deep color impossible to ignore, drawing the eyes of nearly every guy in the room.

Cecilia spotted Aurora the moment she walked in. She nudged Thora with her elbow, and a flicker of amusement crossed her face.

Aurora understood immediately. This had nothing to do with old friendships. Thora's call had been Cecilia's idea. They had set this up on purpose — to humiliate her.

"Aurora, you're finally here! I've been waiting forever!"

Cecilia switched to a look of pure innocence in under a second. Around them, curious eyes turned their way.

Whispers rippled through the room. Aurora's fingers curled slightly at her sides, and something cold settled deep in her chest.