My Great Escape Led Me to You novel Chapter 281

“They’re not playing Isabella Austin’s ‘Love’? It’s Vivian Martin’s ‘Desire’? But isn’t that still one of Isabella Austin’s pieces?”

“Has Emily Blair lost her mind? Is she at it again? Wasn’t one disaster enough for her to give up? Everyone already said Vivian Martin is just Isabella Austin’s pen name! When will this end?”

“Exactly! She’s just jealous—she can’t stand the thought of Isabella Austin winning the competition, so she’s determined to take everyone down with her!”

Arianna George immediately latched onto the name Vivian Martin, her brows knitting together as a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes.

With security in the room, the audience’s whispered debates didn’t last long before they were silenced. Whatever Arianna wanted to hear was lost in the hush.

Vivian Martin’s name… she knew she’d heard it somewhere before.

Lost in thought, her gaze drifted instinctively to the left, settling on Isabella Austin.

Just one glance deepened Arianna’s suspicion.

Isabella, usually composed and gentle, still managed to betray a trace of unease beneath her calm exterior. Arianna noticed it in the subtle tension around her eyes, the faintest flicker of fear. Isabella’s gaze was locked on the stage, not even noticing Arianna’s glance, her whole posture wound tight with anxiety and dread.

Arianna turned to look at Andrew Lane, sitting beside Isabella.

His expression was no better. He, too, was watching Emily Blair, his eyes shadowed and inscrutable. But then, Andrew was always the type to remain unflappable, no matter the storm. Reading his thoughts from his face was next to impossible.

Arianna studied Isabella for a moment, so absorbed that she almost missed it when another judge nudged her arm.

“Ms. George,” the judge whispered, her tone sly, “things are about to get interesting.”

Arianna caught the implication and quickly pressed, “What do you mean? Do you know something?”

The other woman just smiled enigmatically, clearly enjoying the drama. “You really don’t know? The piece Emily Blair is playing right now isn’t Isabella Austin’s ‘Love.’ It’s Vivian Martin’s ‘Desire’—the same piece Emily played at her high school’s anniversary concert…”

From this judge, Arianna learned everything that had transpired back then: how Emily had accused Isabella of plagiarism at her school’s celebration, only to have Isabella turn the accusations back on her and come out unscathed.

Arianna was floored.

She turned her gaze back to Emily on stage.

Setting aside the plagiarism rumors and everything else, Emily’s performance was nothing short of flawless.

A spotlight poured from the rigging above, encircling Emily in a world all her own. She wore a shimmering green gown, the delicate fringe catching the light and making her fair skin glow with an almost ethereal radiance. She looked for all the world like a girl conjured from a dream.

Whether it was the composition itself or the performer’s stage presence—both essential in the scoring—Emily excelled at every turn.

She was, Arianna realized, the kind of prodigy who left people both awed and helpless.

No one in the piano circuit had ever heard of her before this. She’d appeared out of nowhere, her skills suddenly towering above the rest, and now her near-perfect performance was shattering the confidence of every so-called genius in the room.

Arianna’s eyes grew heavy with the weight of realization.

In her judgment, Emily Blair’s level even surpassed Isabella Austin’s.

She’d heard Isabella play ‘Love’ before, and, compared to Emily’s ‘Desire,’ both the piece and the artistry fell short.

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