Chapter 69 Piano Master Osborne
The person who called Rachel was Jenny's older brother, Saul, making him Rachel's uncle.
Saul was a distinguished professor at Aurora College and highly respected in the community. He was forty-eight years old.
Men of Saul's age typically didn't spend time on TikTok or Instagram, so he had no clue about Rachel's ordeal that day.
When he heard Rachel sobbing as soon as he picked up the phone, he was naturally taken aback.
Rachel knew this.
"Uncle Saul," Rachel said through her tears, crying even harder.
"Hey, Rachel, don't cry," Saul quickly comforted her. "What's going on? Why are you crying like this?"
"It's because of Amelia," Rachel sobbed. "Uncle Saul, now Kevin and the others all like her and don't like me anymore."
"When I got home today, no one was there. I asked Orla, and she told me that Kevin, Chris, and Tobias had taken Amelia out for dinner."
"No one even cared whether I came home or not. Uncle Saul, I feel like a stranger in the Martinez family."
Saul was stunned to hear this. "Amelia? You mean Robert and his ex-wife Rupert's daughter?"
"Yes, that's her," Rachel cried in response.
"Are you telling me that Kevin and the others are all doting on Amelia and completely ignoring you? How could this be?"
This news was a shock to Saul.
He had heard Jenny mention Amelia before. Apparently, she was the result of a night eighteen years ago when Rupert seduced Robert.
Saul had heard plenty of Jenny's rants about Rupert over the years, but they had never known that Robert had a child in the countryside.
It was one thing for Amelia to suddenly appear, but to hear that she had some kind of marriage arrangement with Quentin was downright ridiculous.
In Saul's mind, bringing Amelia, who had just lost her mother, to River City was already a huge favor. Jenny had done more than enough.
But Saul hadn't expected that Amelia would make his beloved Rachel suffer so much, crying her eyes out at night.
Rachel's sobs grew louder at Saul's question, tugging at his heartstrings.
"Uncle Saul, this isn't Kevin, Chris, or Tobias's fault. It's Amelia. She's so manipulative."
"As soon as she came to the Martinez family, she used all sorts of tricks to get close to Kevin and the others, trying to win their favor."
"On her first day here, she tried to strangle me in my room. Later, she told Kevin and the others that I had framed her."
"She's been constantly framing and slandering me, making Kevin and the others grow more distant and dislike me more and more. But there's nothing I can do."
"Uncle Saul, I'm too naive. I can't compete with her. I can only watch as she takes everything that was mine. What should I do?"
As Rachel poured out her grievances, Saul, on the other end of the line, was furious.
"That wretched girl!"
"How dare Amelia bully you like this?"
"Tell Jenny to kick her out and send her back to the countryside!"
Finally hearing someone curse Amelia, Rachel felt a bit of relief.
But she still choked out, "No, Uncle Saul, Mom can't just kick Amelia out now."
"Not only would Kevin and the others disagree, but Mr. Williams from the Williams family also likes her. Our Martinez family still has business with the Williams family."
"Right now, I can only swallow my grievances. I don't want to make things difficult for Mom, Dad, or Kevin and the others because of me."
Hearing how considerate Rachel was, even after being bullied so badly, made Saul even angrier.
He hadn't even met Amelia yet, but his impression of her was already terrible. Amelia was utterly shameless.
Saul took a deep breath.
"Alright, Rachel, I get it. I'll talk to Jenny and figure out what's going on. But you need to stop crying."
"As a Martinez, how can you let Amelia push you around like this? Where's all that composure and grace you've built up over the years?"
"If Amelia bullies you, you stand up to her. Don't forget, you've got Jenny and me backing you up."
"She's just some girl from the countryside. Now that Rupert's gone, who in River City can support her? What are you afraid of?"
Rachel choked back her tears and replied, "I understand, Uncle Saul. I'll pull myself together."
She then remembered something. "Oh, by the way, Uncle Saul, did you call for a specific reason?"
Rachel's crying had made Saul forget why he called in the first place. Her question brought him back to his senses.
"I almost forgot," Saul said, snapping back. "Rachel, you know the national piano competition is being held in River City this year, right?"
"Yeah, Uncle Saul," Rachel replied. "Isn't it supposed to be next month at the River City Convention Center?"
"I called to tell you that the date has been moved up," Saul said. "The competition is now next week. You'll probably get your invitation in the next few days."
"What?" Rachel was stunned. "Uncle Saul, how could they change the date so suddenly? That's so unexpected!"
Saul explained, "It's because Mr. Stevens is coming to Celestria for a vacation next week. The organizers wanted him to be a judge, so they decided to move the competition up."
Osborne?
Rachel's eyes widened.
Anyone who studied piano knew the name Osborne.
One of Novaria's greatest musicians, composers, pianists, and conductors, he was a living legend and universally recognized as a piano master.
People all over the world dreamed of hearing Osborne play live, but he had stopped performing publicly after turning fifty and rarely appeared in public.
And now, he was going to be a judge at this year's Celestria piano competition!
What did it mean for Osborne to be a judge?
It meant that this year's contestants would have the chance to receive direct guidance from Osborne. The competition would also gain unprecedented attention, not just domestically but globally.
Rachel was instantly excited.
If she could win first place in a piano competition judged by Osborne and gain his recognition, she would become famous worldwide and secure her position in the domestic piano scene.
Saul continued on the phone, "Rachel, I've told you how important this piano competition is. If you win first place, you'll secure the special talent admission spot at Aurora College this year."
"Now that the date has been moved up, you need to prepare well this week. You can't afford any mistakes."
"I have a bit of a connection with Mr. Stevens. I specifically introduced you to him and sent him videos of your previous performances."
"Mr. Stevens said he's looking forward to your performance. You can't let him down."
What?
Osborne said he was looking forward to her performance?
Rachel took a deep breath, feeling so excited she was about to faint.