Third person's pov
Ethan stared at the crowd in front of him with an expressionless face. He knew what they must be thinking as he noticed not only the shock on their faces but also the looks of disgust and doubt.
"What is Ethan doing on the stage?"
"Is he crazy?"
"He will just disgrace the name of our school"
Murmurs spread across the crowd.
Ethan could feel the hostility coming from them.
His eyes caught Emily's among the sea of people and the shock on her face was hard to miss but after a couple of seconds, her lips stretched in a small encouraging smile.
Ethan took a deep breath before finally placing his long, slim fingers on the piano.
His eyes closed and soon a sweet melody was heard, making the whole audience go mute and all eyes were on him.
The expression on their faces changed from doubt to surprise then to something that was hard to comprehend.
Ethan eyes were closed as his fingers played on the keys of the piano and before he could stop himself, tears rolled down his cheeks.
He slipped from the present to the moment when everything was still perfect for him.
His father sitting on the sofa in the big parlour, his mom teaching him how to play the piano with a beautiful smile on her face and the happy and carefree smile his little self had on.
His mom played the same melody he was playing currently to him. Everything was perfect then until....
Another tear rolled down his cheek as he played the last note.
Ethan's eyes stayed closed for few more seconds before he finally opened them and what he saw was the one thing he never imagined.
Tears were on the faces of most of the crowd, each of them staring at him with amazement.
The crowd applauded as they stood from their seats, the whole place filled with cheers.
Even his classmates that had looked down on him were happily applauding him.
Emily was crying and smiling at the same time, her beautiful hands hitting against each other.
Daniel and his parents didn't look happy at all but had no choice but to flow along.
Ethan stood up, bowed to the audience before turning to leave the stage. If one looked closely, they would see his legs shaking as he moved.
As Ethan reached the backstage, he grabbed the nearby wall for support and let his emotions out. Quiet sobs left his thin lips as fat tears rolled down his face, his hand on his mouth to make sure nobody heard him despite his distance from people.
The MC took the microphone on the stage again and for a second, he didn't say anything. One could see the dried tears on his structured face.
He finally spoke after a moment,
"That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard and I'm really grateful to the pianist for this amazing gift tonight."
Ethan had already gone back to his seat during the speech.
The gala went on and finally came to an end after few hours.
At the end, the governor stood up and asked the MC to give him few minutes to make a speech.
"If there is one thing I love the most in this world, it is playing the piano. Once, I had stumbled upon a woman playing a piano in a seminar I had been invited to. That had been the first time I was captivated by a piano performance. Everytime I close my eyes, I still remember the beautiful melody she played and that made me develop a habit. Anytime I go for occasions, I always want a performance. And today...today's piano performance made me remember exactly how that beautiful woman had played. The melody felt out of this world. Can the young lad that played tonight come onto the stage?" The governor asked and swept his eyes over the crowd.
Everyone paused. Why was the governor asking for him? What is happening?
Ethan stood up and walked to the stage with an unreadable expression although the beating in his chest was a huge contrast.
The governor placed a hand over his shoulder and hugged him, making Ethan stand frozen.
The governor pulled away and turned to the crowd again, "tonight I want to offer this boy my heart. I will grant him a scholarship throughout his whole education."
The crowd stood up in cheers and applause.
Daniel's face darkend in jealousy and anger.
He performed better than Ethan tonight, then why is Ethan being rewarded and not him?
How could the governor favor a mutt like him?
He wouldn't let that orphan boy experience anything good.
Never.
Ethan followed the governor to the principal's office. Mr Harris, the governor, a tall, handsome middle aged man had asked to see him privately.
Mr Harris sat on the sofa in the air conditioned office while Ethan stood in front of him, his fingers clasped in front of him and he looked at the man seated opposite him with curiosity.
" You can sit down beside me." Mr Harris said, gesturing to the space next to him on the sofa.
"There's no need sir." Ethan politely refused.
"Oh come on. I won't bite." Mr Harris said, a playful smile spreading across his lips. Anyone looking at the man right now would wonder if it was the same man who always carried a serious face.
