Unloved Unwanted Unstoppable (Seraphina and Dominic) novel Chapter 267

In a flash, everyone had surrounded Seraphina Sinclair, their congratulations ringing in the air endlessly.

Ethan Harrington wore a smile on his face, clearly extremely satisfied with how the evening was turning out.

Cynthia Ross stood on the outskirts of the crowd, her gaze icy, a deep, bitter resentment gnawing at her.

Why? That highly coveted spot right in the center of attention was supposed to be hers!

Yet in the blink of an eye, the moment Seraphina showed up, she stole everyone's gaze.

She refused to accept this!

Taking a deep breath, she forced her way through the crowd. "So Seraphina is actually Mr. Harrington's beloved apprentice."

The ambient chatter dialed down a few notches.

"Then it all makes sense now," Cynthia said, a sharp smile in her eyes. "Tonight's gathering was supposedly for charity, but in reality, it was set up to clear your apprentice's name, wasn't it? Mr. Harrington truly dotes on his student."

She paused, letting a hint of hesitation seep into her tone. "It's just... is it really appropriate to exploit everyone's goodwill to put on a show like this?"

As her words dropped, the surrounding space fell silent for a few seconds.

The expressions of the guests shifted, and low whispers began to spread.

"So that musical score wasn't going to the highest bidder after all?"

"No wonder... I was absolutely sure it would go to Mr. Lockwood since he donated the most."

"Turns out it was rigged from the start."

Secretly thrilled, Cynthia covered her mouth, acting as though she had just realized she said something inappropriate.

Ethan chuckled softly and waved a hand, instantly quieting the murmurs.

"Tonight's charity gala has been completely open and transparent from start to finish. Every single donation is fully traceable and has already been allocated directly to the educational projects in the mountain regions."

He looked at Seraphina, his tone steady and completely unabashed. "As for giving this musical score to my apprentice, it is indeed my personal bias as her teacher, but it is also completely well-deserved. You all know her foundational skills. I don't need to explain that, nor do I need to prove it to anyone."

Cynthia's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she maintained her sweet tone. "You make a fair point, Maestro Harrington. The score is yours, so of course, you have the freedom to give it to whoever you choose."

"So all that talk about it going to the top donor was just us guessing..."

The gossip began to dissipate into the background.

Cynthia's smile completely froze. She opened her mouth to argue, but Ethan continued.

"I'd actually like to ask you something, Ms. Ross. When you used the word 'gimmick' just now, did you also believe my score should rightfully go to the person who donated the most tonight?"

Caught off guard by being called out so bluntly, Cynthia looked momentarily awkward. "I..."

But Ethan didn't give her a chance to explain. "Truth be told, my apprentice was indeed not the highest donor tonight."

He said it with absolute candor.

Hearing this, Cynthia instinctively straightened her spine, the anxiety draining from her face.

Someone in the crowd asked, "Then Maestro Harrington, who was the highest donor tonight?"

With that question, everyone's attention snapped back to Cynthia's face.