Ava's POV
“And that ‘Ms. Stone’ you all worship?” Nora sneered. “The famous pianist? She bought that reputation. When Ava was ten, she defeated Laura in a competition without even trying!”
Fragments of memory flickered behind my eyes.
“But the Stone family wanted Laura to shine,” Nora continued, “so they broke Ava down. They even put her grandma in the hospital just to threaten her into giving everything up!”
My nails dug into my palms. I remembered it clearly.
“And Mr. Oliver Hale?” Nora pressed on. “You think Laura was his student? She never even stepped past his gate! It was Ava. They threatened her, forced her, nearly destroyed her just to make Laura take her place.”
There was a pause, then a sharp, bitter laugh from Nora.
“Too bad Mr. Oliver never acknowledged Laura. Not once b
