Chapter 30 \u2013 Real Talent\u00a0<\/p>\n
SERA\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat piece you were playing,\u201d Cathy said again, her voice getting louder. \u201cIt\u2019s Vivienne\u2019s composition. Everyone who knows anything about music would recognize it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could speak, Cathy turned to Vivienne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her, Vivienne. That\u2019s your piece.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne stood there in silence, her eyes fixed on me. She didn\u2019t nod, didn\u2019t confirm Cathy\u2019s words out loud, but she didn\u2019t deny them either. She just stared with a look that said everything it needed to without words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That silence felt like confirmation enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t steal anything,\u201d I said, my voice shaking but clear. \u201cThat piece is mine. I wrote it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh please,\u201d Cathy laughed. \u201cYou expect anyone to believe that? You, who\u2019s never shown an ounce of musical talent, suddenly composed something that sophisticated?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The other customers in the shop had stopped browsing. I could feel their eyes on me, watching the drama unfold like I was some kind of entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true,\u201d I insisted, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. \u201cI wrote that piece. It\u2019s mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLiar,\u201d Cathy hissed, stepping closer. \u201cYou\u2019re nothing but a fraud. You saw an opportunity to steal from someone more talented than you, and you took it. Just like you took everything else from Vivienne.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A man near the guitars spoke up then, his voice carrying authority. \u201cWait, I know you. You\u2019re Vivienne, the pianist. I saw you perform at the Kennedy Center last year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne gave him a small, gracious smile. \u201cYou\u2019re very kind to remember.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d recognize your face anywhere. You were incredible.\u201d The man turned to look at me with obvious disgust.\u201d And you\u2019re trying to pass off her work as your own? That\u2019s plagiarism. That\u2019s theft.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I-\u201d My throat felt tight, making it hard to get the words out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is despicable,\u201d the man continued, shaking his head. \u201cTaking advantage of someone who\u2019s sick, stealing their art. You should be ashamed of yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
More customers were murmuring now, their voices blending together into a wave of judgment. I could feel my face burning, my heart racing so fast I thought I might faint.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe does this all the time,\u201d Cathy said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. \u201cTries to copy Vivienne, to steal little pieces of her life. It\u2019s pathetic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My body was shaking, but I had to calm down. Cathy would never believe me, and there was no need for me to argue with her. But I had to be smart and find a way to prove myself. I couldn\u2019t be accused of plagiarism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could still hear my voice was unsteady, and I hated it. \u201cI wrote it years ago, I can prove it-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cathy scoffed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
hapter 10 Peter\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man interrupted. \u201cHow can you prove it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was about to answer when Noah stepped forward from behind the counter. He\u2019d been so quiet I\u2019d almost forgotten he was there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a solution,\u201d he said calmly, his voice cutting through the tension. \u201cIf the piece belongs to Miss Vivienne, then surely she can play it for us now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone went quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all,\u201d Noah continued, looking directly at Vivienne, \u201can artist would remember their own composition, wouldn\u2019t they? Especially such a beautiful one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne\u2019s face went very still.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u201d I said immediately, seizing onto the idea like a lifeline. \u201cYes, I\u2019ll play it again right now. And I can write down the full score too. Every note, every measure. I know it by heart because I\u2019m the one who wrote it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I moved toward the piano, my hands already reaching for the keys, ready to prove myself. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote this piece when I was youger,\u201d I said, my voice steadier now. \u201cWhen I felt so alone back at the orphanage. It\u2019s about the about loving someone you can\u2019t be close to. No one else in the world knows the complete melody because I never published it. I never showed it to anyone,\u201d I added that last sentence with a shaky, vulnerable tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here I was, exposing part of myself I didn\u2019t want to just so I wouldn\u2019t be viewed as a thief. My fists clenched and unclenched by my sides, almost trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cathy\u2019s eyes flashed with triumph, she crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. \u201cThen Vivienne can play it too. Play it, Vivienne. Show this liar what real talent looks like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at Vivienne, waiting. She was staring at the piano like it was a foreign object.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlay it,\u201d Cathy urged again, her voice full of confidence. \u201cProve that it\u2019s yours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne\u2019s hand went to her throat, then to her chest. \u201cI\u2026 the piece is quite complex. After my illness, my memory isn\u2019t what it used to be-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you wrote it,\u201d Noah said simply. \u201cSurely you\u2019d remember your own work, even if you\u2019re not feeling well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time, Vivienne\u2019s face truly paled under Noah\u2019s and my gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Souls Remember What Matters \u2014 Corey Gibson 30 Chapter 30 \u2013 Real Talent\u00a0 SERA\u00a0 \u201cThat piece you were playing,\u201d Cathy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-day-i-signed-the-papers-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23476\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}