Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 53

Emilia set her violin down gently, then lifted her gaze—and there was Tyler, standing just a few paces away.

For a brief instant, their eyes met across the space.

Neither seemed to react, but Tyler's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

His heart thudded in his chest, though he wasn't sure if it was the music's intensity or something else entirely.

This woman… she was enigmatic, dangerous—yet impossibly alluring.

Then came the thunder of applause, echoing through the hall.

As the cheers and clapping swelled, Tyler was the first to look away. He turned his back and strode off.

"Thank you." Emilia's voice floated from the stage, calm and serene.

Tyler cast a glance at Christian, who was beaming with excitement.

He almost scoffed. Christian's girlfriend was so badly hurt she'd barely survived, and yet he only seemed thrilled about the performance?

Not his problem.

He had no obligation to care for Christian's woman.

Lowering his eyes, Tyler left without another glance.

Emilia took a deep bow onstage, then, following the stage manager's cue, exited in an orderly line with the others.

Down in the audience, Cindy bounced up and down in her seat.

"Serena, that was incredible! I was completely swept away by your performance!" she exclaimed, grabbing Emilia's hand and jumping with excitement.

Emilia winced, but managed a soft laugh. "Thank you."

She'd only had three days to recover—barely enough. She'd been relying on every opportunity to rest before now, moving as little as possible, but on stage, she'd given it her all. Now her body was paying the price.

"Serena, who's your special effects makeup artist? My God, those wounds look so real!" Cindy was clueless, still peering at the injuries on Emilia's arms.

"Careful—that's not makeup," Christian said sharply as he hurried over, pulling Cindy away from Emilia's side.

Around them, the echoes of applause and cheers still lingered.

Emilia let out a soft laugh. "That won't be necessary."

With that, she glanced at Christian, leaving him slightly bewildered.

Emilia left with her assistant and Christian, while Vivienne remained, seething.

She clenched her jaw so hard she nearly cracked a tooth.

Her attempt to provoke Serena had clearly backfired—Serena's performance had been even more powerful!

At the start of the show, Vivienne had stormed backstage and tried to pull rank, using Tyler's name to force the streaming staff to lower Serena's video quality and stats.

Some people just don't know their place. This was supposed to be Vivienne's moment, yet Serena had stolen the spotlight.

A calculating glint flashed in Vivienne's eyes. She whipped out her phone and dialed a number.