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Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Nora was caught off guard when her name was called, and she shot up from her seat like she’d been electrocuted, “Y–Yes, Mr. Lopez,” she stammered.
She clutched her folder so tightly her knuckles turned white, her steps unsteady as she made her way to the stage. When
she reached the piano, she took a deep breath and sat down.
She didn’t start playing right away. Instead, she got a feel for the keys, running through a few scales to warm up her fingers.
Edward stayed off the stage, sitting in the front row with his chin propped up, just watching her.
Nora had chosen Chopin’s Nocturne in E–flat Major. It was the piece she knew best. She could play it with her eyes closed
and never miss a note.
She played flawlessly. There wasn’t a single mistake. Her pitch, rhythm, and pedaling were all precise and proper, just like the textbook. Her dynamics weren’t anything special, but they were perfectly acceptable.
When she reached that famous modulation in the middle, Nora stole a quick glance at the judges below the stage.
Edward’s face stayed perfectly neutral. No frown, no nod, he just quietly listened.
Natalie reclined in her seat, half her face lost in shadow, making it impossible to read her mood.
Nora felt a wave of panic, and her left thumb slipped, striking a wrong note. It was barely noticeable, almost imperceptible, but Nora knew she’d slipped.
Nora bit her lip, pushing the mistake out of her mind and playing through to the end.
As the final chord faded, she kept her head down, not daring to look up at Edward and Natalie.
“Alright,” Edward said.
Nora looked up, not sure if he was complimenting her or just being neutral.
“Your fundamentals are better than I thought, and you’ve got a good feel for music. But honestly, you’re way too
cautious,” Edward said,
Edward got up and strolled over to the edge of the stage. “Missing a note isn’t a big deal. Even Chopin messed up when he played. You just never got to hear it, so you wouldn’t know.”
Nora was stunned by what he said, not sure whether to laugh or just stay quiet.
“Come on, let’s hear you improvise,” Edward said.
improvise?” Nota squeaked, her voice cracking.
“Yeah, just make something up, I’ll give you a few notes to start,” Edward replied,
Edward tapped out a few notes on the piano—C, E–flat, 6, and B–flat.
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Nora stared at those notes, her mind wiped clean. She couldn’t think of a single thing.
She’d been playing piano for thirteen years, gone through countless scores, but nobody had ever asked her to improvise. Her teachers always said improvisation was for the composition majors, not something performers needed to bother with.
But she didn’t have the guts to admit, “I don’t know how.” Natalie was right there, keeping an eye on her.
She braced herself and placed her fingers on the keys.
Her hands moved almost on autopilot. The first chord was C minor, her go–to key. But she didn’t know what to do at all.
She tried to piece the notes together, her left hand stumbling through a simple accompaniment while her right hand climbed up the keys and dropped back down.
It was clumsy, like a toddler just learning to speak, each note popping out hesitantly, awkward and unsure. But Edward didn’t interrupt or cut her off.
She kept playing, stumbling along for more than a minute, and finally wrapped it up with an ending that was far from
flawless.
“Have you ever improvised before?” Edward asked.
Nora shook her head, her face turning red.
“That’s pretty good for your first time,” Edward said. Edward’s voice was steady. “Improvisation isn’t some innate talent.
It’s a skill you build with practice. You’ve got the basics, so just keep working at it.”
Nora was stunned for a couple of seconds before it finally dawned on her what he meant. “Does that mean…”
“You’re in,” Edward said. He flashed a small smile. “What else do you think I meant?”
Nora’s eyes went wide, stunned, her mouth opening and closing before she finally blurted out, “Thank you.”
She was so thrilled that she gave Edward a deep bow.
Evelyn had been standing by the door for a few minutes. When she heard Edward was willing to take Nora as his student, her face lit up, and she quickly walked over.
“Oh, Mr. Lopez. Thank you so much. Nora’s been saying she wanted to learn from you ever since she was a kid. Her dream’s finally come true,” Evelyn said.
Her face was all smiles as she hurried to the edge of the stage, putting her hands together in gratitude, looking like she might bow to Edward right then and there.
Nora quietly introduced her mom to Edward as Evelyn walked over. “That’s my mom…”
Edward’s smile softened a bit, and he gave a polite nod. “No need to thank me. It was Nora’s own effort.”
“It’s really because you were willing to give her this opportunity. Mr. Lopez,” Evelyn said.
Edward gave a faint smile. “I’m just curious. Since you and Natalie are so close, why did you want to become my student?
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After all, even though she’s younger, her skills on the piano are actually a bit higher than mine.”
Edward was just curious, not implying anything else, but his question caught both Nora and Evelyn off guard.
Nora glanced at Natalie in the audience, her attention on her phone, and then dropped her gaze to her own feet. ‘Yeah, why didn’t I just ask Natalie to be my teacher? She’s the real expert!’
Edward had been her hero ever since she started learning piano at six.
It wasn’t until later that she found out Edward had someone junior to him, and she was even better. But just because her cousin turned out to be that someone, didn’t mean she’d stop wanting to be Edward’s student.
She looked up, her eyes shining with sincerity. “From the very first day I started learning piano, the first album I ever bought was your Chopin recording.”
“The posters in my practice room, the books by my bed, they’re all yours. To me, you’re not just a teacher I could choose to study with. You’re the person I’ve dreamed of meeting for thirteen years.”
She took a small breath and then continued, “Natalie is incredible, and I really look up to her. But admiring someone isn’t
the same as wanting to be their student.”
Nora paused, her voice gentle, but it echoed in the quiet concert hall like a drop of water sending ripples across a deep pond.
“From the very beginning, I knew which mountain I wanted to climb. Later, I realized there were higher peaks out there.”
She paused and then went on, “But I still want to climb the one I chose at the start. It’s not that the higher ones aren’t worth it. It’s just that this has always been my dream, the one that inspired me from the very beginning.”
During all these years of learning piano, she’d already lost sight of that dream once before. Now that she was giving herself a second chance, she couldn’t afford to disappoint herself or Natalie.
After Nora finished speaking, the tension in her body eased a bit, and she looked genuinely apologetic. “I’m sorry. I don’t have the privilege to freely choose between you and Natalie. I’m not saying this to show how rational I am, or to justify myself.”
She lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just don’t want you to think I take things lightly. Or that I don’t know how much this matters.” She hesitated, fingers unconsciously picking at the hem of her dress. “Natalie is incredible, I know that. I just…”
Evelyn was so taken aback that she just stood there, mouth opening and closing, unable to say a word.
Edward didn’t say anything right away. He just watched Nora. Her fingers gripped so tight that they were pale with nerves, but she meant every word she said.
Then he smiled softly. “Nora, how old are you?”
Nora paused, a little confused by the sudden question. ‘Why is he asking this?‘ she wondered, but she still answered
honestly, “Eighteen.”
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