Making a scene and ruining Brianna's party wasn't a good look, even if Brianna herself wouldn't mind.
"So, they're jealous," Serena said, a slight smile on her lips, her voice casual. "They're such good friends that they're being jealous on Isabella's behalf, is that it? Okay, I get it now."
The two socialites' faces paled. Isabella's expression also flickered, and she instinctively tightened her grip on Karen's hand. That damn country girl always had to target her, no matter the occasion! How could she drag her into this?
Karen patted the back of Isabella's hand, her smile still perfectly composed. "Isabella is a genius who was accepted into Marington College with outstanding scores and is about to study under Mr. Harrison. She is exceptionally talented. Her friends would naturally stand up for her. It just shows that Isabella treats people with sincerity and receives sincerity in return."
Karen gave a faint smile. “Miss Lancaster, since you're here, and there happen to be quite a few internationally renowned masters present, why don't you go on stage and show everyone what you can do? Who knows, you might just catch the eye of one of them."
"You are a guest of the Blackwood family, Nicholas's guest. Think of it as performing on his behalf to liven things up for Brianna. And it would certainly convince Ms. Harland and Ms. Winslow, wouldn't it?"
She was directly using Nicholas's name, trying to force Serena onto the stage to make a fool of herself. But Karen maintained her magnanimous facade, acting as if she were looking out for Serena's best interests. "Isabella is a gold medalist in international piano competitions. She's won numerous awards and studied under famous masters. Her skill with the piano is simply divine. You really can't compare to Isabella."
"Karen..." Isabella murmured softly, feigning a mix of shy embarrassment from the praise and concern that Serena's pride might be hurt.
Karen glanced at Isabella with an air of intimacy and sighed. "Fine. For Isabella's sake, Miss Lancaster, as long as you publicly admit that your skills are inferior and apologize to Ms. Harland and Ms. Winslow, you don't have to force yourself to go on stage."
On the surface, her words seemed to offer a solution to the conflict-Serena just had to apologize, and the matter of the invitation would be dropped. But the implication was clear: it would be a public declaration that Serena not only didn't have an invitation but was also nothing more than a hick from the slums. How could she possibly know how to play the piano? She had probably never even seen one.
And by bringing up Brianna and
Nicholas earlier, Karen had set a
trap. If Serena refused, Karen could accuse her of ruining Brianna's party. So Serena either had to apologize or agree to perform. But no matter which she chose, she was bound to lose face in front of all
these top-tier elites.
And that was exactly what Isabella and Karen wanted.
All eyes in the banquet hall turned to Serena.
"Did you hear what Miss Blackwood said? It seems that girl snuck in."
"And she's from the slums, grew up in the country?"
"I heard... she doesn't even have an invitation."
"A shame about that face. She's so pretty, she doesn't look like a country girl at all."
"Well, being pretty is how you sneak into places like this.”
"She should just admit defeat and apologize. Everyone knows the eldest Lancaster daughter is so good at hiano she even
won oven et
Mr. Kessler, the vice president of the International Music Association! He once publicly invited Miss Lancaster to join."
"Compared to a piano genius like
Miss
"Conor admitting you're not
as good is no disgrace." swhovels