Chapter 3

3. I didn't want to watch them being disgusting, so I turned to leave. "Elara!" Lulu called out, chasing after me.

She cornered me and demanded, "Why were you throwing yourself at that other guy? You made Harrison so miserable tonight!" I looked at her, completely speechless. I had no patience for her stupidity.

She kept pestering me. "You're the one who betrayed Harrison first. Since you're separated, stop bothering us!"

I stopped and looked down at her. "You already got what you wanted, so stop testing me. I don't care about Harrison Sterling anymore. Looking at the two of you makes me sick."

Lulu stared at me, her face twisting with frustration. She wanted to argue, but she couldn't find the words. After six months of training under Harrison, she was still just as dim-witted as ever.

Her eyes welled up, and she started to cry. Harrison rushed over and pulled her behind him, shouting at me. "You're bullying Lulu again! Elara, I used to think you were just petty, but now I see you're actually malicious!"

I looked at Lulu behind him. There wasn't a single tear on her face―just a smug, triumphant grin. I smirked.

"Harrison, are we officially broken up now?" I asked. He didn't know I had just seen them kissing, so he thought I was regretting the breakup.

"Have you finally thought it through? Tell me what's going on with that guy, and I might consider forgiving you," he said. He didn't confirm the breakup, which caused Lulu's expression to drop instantly.

"You still think I'm the one in the wrong? I saw what you and Lulu were doing just now. Since everything is out in the open, let's make a clean break. I'm done with you, Harrison. You don't deserve my love."

The wind whipped my white dress around me. I turned my back on the dark coastline and walked back into the bright lights of the gala.

Lulu officially became Harrison's girlfriend. I hadn't seen them since the island party. Damian Mercer had been texting me constantly lately, usually sending ten messages for every one of mine.

I wasn't stupid. I knew what his enthusiasm meant. But having just escaped Harrison, I didn't want to get played by another guy in disguise. Damian seemed sincere, but I was afraid to try again.

The orchestra was in its off-season, so I decided to look for a temporary gig while students were on summer break. As soon as I sent out my resume, someone contacted me.

A couple wanted their son to learn an instrument over the summer. I told them the kid was a total beginner and wouldn't master the violin in such a short time. They were very polite and said they didn't expect him to be a pro; they just wanted to enrich his life.

Rich people, clearly. I took the job and showed up at the designated house. But when the little boy told me his name, I froze.

"Hi teacher, I'm Milo Mercer." The last name Mercer, and clearly wealthy. I wondered if he was related to Damian.

Sure enough, during our break, Damian walked in. "Uncle Damian!" the boy cheered.

So that was the connection. Damian smiled at me. "What a coincidence. Do you mind if I sit in on the lesson?"

I nodded. Milo's parents were right―he wasn't the patient type. He was excited at first, but lost interest before the hour was up. I felt a bit guilty taking such a high salary for a forty-minute lesson.

Damian said, "It's fine. We didn't expect him to be a prodigy anyway. Do you… have plans later?"