Chapter 861
Uriah could hardly miss the little schemes turning in Matty’s young mind. With a hearty chuckle, he reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair.
“Don’t worry. Sharon and John are practically family. He’ll never be your father’s rival in love. What you should be worried about isn’t John, but your Sharon’s ex-husband.”
Laughter rippled through their small circle.
What was unexpected, however, was Thomas. Usually warm and easy with words, he sat unusually silent, his lips sealed from beginning to end. Not once did he speak.
Xavier noticed the change, but tonight was Sharon’s concert. He couldn’t spare his thoughts for anything
else.
Because on that stage, Sharon was dazzling.
every
She wore a merlot-red fishtail gown, her already beautiful face perfected by careful styling until her
feature was breathtaking. With Shaluna in her hand, her slender form moved with a natural grace, every gesture suffused with elegance. She seemed gilded in a sacred light-like a star burning so brightly
that no one could look away.
From the audience, Carter stared at the woman who was at once achingly familiar and impossibly
foreign. For the first time, he understood his son Theo’s words.
She was born for the stage.
To cover her brilliance, to drag her back into the shadows of the past-wouldn’t that be a crime against
the heavens themselves?
In that instant, Carter made a silent vow. From this day forward, he would do everything in his power to support Sharon’s career and to let her chase her passion without restraint.
Sharon played a few more pieces-her own compositions.
When the audience realized these stunning works were all her originals, shock rippled like a wave
through the hall.
“I knew it! These songs were too good to be anything I’d never heard before. They must be hers!”
“She’s not just a violinist, she’s a composer? Unbelievable.”
“She must be Jenna. There’s no doubt about it!”
“Our weakness in the annual international competition has always been original compositions. With her, we might actually take the championship!”
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“No, there’s no ‘might’ about it. She’s going to win, for sure.”
When Sharon stepped offstage to change, her special guest appeared-Ginny Blakely.
The audience gasped, and even Johanna’s eyes widened.
“Ginny? Why on earth is she at Sharon’s concert? Isn’t she notorious for being aloof, nearly impossible to invite? She actually agreed to perform for Sharon? What on earth is their relationship?”
Victoria, already aware of Ginny’s attendance, showed no reaction.
“If Sharon really is Jenna, then it makes sense. They both studied at Bell University. It’s only natural they’d become friends.”
Johanna’s lips curved, her voice laced with bitterness.
“But you tried to befriend Ginny before, didn’t you? And she kept you at arm’s length. Now she suddenly embraces Sharon? Don’t you think it’s because Sharon bad-mouthed you behind your back?” 3
This time Victoria didn’t answer. Because deep down, she believed it too.
Otherwise, why would Ginny-a fellow heiress of the elite circle-choose to distance herself from
Victoria?
Ginny’s presence drove the concert to yet another crescendo.
With beauty, talent, and lineage all in her favor, she was the very picture of a flawless socialite-a goddess at the piano, a shining star in every sense. To have someone like her as a close friend was a dream most would never dare imagine. Even Victoria hadn’t managed it.
And in the last row, cloaked in shadow-
While every gaze in the hall adored the stage, only one pair of eyes burned with venom.
“Sharon!” Kelly’s stare seethed with hate, her rage smoldering like fire. 1
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