Readers searching for Trash Yesterday Queen Today Chapter 38 read online are often looking for an engaging introduction to a story filled with transformation, resilience, and unexpected twists.
Chapter 38
The video call rang a few times before someone picked up. On the screen appeared a man with a refined, scholarly air, around fifty years old.
“Natalie?” His voice was warm, tinged with pleasant surprise. “What brings you to call me today? How are you?”
The easy, familiar tone made everyone at the table freeze. They all started wondering who was on the other end of the
line.
Natalie said, nodding at the screen. “Mr. Lopez, I’m doing great. There’s something I’d like to trouble you with.”
Evelyn thought, ‘Mr. Lopez? Which Mr. Lopez?‘
A wild guess shot through her mind, making her heart pound, but she immediately dismissed it. She thought, ‘How is that possible? Natalie’s been living in some poor village all this time.
‘Plus, she just finished her SATS a few days ago. There’s no way she knows Mr. Lopez.‘
“Oh, really? That’s a first. You’re actually asking me for a favor? What is it?” the man on the screen said, clearly intrigued.
Natalie didn’t answer right away. Instead, she angled the phone toward the dining table, aiming the camera at the group.
The moment everyone at the table saw the face on the screen, they were shocked. It really was Edward, the
world–renowned pianist, the man they called the Poet of the Keys.
Evelyn gasped, her eyes going wide. She nearly shot out of her chair. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming.
The others were no less stunned. None of them could hide their shock.
Natalie said, her voice steady, “Mr. Lopez, this is my cousin, Nora. She’s been studying piano for years and greatly admires you. She has some questions. I was hoping you might give her a bit of guidance.”
“Your cousin?” Edward leaned closer to the screen, peering at Nora with curiosity. “Since when do you have a cousin?”
“I’ll explain another time,” Natalie replied, steering the conversation back on track.
Edward remarked, “Fine. Honestly, I don’t even need to hear her play. If you say she’s good, that’s good enough for me.”
The words landed like a thunderclap. The room went dead silent.
Evelyn’s heart leaped into her throat. Overjoyed, she was on the verge of tears.
She thought, ‘Did Mr. Lopez actually say that if Natalie gives the word, he’ll take Nora on as a student? It feels like hitting the jackpot.
Though Evelyn was baffled as to how her niece could know someone of such stature, her joy quickly drowned out her
confusion, and she didn’t dwell on it.
The way Evelyn looked at Natalic shifted instantly, her eyes now burning with eagerness and hope. She was practically
14
19:36 Thu, 30 Apr G
Chapter 38
itching to accept on Natalie’s behalf.
83%
68 vouchers
Nora’s head snapped up, disbelief flashing in her eyes. She thought, ‘It’s that easy? Just because Natalie said so?‘
Natalie’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. She turned the phone back toward herself. “Mr. Lopez, you haven’t even heard Nora play. Me saying she’s good is only my personal opinion,” she said, her tone still calm but carrying a hint of disapproval.
She glanced at Nora, who seemed conflicted. “Besides, studying under a master is a two–way street.”
Natalie’s bold words sent another ripple of shock through the table. The Mitchell family was quite nervous. They thought, ‘How does Natalie even know Mr. Lopez? And they’re this close?‘
Edward, instead of taking offense, let out a laugh. “Still so serious, aren’t you? Fine. You win. So, what do you suggest?”
Natalie had already thought it through. “Didn’t you say you’re performing in Harbor City next month? Find some time then to listen to her play.”
Edward raised an eyebrow, amused by the arrangement. “Fine. I’ll be in Harbor City in about a week to prepare. Bring her by then. But…”
He shifted gears, his tone now playful yet firm. “Since I’m coming in early to hear your cousin play, you’ll have to come
early too and help me out.
“There are a few things in the program arrangement and some phrasing choices I’d love to get your thoughts on.”
Natalie thought, ‘Here we go again.”
The Mitchell family, though already somewhat prepared, still felt their hearts skip a beat at hearing Edward ask Natalie for input on his concert.
Evelyn, meanwhile, was completely lost, her mind spinning with confusion and suspicion. She couldn’t begin to understand what Natalie had done to earn such trust and respect from Edward.
Natalie didn’t refuse this time and agreed without hesitation, “Okay. I’ll contact you then.”
“All right. It’s settled. We’ll talk more when I get to Harbor City.” Edward waved with a smile.
“See you, Mr. Lopez,” Natalie replied.
The video call ended. Natalie put away her phone calmly, glanced at her stunned family, and said, “Let’s eat.”
Everyone nodded, dumbfounded, still trying to process what they had witnessed.
Jonathan was the first to break the awkward silence. “Natalie, you’re full of surprises. You actually know Mr. Lopez? Nora must have seemed like an amateur just now. Natalie, maybe you could give her some pointers after lunch?”
Natalie nodded “After lunch.”
After that, the dining room fell silent again.
2/4
19:36 Thu, 30 Apr GOD
Chapter 38
“Natalie, how do you know Mr. Lopez?” Ryan asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.
83%
55 vouchers
Natalie didn’t see any reason to hide it. She answered honestly, “He was my neighbor back when I lived in the village.”
“Your neighbor?” Evelyn was shocked. “Oh my. You’re so lucky.”
Charlotte was also very interested in this. She wanted to learn more about the nineteen years of Natalie’s life that she had missed. “Natalie, is Mr. Lopez your teacher?”
Natalie shook her head. “No.”
Everyone nodded in understanding. Evelyn seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief. Though she was grateful to her niece for making the connection, she still wanted her own daughter to measure up.
Evelyn thought, ‘Of course my daughter is better than someone who spent nineteen years in some poor village. Natalie only got lucky meeting Mr. Lopez. She’s here to pave the way for Nora. Nora is the truly blessed one.‘
But the next words out of Natalie’s mouth made Evelyn’s fleeting sense of superiority and calculation freeze on her face.
“He’s not my teacher,” Natalie took a spoonful of soup slowly before adding, under the curious gaze of everyone at the table. “We studied under the same teacher.”
Her words were like a pebble dropped into still water, but what they stirred up was a tidal wave. Everyone thought they had misheard.
“Natalie, y–you mean you and Mr. Lopez have the same teacher?” Even William, usually so composed, had a tremor in his voice. He could hardly believe his ears.
“Yes.” Natalie nodded. She didn’t think it was a big secret worth keeping.
“So then, your teacher is Mr. Leonard Chase.” Ethan’s head was spinning from the revelation. He thought, ‘She studied under Mr. Chase?‘
if Edward’s name was legendary in the international music scene, then Leonard’s name was like a towering, unassailable peak, especially among the older generation of musicians.
19.36 Thu, 30 Apr G D