Ethan looked at him for a moment before reluctantly taking the seat next to him.
"What is your name?" Mr Harris asked.
"Ethan sir. Ethan Madleev." He replied.
For a second, the playful look on Mr Harris face vanished and was replaced by surprise and disbelief. He stared at the boy in front of him before schooling his expression.
"Who are your parents and where are they? Did they come with you tonight?" He asked. And for once that night, he took in the appearance of the boy. His dressing was modest, anyone could tell they were very cheap clothes. Despite his humble clothes, his hair was styled neatly with short bangs hovering over his eyes. It seems like the boy came from a humble background.
" My parents are David Madleev and Rudy Madleev and no they didn't come with me tonight." Ethan said, his gaze shifting to the ground.
"Did you just say Rudy Madleev?" Mr Harris asked, the look of shock and disbelief back on his face and this time, it was hard to hide.
Ethan raised his head and looked at the man.
"Yeah, Rudy Madleev. Did you know her?"
"Yeah. She was the woman I talked about. I searched for her everywhere after that night but I couldn't find her."
"Oh." Ethan said solemnly.
Seconds later, he felt strong hands on his shoulder making him raise his head in alarm.
"Where is she? I need to see her. Tell me where she is." Mr Harris asked, excitement in his voice.
"She is dead. They both are." Ethan shouted, his eyes turned red from both anger and pain.
The excitement in the man's voice made him angry. How could he be excited to see a dead woman?
The hands on his shoulders dropped, as a single tear landed on his hand. The tear wasn't his but from the man sitting next to him.
"That can't be true. It is impossible. You are lying to me."
He not only found out that the woman he had been crazy about for over ten years now not only had a child but is also dead.
He couldn't bring himself to believe it.
"It is the truth sir. She died on April 15th, 2008." Ethan said.
"No. No." Mr Harris shook his head.
That was the night of the seminar. The night he saw her for the first time.
It happened that after the seminar that night, Mr David, Ethan's father was waiting for his wife outside with his car. He had left six year old Ethan home to pick his wife up from the seminar.
It was raining heavily that night.
They had bought gifts for their only son, smiling and chatting happily in the car.
Then a truck came from nowhere and hit the car, making it tumble over.
They both didn't make it and just like that, Ethan became an orphan.
"I didn't know son. I'm sorry." Mr Harris sobbed and hugged the boy in front of him. He had waited, patiently hoping to find Rudy, to confess to her and start a life with her.
He had stayed single just for her, hoping to see her again. He never knew she was gone.
After minutes of sobbing in each other arms, Mr Harris pulled away.
"Who are you staying with now?" He asked Ethan.
"I live with my aunt and uncle and my cousin." Ethan answered with no emotion in his voice.
"Are they treating you well?" Mr Harris asked.
"Yes. They are." Ethan answered, his eyes on the ground. He didn't want to let Mr Harris in on what he was going through.
He just didn't trust him enough yet.
Mr Harris looked skeptical for a moment as something in him didn't quite believe the boy but he decided not to push it.
"Okay. I will not only keep my promise regarding the scholarship but I will also gift you a house, a car and a name. No one will know you as the ordinary boy you once were. You will be close to being my son." Mr Harris said with a half smile.
Ethan finally raised his head and looked at the man with surprise.
"Why would you do that for me sir?" He asked.
"I loved your mother Ethan although I didn't know she was already married. She captivated my heart that night. I had been looking for her for over ten years and just found out she is dead. I just want to make sure her son is doing fine. Take it as a repayment for the gift she gave me that night." He said and placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder.
Ethan stared at him for a moment before nodding his head.
Mr Harris smiled and said , " let me ask my assistant to bring you the papers to sign." He reached for his phone and dialed a number.
Outside the door was a shadow bent close to the door, his ears pressed against the door as he listened to the conversation going on inside. His expression was dark and a wicked smile spread across his lips when he heard Mr Harris mention the house, car and name.
His smile grew wider as a wicked thought crossed his mind.