The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39

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Leonard was a true titan in the world of music, hailed as the last classical master. Over his long career, he had mentored

countless students.

Yet he was notoriously selective about taking on disciples. Only those with extraordinary talent and genuine dedication ever made it under his wing. And he had been retired for years now, having all but vanished from the public eye.

The revelation that Edward and Natalie were fellow disciples under Leonard was even more staggering than Natalie simply knowing Edward. It meant that Natalie’s own skill and understanding of the piano had to be at a level none of them could begin to fathom.

Ethan said. “Hold on. If I remember correctly, Mr. Chase only ever acknowledged two disciples publicly. One is Mr. Lopez. The other is a young girl. He mentioned her before, but never revealed her identity.”

The moment Ethan spoke, the memory clicked for everyone else. With it came the recollection of what had been said about that girl’s talent and story.

“That girl?” Ryan’s voice cracked. He stared at Natalie, his eyes widening. “Natalie, are you seriously telling us you’re that mysterious last disciple Mr. Chase never let the world see? The one they said was a once–in–a–generation prodigy?”

The dining room went dead silent. All eyes were on Natalie, and everyone nearly forgot to breathe.

Natalie, under the weight of all that stunned attention, gave a small, calm nod.

Evelyn felt her chest tighten, as if her heart was about to stop beating. For Nora to study under Edward had already felt like

wishful thinking. Leonard’s secret last disciple was something they would never even have dared to wish for.

Evelyn stared at Natalie’s beautiful, unreadable face, her mind going blank. She thought, ‘No way. The musical prodigy of the century is this girl, the country bumpkin I thought Nora could easily outshine?‘

Nora felt like her blood was running cold. She understood, more than anyone else at the table, what it meant to be

Leonard’s final disciple.

It wasn’t only a title. It was a mark of absolute talent and ability, the kind even Edward himself had acknowledged as beyond his own reach.

Nora thought, ‘I actually played the piano right in front of her. Oh my God. And now Leonard’s last disciple is sitting right

across from me.‘

No one spoke for a long while. Everyone was still trying to absorb what they had learned. Natalie quietly continued eating, giving them a few moments to let it all sink in.

Charlotte took a deep breath, barely containing her excitement. She hadn’t expected that during all those years her

daughter had been lost, she had also found such an opportunity.

But then, Charlotte’s excitement gave way to a pang of sorrow for Natalie. She couldn’t imagine how hard Natalie must

have worked, how much she must have endured.

The Mitchells were all thinking the same thing. They silently vowed to be even better to Natalie from now on,

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Chapter 39

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Natalie pressed her lips together and glanced at the food on the table. “If you don’t start eating soon, I’ll be finished.”

“Yeah, let’s eat.” Jonathan was the first to snap out of it and pick up his fork.

For the rest of the meal, everyone except Natalie ate distractedly.

In the afternoon, Evelyn urged Nora to go ask Natalie for advice. Though they had only met Natalie today, Evelyn could tell that even though Natalie was quiet and aloof, she was easy to get along with, at least with family.

Natalie had promised to help, so she sat with Nora and went over a few of the more pressing issues in Nora’s playing.

Natalie’s points were sharp and direct, hitting the root of the problems, and her solutions were simple and clear. Nora found herself seeing things in a whole new light.

An hour later, Blondie was waiting at the Mitchell Manor gates. He was dressed in a flashy hot pink shirt and a pair of white, baggy pants, his platinum blond hair catching the sunlight.

A pair of oversized sunglasses sat on his nose. He leaned casually against the door of a bright yellow sports car, looking

completely at ease.

“Talia, wanna go skiing?” Blondie asked. “It’s been forever since the last time we did this.”

There was a ski shop right next to the resort. Natalie went to the restroom. While she was gone, Blondie took the chance to

buy the gear.

When she came back, Blondie had already changed into a bright blue ski suit and was admiring himself in the mirror, a

second suit dangling from his hand.

Natalie glanced at it. Seeing that it was silver instead of some weird color, she took it and went to change.

The silver ski suit fit her tall, lean frame perfectly. The zipper was pulled all the way up, making her neck look elegant and her features even sharper.

Natalie pushed her goggles up onto her forehead, revealing her calm eyes. Her face was striking, bare of makeup, carrying

a natural coolness that immediately drew the attention of everyone around her.

Blondie had seen her plenty of times, but she still managed to amaze him every single time. She was cool and beautiful,

the kind of woman who could catch anyone’s eye, male or female.

The ski resort was blasting cold air. Natalie adjusted her goggles and scanned the intermediate slope.

“Talia, how about a warm–up run to see who’s faster?” Blondie was itching to go.

“Sure,” she said.

They took off at nearly the same time. Blondie skied with bold, aggressive turns, all power and speed. His blue figure stood out sharply against the snow.

Natalie was the complete opposite. Her line was clean, her pace steady, but she quickly left Blondie behind. He gritted his teeth and chased after her, pushing hard.

Just as Natalie was approaching the finish line, a terrified scream came from the advanced slope next to them.

A figure in pink lost control completely, her skis going sideways as she hurtled toward the safety net separating the intermediate and advanced runs. A pile of metal maintenance equipment was stacked there.

“Watch out,” someone nearby shouted in shock.

The rescue crew was a bit too far away.