Chapter 21: Man With A Fragile Ego

Aurelia hummed a tune, her brow pinched as she made notes on the music sheet once again. She was so engrossed in her task that she didn’t notice the man hovering behind her. His emotionless eyes lingered on her fingers cascading over the keys before she paused and jotted down something once again.

“Your skills have deteriorated.” His words were muffled as he bit down on the butt of the lit cigarette to keep it from falling. She jolted and turned her head to him so fast that he feared she would get whiplash.

Her wide, unblinking eyes stared right back at him. When the shock dissipated, he saw a flash of irritation pass through them.

“Uncle Casper, it has barely been an hour since Ronald left. Are you not even trying to hide your plans any longer?” she questioned with a huff.

“What plans could I possibly have coming to stay at my own summer home?” he questioned. “Since when do I need permission to be here?” He paused, thoughtfully. “Or does my presence get in the way of whatever little scheme you have come up with?” he questioned, jerking his head towards one of the staff members who was openly staring in their direction.

He was now hunched over so that he could talk to her eye-to-eye. The smoke wafted into her face, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. Her hand shot out before her mind could catch up with what it was doing. She pushed against his chest, making him move away.

His lips curled up, and he stood straight with a shrug.

“It’s your house. Of course, you won’t hinder anything,” she said calmly. “But I fear my constant practice will disturb you.”

Casper waved his free hand. “Go ahead, no one dares stop you from playing the piano your husband picked for you to play.”

The knowing look in his eyes revealed her scheme immediately. He knew.

“And you sound like you need all the practice,” he commented.

Aurelia’s brows twitched with dissatisfaction. Yes, she had tutored kids in this timeline, but the current Aurelia had not played a piano in a couple of years, and her fingers didn’t fly across the keyboard as they used to.

She was gritting her teeth every second, wondering why her body didn’t cooperate with her mind already. And his words were like a knife stabbing her heart.

“Uncle Casper really knows how to joke,” she chuckled slowly, the lack of humor evident.

“We’re equally talented then. You are also quite the trickster,” he hinted with a tilt of his head to the piano. “Anthony must be proud of his work.”

Aurelia’s smile bled out once Casper turned and left. She no longer wanted to pretend. Her fingers hovered over the piano keys, but she was unable to play a note.

Indeed, Anthony was proud of his work.

.

Aurelia realized the meaning of ‘walk of shame.’ She imagined Casper staring at her through the rearview mirror, laughing at her for thinking she could get away with hiding in the trunk of his car.

Her steps were measured, unwilling to give away the mortification swimming through her veins. She stepped into the house and started her lessons under the supervision of her student’s mother.

“Miss Cromwell, will you really stop teaching me from next month?” he asked in his childish voice.

Aurelia nodded as she turned the page. “Focus,” she murmured, bringing the child back to practicing.

The mother walked over, her expression drawn. “Miss Cromwell, a word.”

Aurelia stood up and stepped aside. The mother wrung her fingers together, looking nervous. “May I know why you want to stop tutoring him? I asked the other parents, and they said you told them the same.” She furrowed her brows.

Aurelia smiled. “Thank you for your concern, but I am actually moving back home after this.”

The mother nodded in understanding. “I always felt it was wrong that you took cash in exchange and barely charged us anything. I was worried something had happened to you and you suddenly retired, so I am glad you are returning to the limelight.”

Aurelia’s face fell. “Returning to the limelight?” The suggestion sounded foreign to her. “Maybe in another life,” she said under her breath.

The woman looked lost for a second. “Is that not why you are returning? I always thought you were recovering from an injury.”

Aurelia thought about it for a minute. “Maybe…” She had been so focused on revenge that she forgot what she really wanted in her life. She did enjoy playing the piano to the point that it had been the only reason she lived for decades of her life. But now, when someone asked if she would play again, she felt out of sorts.

Would she be able to? If she escaped, yes.

She changed the topic immediately. “Today is my last class with him. He does have the talent, but he needs to practice more. I will recommend a good tutor in the city who can support him better,” she said kindly.

The mother’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Thank you, Miss Cromwell. If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know.”

“Can I ask a favor?” she perked up. “I forgot my phone and I need to make an urgent call.”

The mother looked unfazed as she passed her phone. “Go on. I don’t know what I would have done without your guidance in the last year,” she responded sincerely.

Aurelia stepped farther away, typing in the number engraved in her memory. The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up.

“Paella speaking. Who is this?” The irritated voice on the other side was familiar, yet it had been so long since she had heard it.

“It’s me. How is my baby doing?”

Anthony gasped. “Miss Cromwell, I thought you dropped off the face of the world after paying me in full for your custom piano!”

Aurelia chuckled. “How could I abandon my child?” she whispered. “Is she ready to come home?”

There was a moment of silence. “Of course, she is. Where do you want me to send her?”

Aurelia didn’t need to think. “Ashdale. Write down the address.” And the sender? Luther Beckett.

.

Luther would never get her a piano.

He hated that she played it and had made a name for herself. Aurelia Cromwell was a name that anyone in the music industry would know. She had been participating in international competitions before the age of eight and started playing the piano before she had learned to walk properly.

How could a man with a fragile ego allow his wife to be appreciated by the world? But it was a fact that men in the mafia and those in business wanted arm candy like her. She was the perfect candidate to marry into the family, and Gerald Beckett, the Patriarch, had approached her parents for her hand in the beginning.

But because she was younger and Luther liked Jianna, he changed his mind. In the end, fate had other things in store, and Aurelia still married him. While the Patriarch wanted to use her reputation and her impeccable grace to further the Beckett family and make themselves look cultured and harmless, Luther had no intention of bending.

But he had no power to divorce her either.

Moreover, he hated the piano and her playing because that was what bound her to his side.

So, this piano, Aurelia bought for herself. If Luther got a good reputation from it, she didn’t mind. As long as she was the one benefiting from it. He could grit his teeth and curse as she took her rightful position.