Chapter 8

• Drake had a smile on his face as he walked toward Anna. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
• No wonder Anna ended up falling for this guy. He was indeed handsome, his looks reminding Andrea of those young men in magazines. Ah, the celebrity look, just like Sean and Connor Johnson except for the grumpiness.
• “Just trying the club myself,” Andrea responded.
• Drake’s smile turned to a smirk. “You? And the Opera?” He stared at Andrea as if she was a huge joke. Andrea noticed there were people behind Drake and also laughed when he did.
• Andrea’s eyes narrowed. This pretty boy was indeed what Maggie had told her. He was, indeed, a jerk. It was a good thing the engagement was called off before any more meetings were done between them.
• “What are you gonna do? Sing? Play an instrument?” Drake asked with a mocking tone.
• Andrea was still calm as she replied nonchalantly, “I don’t know. Whatever pops up in my mind I guess.”
• Drake’s laughter turned louder along with his friends behind.
• The student at the table cleared his throat. “Excuse me, are you still going to sign up for the trial?”
• “No, she won’t. She doesn’t have the talent for it,” Drake said, still wearing his cheeky smile as he turned to Andrea and looked at her. “Okay, listen up. I’m saying this out of concern as your childhood friend. You can’t sign or play an instrument, Anna. It’s going to be a waste of time for you and the instructors. You better join the book club or something. That’s your only interest anyway. But you? Trying to play or sing? Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been tone-deaf since childhood.”
• The people at the back giggled and laughed along at Drake’s remarks.
• “Done?” Andrea asked.
• Drake frowned. “What—”
• “If you have nothing else to say then I’ll go now,” Andrea said as she, without listening to Drake anymore, turned back to the table and pulled out her pen. “Where do I sign? Here?”
• Drake smirked while shaking his head, “You’re always doing this. Go ahead then. Make a fool of yourself. I won’t save you this time.”
• Andrea finished signing her name on the paper, put her pen back in her bag, and looked into Drake’s eyes directly, “It’s okay. I never said I need it anyway.” With that, she turned and left Drake with a stunned face.
• The boy from the table instructed Andrea to come inside. He said she would be facing everyone in the club for her audition. Inside, she found about fifteen or so students, all holding white papers. From the looks of it, they were in the middle of a practice.
• “It’s Johnson's adopted child.”
• “What is she doing here?”
• “Luke said she wants to join our club,” a girl on the side whispered back. Coincidentally, Andrea’s ears were especially clean and able at the time.
• “Why did he let her in? She doesn’t look like she can sing.”
• “Maybe she only went here to see Drake. They’re engaged after all.”
• “No way, that has been called off. Check the group chat, all the details are there.”
• “If it’s not Drake, then what the hell is she doing here?”
• The students shrugged, “Who knows.” All heads turned in Andrea’s direction as she walked with the person named Luke.
• Silent, Drake followed inside as he took one of the seats at the back, a few female students gathering around him immediately as soon as they saw him. “Drake, why are you here in Class A? Are you here to watch your fiancée play a song?”
• “Yes,” Drake said with a grin. Rather, he came to watch Anna embarrass herself. After that cold stare he received from her, he concluded she had lost her mind and would prove it again to everyone else in this room.
• “Why are you so mean?” The girl next to Drake softly laughed. Then she tilted her head to the side, revealing her neck, “Wanna come to my party this Friday?”
• Drake looked at her with his dazzling smile. “Of course. Send me your number so I can call you tonight.”
• The girl giggled and gave a meaningful smile over Drake. “Sure. Here.” She handed him her phone, purposely letting her skin touch his arm intimately.
• Meanwhile, Andrea followed the instruction from Luke and stood in front. Not soon after, a man in his 40s appeared from nowhere. “I heard someone wants to audition?”
• When Andrea saw him, she was slightly stunned. She knew this person. His name was Marky Train and a part of an association in a Night X District. Andrea’s instinct proved to be correct after all. This school...
• “Yes, professor. This person here wants to join our club,” Luke, the person who guided Andrea from the start, said.
• Professor Marky Train stared at Andrea from head to toe. “Okay. Let’s hear you sing.”
• “Wait, I can’t—”
• “Why waste my time then?” Marky Train said, glaring at her. “Are you going to sing or not?”
• Everyone knew how strict Professor Marky Train was. Nobody would dare waste his time, once he ordered something, one was expected to do it right away.
• Andrea realized she couldn’t argue at this time. Helpless, she opened her mouth and started to sing. It was a live singing so no other help would be given at all.
• The people in the stadium-like room all looked away and shook their heads.
• Drake who was sitting at the back started to laugh silently. “Serves her right.”
• “Enough,” Professor Marky Train exclaimed. “I don’t want to hear such atrocity ever again. Next, play your instrument.”
• Andrea sighed. She couldn’t really sing. Even when she once tried to have a singing lesson a few years ago, it was hopeless for her. Even Giovanni said she might as well kill him first before singing to him again. The fact that Anna Johnson was tone-deaf made it more difficult.
• More disappointed than embarrassed, Andrea grabbed the violin she requested from Luke a few minutes back.
• “Relax,” he said. “Don’t think about anything and just play with your heart.”
• Andrea smiled as thanks. Then she reached for the string instrument and expertly positioned it between her shoulder and head. Taking a deep breath, she stilled herself for a moment before launching into a beautiful, soft melody that filled the room. Her fingers moved deftly over the strings, her hair falling to the side to reveal her youthful face as she played.