Chapter 2The Price of a Piano: Erasing the Illegitimate Sister

I took a cab to a penthouse apartment in a high-end complex.

Fingerprint unlock, door open.

This was my coming-of-age gift from my mom on my eighteenth birthday.

She said back then: "Chloe, Mom hopes you'll always have a foundation, a fallback plan for the rest of your life."

No one but her and me knew about this place.

I put down my luggage, poured myself a glass of water, and stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the dazzling city lights.

My phone vibrated constantly in my pocket.

I took it out and glanced at it. Missed calls from Dad, my brothers, and dozens from Arthur.

I put my phone on airplane mode. I didn't want to be harassed by them anymore.

First thing the next morning, I went to the school and filed the paperwork to become a commuter student.

My counselor was a bit surprised but approved it anyway.

Just as I walked out of the office, I ran head-on into Arthur.

He had faint dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept all night. He was still wearing the suit from yesterday's performance, now wrinkled.

Seeing me, he rushed over immediately and grabbed my wrist.

"Chloe, why didn't you answer my calls? Do you know how worried I was? I searched for you all night!"

His voice was loud, filled with suppressed anger, causing students in the hallway to look our way.

I tried to shake off his hand, but he gripped it tighter.

"What kind of tantrum are you throwing? There's really nothing going on between me and Mia. I just saw that she's new here, doesn't have any friends, and is all alone. It's pitiful."

"I've already scolded her, and she knows she was wrong. Come back with me, let's talk properly. Let's not break up, okay?"

I looked at him and found it ridiculous.

"Arthur, do you think the problem is Mia?"

He froze.

"Isn't it?"

"It's that between me and her, you chose her."

"You handed over the performance I spent two months preparing for on a silver platter to her."

"When I needed you to stand by my side the most, you accused me of being boring and petty."

"So, we're done."

Arthur was at a loss for words for a moment, wanting to keep me but not knowing what to do.

"Chloe... I..."

"Let go."

A cold male voice came from the side. Both Arthur and I turned our heads.

Liam Vance.

A big shot at our school. Not only was he the student body president, but his family background was also extremely prominent.

He was half a head taller than Arthur. He frowned slightly, looking at Arthur gripping my hand tightly.

Arthur obviously recognized him too. His face got even uglier, but he still refused to let go.

"This is between us as a couple. It's none of your business."

Liam didn't speak. His gaze just lingered on me for a second. His eyes were calm, but it felt like they could see right through my feigned toughness.

Then, he turned to Arthur. The temperature in his eyes instantly dropped to freezing, filled with disdain.

He pulled out his phone and took a picture of us.

Then he waved his phone and said flatly, "Tsk, tsk. Isn't this fresh material of a campus simp? I think the forum will be very interested in an idiot like you who only knows how to use violence to resolve relationship disputes."

Arthur's face turned even uglier. He glared at me fiercely, then reluctantly let go.

"Chloe, you'll regret this!"

He dropped the harsh words, turned around, and left.

I rubbed my reddened wrist and thanked Liam.

Liam put away his phone, his gaze lingering on my face for two seconds.

"The partner switch for your performance yesterday was quite sudden."

I nodded. "Heh, completely caught off guard."

He didn't ask further, just said, "Living off-campus alone, be safe."

With that, he turned and left, leaving behind a tall, straight back.

I watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit strange.

We weren't close. We had only met a few times during project group meetings, yet he had helped me again and again.

This person, who seemingly stood above the clouds, wasn't as distant as I had imagined.