The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Nora was caught off guard when her name was called, and she shot up from her seat like she’d been electrocuted, “Y–Yes, Mr. Lopez,” she stammered.

She clutched her folder so tightly her knuckles turned white, her steps unsteady as she made her way to the stage. When

she reached the piano, she took a deep breath and sat down.

She didn’t start playing right away. Instead, she got a feel for the keys, running through a few scales to warm up her fingers.

Edward stayed off the stage, sitting in the front row with his chin propped up, just watching her.

Nora had chosen Chopin’s Nocturne in E–flat Major. It was the piece she knew best. She could play it with her eyes closed

and never miss a note.

She played flawlessly. There wasn’t a single mistake. Her pitch, rhythm, and pedaling were all precise and proper, just like the textbook. Her dynamics weren’t anything special, but they were perfectly acceptable.

When she reached that famous modulation in the middle, Nora stole a quick glance at the judges below the stage.

Edward’s face stayed perfectly neutral. No frown, no nod, he just quietly listened.

Natalie reclined in her seat, half her face lost in shadow, making it impossible to read her mood.

Nora felt a wave of panic, and her left thumb slipped, striking a wrong note. It was barely noticeable, almost imperceptible, but Nora knew she’d slipped.

Nora bit her lip, pushing the mistake out of her mind and playing through to the end.

As the final chord faded, she kept her head down, not daring to look up at Edward and Natalie.

“Alright,” Edward said.

Nora looked up, not sure if he was complimenting her or just being neutral.

“Your fundamentals are better than I thought, and you’ve got a good feel for music. But honestly, you’re way too

cautious,” Edward said,

Edward got up and strolled over to the edge of the stage. “Missing a note isn’t a big deal. Even Chopin messed up when he played. You just never got to hear it, so you wouldn’t know.”

Nora was stunned by what he said, not sure whether to laugh or just stay quiet.

“Come on, let’s hear you improvise,” Edward said.

improvise?” Nota squeaked, her voice cracking.

“Yeah, just make something up, I’ll give you a few notes to start,” Edward replied,

Edward tapped out a few notes on the piano—C, E–flat, 6, and B–flat.

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Nora stared at those notes, her mind wiped clean. She couldn’t think of a single thing.

She’d been playing piano for thirteen years, gone through countless scores, but nobody had ever asked her to improvise. Her teachers always said improvisation was for the composition majors, not something performers needed to bother with.

But she didn’t have the guts to admit, “I don’t know how.” Natalie was right there, keeping an eye on her.

She braced herself and placed her fingers on the keys.

Her hands moved almost on autopilot. The first chord was C minor, her go–to key. But she didn’t know what to do at all.

She tried to piece the notes together, her left hand stumbling through a simple accompaniment while her right hand climbed up the keys and dropped back down.

It was clumsy, like a toddler just learning to speak, each note popping out hesitantly, awkward and unsure. But Edward didn’t interrupt or cut her off.

She kept playing, stumbling along for more than a minute, and finally wrapped it up with an ending that was far from

flawless.

“Have you ever improvised before?” Edward asked.

Edward gave a faint smile. “I’m just curious. Since you and Natalie are so close, why did you want to become my student?

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