Chapter 101
Chapter 101:
Rylie reached down to pick it up but noticed something beneath the piano. She crouched and retrieved a tiny object. It was a silver hairpin, shaped like a music note. It belonged to Paola.
Thinking back, Rylie remembered hearing a phrase in her melody—just two bars. Unfinished and rough. But she had shaped it into something fuller as she played.
Turning to the servant, Rylie asked for paper and a pen. She began jotting down the notes. It wasn’t finished. Only the beginning had taken form. The rest still waited to be shaped.
Rylie glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly time to leave. She handed the sheet music and hairpin to the servant and said, “Please take this music back to my room. Give the hairpin to Paola. She probably left it behind p>
The servant nodded. “Alright p>
As Rylie stepped out of the music room, a man wearing a hat entered and slowly made his way through the library. His eyes scanned the empty space as he muttered, “That’s odd. I thought I heard music in here. Where did Paola go p>
At that moment, Paola sat alone in the guest room, fidgeting with her hands. She kept glancing at the door, but no one came in. The security guard had already said that Spencer was on the property, but she hadn’t seen him. Had he gotten lost?
Paola rose from her seat and headed out, intending to find him herself. On her way through the corridor, she spotted the servant carrying the sheet music. “Have you seen Director Aguilar?” she asked quickly.
The servant shook her head. “No, I came from the library. Miss Owen asked me to hand this to you p>
Paola took the hairpin without much thought and slipped it into her pocket. Then she continued down the hallway and finally saw Spencer standing near the library. She smiled and called out, “Director Aguilar p>
Spencer turned to her with a grin. “Paola, I was just about to find you. Why did you leave without a word p>
Paola froze at the question. Leave? What was he talking about? She had waited for him in the guest room the entire time.
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Before Paola could respond, Spencer started speaking again. “You’ve finally proven your musical ability. The arrangement today reminded me of Marcus’s early work. Every concern I brought up in the email — gone. The opening now sounds exactly as I imagined p>
Paola’s expression faltered. She didn’t know what Spencer was talking about. She hadn’t even approached the piano today. She had spent the morning preparing for Spencer’s arrival. The sheet music hadn’t been touched since yesterday. Then who had played it?
Spencer’s admiration deepened, and whatever Paola wanted to explain faded in her throat.
Spencer removed his hat and continued, “That melody — just preserve it. Add the rest when you can. I’ll assign someone to write the lyrics and use it for the opening act p>
He opened a notebook from his briefcase and added, “Do you have a full version of it? I’d like to note the main theme. It’s absolutely beautiful p>
Paola’s eyes wandered past Spencer toward the library, her mind replaying what the servant had said earlier when delivering the hairpin. Someone else had been in there this morning — Rylie. Could it really have been her?