chapter 2
Kahlil
"Are you sure you want to do this? We can make an exc-"
Aria Leighton
"Kahlil, I'm fine"
Aria cut him off as she ran her hand through her backless dark red mermaid dress.
It was a little tight she had to admit, but it was all for a few hours so she would bear it.
They both stood behind the dark curtain which separated the marvellous stage with a grand piano all set for her and not to mention hundreds of elites awaiting her presence.
Aria Leighton
"I cannot back down now"
She whispered more to herself as she blew air between her fists while her heart hammered against her ribs.
No matter how many times she performed, the anxiety before playing would always get her.
Host
"And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! Multi-award-winning, multi-talented Aria Leighton is here to grace us with her genius on the special request of Mr Sullivan!"
The announcer announced as Aria instantly straightened up and breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm her nerves.
She wouldn't have even attended the program if Owen Sullivan, the organizer of the event, wasn't a good acquaintance of her.
She heard Kahlil whisper beside her followed by a pat on her shoulder as she stiffly nodded and slowly stepped out of the thick curtain.
A blinding light welcomed her at first numbing all her senses which was soon replaced by the huge applause by the audience.
She confidently walked to the middle of the stage while giving out a breathtaking smile, which didn't reach her eyes.
She stood in front of the black grand piano and faced the audience completely.
She graciously bowed down in front of the audience when clapping slowly subsided. She looked up as a sudden chill ran through her spine.
Surely in an audience of hundreds, even thousands were watching her, she was bound to get nervous.
But this time it felt like a piercing gaze was stuck on her form.
The hazel eyes of the man in a black Armani suit, not only made her feel uncomfortable but also self-conscious. It was weird because she had never doubted herself.
Her eyes locked with his narrowed hazel ones. He was a man maybe in his late 20s who sat beside Owen Sullivan, with an emotionless face. His eyes unmoving from her face, it was almost as if he was challenging or examining her.
She ignored him as she smiled once again and walked towards the piano and sat on the piano bench.
Aria Leighton
*start playing the piano*
All the while she could feel the stare at her, but she decided to concentrate on her performance.
She ran her hand through the shiny fallboards, something she did before every performance. She lifted the fallboard and felt the smoothness of the piano keys.
The whole hall quieted down as curious gazes pinned her down. She breathed out one last time before her fingers glided through the keys. A tune she had memorized since her childhood.
She hummed the tune in her mind as she closed her eyes in euphoria. No matter how stressed or sad she was, the music never failed to calm her down and make her heart flutter.
A real smile broke out on her face as she forgot all about the audience and played for herself. Just for herself.
The whole hall was enticed by the remarkable beauty as delirium spread through their veins. Some took pictures while the others just listened, spellbound by the music.
But a certain man with captivating looks and personality totally opposite to it felt different.
He watched as the beauty, he now knew as Aria graciously moved her hands. As if she didn't know the audience.
Abigor Hayes
"Who is she?"
Karl
"Sir, it's Aria Leighton. Age Twenty-two, Height 5'7, Weight - "
Karl started but stopped when he saw his boss tear his gaze from the stage and glared at him.
Abigor Hayes
"How do you know so much about her?"
He almost snarled as Karl sat there unaffected, he had gotten used to his boss now.
Karl
"Sir, it's all in Google"
Karl replied simply while pointing towards the tablet in his hands with all her information in it.
The man snatched the tablet from him and studied what the Google had to say.
Abigor Hayes
"She's famous, eh?"
He concluded as he passed the tablet back to Karl, after reading the details, and stared at Aria again.
Abigor Hayes
"Gaspard de la Nuit"
(treasurer of the night)
He whispered the name of the melody as he kept listening to the tune and staring at her intently.
His eyes fell on the tablet. A picture of her smiling brightly, wearing a white dress which was complementing the stygian grand piano while looking at the camera innocently.
Abigor Hayes
"This is going to be troublesome"😏
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