"Is the new teaching assistant any good?" Claire Hale furrowed her brows, a little worried.
Her family had scraped together the money for her tuition, so every single class was important.
Privately, she wanted to make every penny count and only wanted to take Miller's class.
A teaching assistant... It just sounded unprofessional.
"Miller is very responsible. She wouldn't hire just anyone. If she picked this TA, they must be skilled," Serena Hughes said with conviction when she saw her roommates' concern.
Miller had always been fond of her, so of course, she had to defend her teacher.
"Serena's right. I heard the TA is Miller's junior from school. She's very talented, just hasn't been active in the music scene for a few years, but she definitely has the skills," Tia Bennett added, agreeing with Serena Hughes.
"Alright, class is about to start. Let's get going," Serena Hughes said, quickening her pace with her violin case on her back.
Claire Hale's eyes were immediately drawn to the violin on Serena Hughes's back.
"Serena, is that the violin Mr. Hawthorne gave you? Even the case looks more expensive than our violins. The comparison is just infuriating."
Serena Hughes covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. "I heard it was handmade by a master craftsman a few hundred years ago."
"Holy crap, it's an antique? It must be incredibly expensive, right?"
Serena Hughes recalled what Cecilia Nathan had said—that Damian Hawthorne never let anyone touch it.
"Mhm, it's quite expensive," Serena Hughes said with a sweet smile.
'Otherwise, Damian Hawthorne wouldn't treasure it so much.'
"Serena, can you let me touch it later? I'm so curious. I've never seen anything this expensive in my life." The thought that it was an antique made Claire Hale itch to get her hands on it immediately.
Her own violin cost just over ten thousand, a gift from her parents for getting into the university.
But at the music conservatory, a violin at that price was nothing special.
In music, talent and skill are important, but so is the instrument.
Different price points meant different levels of craftsmanship, resulting in different sounds.
Everyone in Korsyth knew of Damian Hawthorne's prestige. The Hawthorne Family's wealth and power were at the very top of the city's hierarchy.
A gift from Damian Hawthorne was bound to be something an ordinary person would never even get to see.
Forget touching it; just getting a look would be an eye-opening experience.
Seeing her roommates' eyes shining with excitement, Serena Hughes wanted to refuse but ended up nodding. "You can touch it, but don't try to play it. I'm afraid it might get damaged."
'If her roommates hadn't asked, she wouldn't have let anyone touch the first gift Damian Hawthorne had ever given her.'
"Don't worry, just a quick touch. It'll be a learning experience."
...
Chatting as they walked, the group soon arrived at the door of Aria Miller's dorm room.
This was the faculty dormitory. The building was old but very tidy.
Inside, Cecilia Nathan was contemplating how to conduct the upcoming lesson.
She had almost forgotten that Serena Hughes was one of Aria Miller's students.
'If Serena Hughes found out she was the TA, she'd probably lose her mind.'
It wasn't just Serena Hughes; she felt a bit awkward herself.
Cecilia Nathan was even starting to regret agreeing to take this job.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
A knock sounded at the door.
Cecilia Nathan stood up and opened the door.
"You..."
"The TA..."
"Cecilia Nathan!"
The group stared at each other. Serena Hughes, in particular, shrieked the moment she saw Cecilia Nathan.
"What are you doing here?" Serena Hughes cried out, but then a thought occurred to her. "Are you studying here too?"
She remembered that she was the one who had given Cecilia Nathan Aria Miller's contact information.
Her initial shock quickly subsided.
"You scared me. I thought you were..."
"Serena, is this Cecilia Nathan?" Tia Bennett looked Cecilia up and down, her gaze finally settling on her face before letting out a scoff. "Oh, I know. You're the one who was Mr. Hawthorne's backup plan but never made the cut."
"Tia!" Serena Hughes quickly cut Tia Bennett off. "Don't talk nonsense."
"Tia isn't talking nonsense. The story of how Cecilia Nathan chased Damian Hawthorne for years and failed has been a trending topic online several times. We're not making this up; everyone knows about it."
Serena Hughes gave Cecilia Nathan an embarrassed look. "Cecilia Nathan, please don't be angry. My roommate just loves to gossip..."
"It's fine." Cecilia Nathan pursed her lips, unconcerned. "Come in. Class is about to start."
'Class?'
Serena Hughes and the others exchanged glances, then looked around the room. Besides Cecilia Nathan, there was no one else there.
'Who's teaching class?'
"Cecilia Nathan, did you see the TA when you got here?" Serena Hughes put down her violin case, expertly slipped on a pair of shoe covers, and subconsciously glanced at Cecilia Nathan's feet.
'She's wearing slippers!'
Aria Miller was a neat freak and always made students wear shoe covers when they came over.
'So why is Cecilia Nathan allowed to wear slippers?'
It wasn't just Serena Hughes who was surprised; the other two didn't understand either.
"Maybe she brought them herself," Tia Bennett mumbled.
Serena Hughes said nothing.
'She had seen Miller wear those slippers before. They were an allocation piece from H Brand; there was no way Cecilia Nathan had brought them herself.'
"Miller just left," Cecilia Nathan said coolly, picking up the lesson plan from the table. "Oh, and by the way, I'll be teaching you today."
"..."
"You're teaching us..." Serena Hughes laughed awkwardly. "Cecilia Nathan, what do you mean by that? Why are you teaching us?"
A suspicion formed in Serena Hughes's mind, but she quickly suppressed it.
'No, it's impossible.'
'Cecilia Nathan said she only started studying music a short while ago. How could she possibly be a TA?'
However, Cecilia Nathan's next words confirmed her suspicion.
"I'm Miller's teaching assistant. Until she's finished with her other work, I'll be the one teaching you."
"You?" Tia Bennett was the first to burst out laughing. "What kind of weirdo are you? You have the nerve to call yourself a TA? Do you even know what it takes to be a teaching assistant? Who the hell do you think you are, trying to teach us!"
"Serena, what kind of person did you introduce to Miller? Daydreaming in broad daylight!" Claire Hale snorted, unable to resist joining in on the mockery.
Serena Hughes was also embarrassed. "I... I didn't know she was this kind of person..."
"Cecilia Nathan, last time you said you'd only been studying music for a few months. How can you be our TA? With your level of experience... you can't possibly teach us." The thought that she was the one who gave Cecilia Nathan Aria Miller's contact info made Serena Hughes even more mortified.
She already thought it was absurd enough that Cecilia Nathan was entering the music competition, but she never expected her to do something even more outrageous.
"Cecilia Nathan, stop kidding around. Just tell us where the TA went. Every second counts, and our time is precious too." Seeing Cecilia Nathan stand there unfazed, Serena Hughes grew more and more impatient.
The anxiety in her heart grew heavier.
Subconsciously, she refused to believe that Cecilia Nathan could be a TA.
Even if Cecilia Nathan was a few years older than her, becoming a TA wasn't something you could do just by wanting it.
But Cecilia Nathan's calmness also frightened her.
Because from the looks of it... Cecilia Nathan didn't seem to be lying.