She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 170

An eerie silence fell over the concert hall. In the audience, the people who had been defending Sybil just moments ago now exchanged bewildered glances.

A middle-aged man in glasses suddenly slapped his thigh. “Oh my god! I remember now! At the performance in Vienna’s Golden Hall five years ago, Mr. X did introduce a disciple from Harmony!”

“Yes, yes!” the woman beside him added excitedly. “The media reported on a young piano prodigy, but because she was a minor, they never released any photos to protect her privacy! If you count the years, she’d be exactly this age now!”

“If she’s Mr. X’s personal disciple, the idea of her plagiarizing someone is just absurd!”

The stage lights suddenly felt blindingly harsh. Sybil felt as if her legs were made of lead; she didn’t even have the strength to take a step back. Her meticulously crafted drama had just become the most pathetic joke of the evening.

Yuna’s face was even whiter than paper. She repeated mechanically, “Impossible… how is this possible?”

The person she had been disparaging as a ‘plagiarist’ was the protégé of the legendary Mr. X? She had been on the wrong side from the very beginning.

Someone in the crowd immediately spoke up. “If we’re talking about that legend of the piano world, how could a disciple he personally endorsed ever commit plagiarism? There must be a misunderstanding.”

Her voice carried through the microphones across the entire concert hall. “However, I welcome contestant number thirty-four to question the rules. If you still believe the competition was unfair, that my presence is the only reason Helena won, we can settle this another way.”

Loyce smiled at Sybil, a look both gentle and dangerous. “The accusation that I plagiarized contestant number thirty-four is a serious one. I cannot allow such a rumor to tarnish my master’s reputation, so I must clear the air here and now. The burden of proof lies with the accuser. Contestant thirty-four, since you claim I stole your creative ideas to help contestant thirty-three win, I challenge you to a duel.”

“Whatever you can play, I’ll match it,” Loyce said, holding the microphone, her posture radiating authority. “Do you dare?”

Sybil couldn’t even force a smile. She was trembling inside. “That’s… that’s no way to settle things, getting emotional at a time like this. Besides,” she pleaded, her voice cracking, “we’re family, aren’t we, Loyce?”