Chapter 13 Absolute Talent
Rachel truly thought Amelia had lost her mind.
She expected Amelia to look panicked and embarrassed, maybe even ask Beck if there had been some mistake.
But to her surprise, Amelia neither objected nor hesitated and simply walked up to the stage.
What was she doing? Did she really intend to pretend to play the piano?
Rachel was stunned for a moment but then felt a surge of joy. If Amelia embarrassed herself in front of all these people, it would be a disaster for her.
Everyone was watching.
By the end of tonight's party, news of Amelia, the illegitimate daughter from the countryside, making a fool of herself would spread through River City's high society, becoming the latest gossip and joke among the elites.
People would surely see her as a laughingstock from now on.
"Rachel, what's going on?" Kevin took a deep breath and looked at Rachel urgently. "Did Amelia tell the Williams family she was going to perform on the piano? Did you know about this?"
"I had no idea. Beck must have made a mistake," Rachel replied, feigning concern. "What are we going to do, Kevin? Amelia doesn't know how to play the piano."
"I don't know what she's thinking. How could she just go up there when someone called her? If she embarrasses herself, it'll be a huge disgrace for the Martinez family."
Kevin was anxious too, but by now, Amelia had already reached the stage.
Stopping her now and admitting the mistake would be better than letting her make a fool of herself by playing nonsense in front of everyone.
Kevin was about to step onto the stage to explain when Amelia turned around and suddenly winked at him.
"Kevin, don't worry."
Kevin understood a bit of lip-reading and was stunned by Amelia's silent words.
Amelia looked away and sat down at the piano, then raised her eyes to the audience.
"Rachel's piece was quite somber, so I'll play something a bit more cheerful for everyone."
"Please bear with me."
Amelia didn't say much more. As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered her head and placed her hands on the keys.
The moment the first few notes of the opening bars were played, Rachel's eyes widened, and some guests who knew about piano music looked up in shock.
Was this really "Summer Forest"?
This piece, composed by the century's most renowned pianist and master, Osborne, was known for its technical difficulty.
It was recognized as hellishly difficult to play. Despite its light and joyful nature, the speed required was incredibly fast.
When Osborne himself performed it, his hands flew over the keys so quickly they almost blurred, making it hard to see which keys he was pressing.
Anyone without at least ten years of piano experience couldn't hope to play it correctly, and even then, there would be many mistakes.
Given its difficulty, it was rarely chosen for performances—not even in the highest-level piano exams.
How could Amelia dare to play this piece?
How did she even know how to play it?
And without sheet music?
Rachel was dumbfounded.
Without sheet music, she herself couldn't even play the simplest part of the first bar, and she was a level ten pianist!
How could this be? How could Amelia possibly know how to play the piano? Where did she get the money to learn?
Rachel tried to stay calm.
Even if Amelia had some piano experience, there was no way she could play this piece perfectly without mistakes. Even Rachel's piano teacher couldn't manage that.
However, the piano music over the next three minutes made Rachel's face turn pale.
Sitting at the piano, Amelia's eyes were lowered, her expression focused and serious.
It seemed as if, the moment the music started, she entered the world of the summer forest.
Her fingers danced across the black and white keys with incredible agility, and the music flowed from her fingers, constantly changing in style.
At times, it was lively and cheerful, like a fawn frolicking in the forest; at others, it was gentle and melodious, like a bluebird singing at the treetops.
Then it would become passionate and uplifting, like the midday sun shining on the lush green land, with animals starting a lively, exuberant dance party.
If Rachel's performance had been pleasing to the ears, Amelia's was spine-tingling, engaging all the senses.
The audience held their breath, their hearts racing with the tempo.
The lively melody painted vivid scenes of animal gatherings and beautiful forest landscapes, drawing everyone into the music.
When the final note faded into the air, the audience was still in a daze.
It wasn't until Amelia withdrew her hands and bowed gracefully on stage that they snapped out of it.
My God.
Who was she?
Some of the guests hadn't heard the recent news about the Martinez family and didn't know Amelia's background, so they weren't as shocked.
They naturally assumed Amelia was a well-trained aristocrat, and playing the piano at such a high level wasn't particularly surprising.
But many in the audience knew Amelia's background.
They remembered the labels they had dismissed her with—raised in the countryside, illegitimate, uneducated, and uncultured.
Now, they were all left with their mouths agape.
"Is this for real?" Kelly's eyes widened. "Amelia plays the piano better than Rachel? How is that possible?"
"Wasn't she raised in the countryside? Aren't people from rural areas supposed to be working the fields and unable to afford school? How could she play the piano, and so well?"
Even Kevin was shocked.
When Amelia returned to his side, Kevin took a deep breath and asked, "Amelia, how did you learn to play the piano? Who taught you?"
"A lady once stayed in our village for a year," Amelia said, attributing everything to her past identity as Rosie. "She was very good at playing the piano and liked me a lot, so she taught me."
"You mean you never formally took piano lessons, just learned from that lady, and reached this level in just a year?"
Amelia nodded.
Kevin was speechless with astonishment.
As the heir to the Martinez family, Kevin had been trained in various skills from a young age. His piano skills were also quite high, though he hadn't had much time to play since taking over the Martinez Group.
Regardless of how talented the lady Amelia mentioned was, Amelia herself was extraordinary.
How many people in the country could play the piano so proficiently and perform a piece as difficult as "Summer Forest" perfectly within a year?
What kind of talent was this?
Kevin had always thought Rachel was the most talented person he knew.
Rachel had started learning piano at six, won numerous piano competitions, and Kevin had always been proud of her.
But in the face of Amelia's absolute talent, Rachel's former brilliance dimmed considerably.
Seeing Kevin's unwavering gaze of admiration directed at Amelia, Rachel felt like she could barely breathe.
How could Kevin look at Amelia with such admiration when he used to only have eyes for her, Rachel?
Rachel took a deep breath, then suddenly leaned against Kevin, trembling and gasping, "Kevin, my heart suddenly feels so uncomfortable."