Rebirth Of The Forgotten Heiress - Chapter 82: Chapter 82

Quinlyn watched from the audience as Rita arrogantly walked up to Yalena, proceeding with a mutual admiration fest.
Then, the atmosphere shifted, and they started talking about how well Yalena played the piano. They mentioned that Yalena had a sister who must be even better, and they eagerly anticipated a duet from the sisters.
Rita concluded her speech by staring directly at Quinlyn, her eyes full of provocation.
She thought, 'Last time, this low-class woman got to feel all triumphant for days. She grew up struggling, so naturally, she knows some survival tactics. After all, her living conditions have always been tough.
'But you can tell if someone hasn't been playing the piano since childhood. I heard the only instrument she makes sound with is a harmonica.'
Seeing the expression on Rita's face—which clearly said she wanted her to fail miserably—Quinlyn sighed internally.
She thought, 'Rita, do you know why you've always been an unqualified pawn? Look at how blatantly you show your malice; you're practically telling everyone you're the bad guy. It's a shame your dad worked so hard to create this scene for you.'
Rita mistook Quinlyn's pitying look for disdain. "What's the matter? You don't want to celebrate my birthday?"
Down in the audience, George's face was already quite grim. He thought, 'How can she be so foolish to pull something like this? But if I speak up now, it'll only look worse. I'll have to mend things later with Mr. James.'
Glancing at his phone, he thought about his other daughter, who was much more sensible and composed. She wasn't impulsive and handled things intelligently. Even if she had strong desires, he was willing to indulge her—not like Rita.
In the business world, no one is a fool. Everyone had already figured out that George's daughter always puts herself in the spotlight, even though nothing is really her concern. It was clear that Yalena was the one with real cunning.
Quinlyn smiled gracefully from the audience and shook her head.
She said, "No, I was just thinking, with my mediocre piano skills, for you to treat it like heavenly music, and even go so far as to invite me to play at your grand birthday party. How could I refuse your enthusiasm?"
Rita started to protest, "I didn't—" But she was quickly silenced by a look from Yalena. If she had invited Quinlyn, it would be either because she thought Quinlyn played well or she knew Quinlyn played poorly and wanted to humiliate her.
Yalena quickly interjected, "It's okay, Quinlyn. No matter how well you play, Rita won't mind. After all, you're so smart and learn things quickly."
Since their last fallout, Quinlyn and Yalena weren't on friendly terms anymore. This sudden act of false friendliness was something Quinlyn found a bit hard to adapt to.
Yasin received daily reports about Quinlyn and knew her piano skills weren't actually bad. Filled with confidence, he thought, 'This is going to be a satisfying way to turn the tables.'
Yancy was one of the few who knew about Quinlyn's piano practice. Watching the scene unfold, he shook his head repeatedly, realizing Rita was no match for Quinlyn.
When Quinlyn pulled out her phone for sheet music and played a hesitant rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," Yancy was stunned. He thought, 'Has she lost her mind?'
The audience also frowned, thinking, 'The difference between the Guzman sisters is stark.' Some who had attended the sisters' coming-of-age ceremony remembered Quinlyn's striking red dress.
Hearing this performance, they shook their heads and thought, 'She's just a pretty face with no substance. How could she ever match up to someone like Zachary from the Fletcher family? No wonder he isn't interested in her.'
Even Zachary frowned. But his concern wasn't about Quinlyn's playing; he was shocked that the Guzman family hadn't inquired about her situation recently. Of course, this wasn't his problem.
In stark contrast to his astonishment, the two on stage had completely different emotions.
Yalena, like an elegant princess, said, "It's okay, Quinlyn. Don't lose heart. You'll get better at playing."
Rita, much more brazen, said with a mocking expression and insincere apology, "Sorry, Quinlyn. I thought since you're Yalena's sister, you wouldn't be this bad. But don't worry—"
Her words were cut short by the sight of Quinlyn, who should have been flustered due to her poor performance, smiling graciously. "It's really tough trying the piano for the first time."
Before either of them could respond, she continued, "Let me try again with a different piece."
Rita started to say, "You should know—" but, noticing her father's expression from the audience, she restrained herself and added, "A piano isn't something you can master in a day."
As Rita finished speaking, Quinlyn began playing Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons."
The piece wasn't particularly difficult; it was at an intermediate level. But what was astonishing was that even though she stumbled a bit, she completed the performance.
Had Quinlyn not played that dreadful rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" earlier, this piece might have been criticized.
Yet now, everyone was simply in awe, thinking, 'How could someone who seemingly didn't even know the piano keys suddenly play a piece correctly from the sheet music?'
"Not bad, that's quite an improvement!"
"It seems that what Ms. Yalena Guzman said is true; she really does have a strong learning ability."
"Well, just look at the Guzman sons; none of them is simple-minded. They seem like they started learning in the womb."
"In that case, it looks like she truly lives up to the family's reputation."
Suddenly, everyone started discussing passionately, and the center of attention was none other than Quinlyn.
Someone with good intentions suggested she play another piece, saying, "Try something more challenging. Maybe you played that first piece so poorly because it was too easy for you."
Quickly, a chorus of voices joined in, enthusiastically chanting for an encore. These business elites looked as excited as if they were watching a beauty performing a spicy dance.
Sensing something was amiss, Yalena spoke to Quinlyn, "Quinlyn, it's okay. You did great. Rita has already received your heartfelt blessing. Let's step down now. After all, today is Rita's special day."
Quinlyn thought, 'Now you remember who the star is? Just a moment ago, you played a piece that drew all those admirers.' She saw Yalena's hopeful look and smirked slightly.