Chapter 78 Rachel vs. Amelia?
After dropping Osborne off, Amelia took a cab back to The Martinez Mansion.
The next two days, Thursday and Friday, were uneventful.
Rachel seemed determined to give her all for the upcoming piano competition. She locked herself in her room upstairs, practicing non-stop and staying out of sight, which meant no trouble for anyone.
Amelia went about her usual school routine, enjoying the rare tranquility.
But this peace lasted only three days.
On Sunday morning, Amelia's calm life was disrupted by an Instagram post from the piano competition committee.
[@CelestriaPianoCompetitionCommittee:]
[Announcement: This year's piano competition will be held next Monday at 7 PM at the River City Convention Center.]
[We are honored to have the world-renowned pianist Mr. Stevens as the chief judge for this event.]
[Below is the list of participants and their biographies. See you all at 7 PM on Monday.]
Osborne is really coming to judge this year's Celestria Piano Competition!
Within hours, this official post from the piano competition committee shot to the top of Instagram's trending list and stayed there for half a day.
There had been rumors online that the committee had invited Osborne to be a judge, but many were skeptical. After all, Osborne was a world-class pianist, and even though the Celestria Piano Competition was the highest standard in the country, it seemed unlikely they could get him.
However, the official announcement confirmed the rumors, and the internet was abuzz with excitement.
After all, Osborne was a living legend, a master in the music and piano world, whose name was already in textbooks. This would be his first time at Celestria, and people were thrilled at the chance to see him in person.
After the shock of Osborne's involvement, people turned to the list of participants.
The piano competition was national and unique.
Participants could be of any age, profession, or gender. They could apply with their own resumes and works, subject to the committee's approval, or be invited directly by the committee based on their skills.
This ensured that all participants were top-notch.
Looking at the list, each name was followed by a long list of achievements and awards, dazzling the eyes.
These participants had been winning various children's piano competitions since they were very young.
Among them was Rachel.
Her resume was impressive.
All were top national competitions, and she consistently took first place. No wonder she was known online as a piano prodigy.
Rachel's long list of awards made Amelia's entry seem all the more out of place.
Or rather, Amelia stood out not just in comparison to Rachel, but among all the participants.
While everyone else had a long list of accomplishments, Amelia's entry was simply:
[Amelia, none.]
This left many netizens puzzled.
What did "none" mean? Had Amelia never participated in a piano competition, or had she never won any awards?
Either way, her piano skills couldn't be that high.
How did someone like her get to participate?
Quickly, people questioned in the comments, asking how someone with no competition awards could qualify. Was the committee playing favorites?
But soon, someone replied with a link to a video of Amelia playing "Summer Forest" at the Williams family banquet.
[It may seem unbelievable, but this Amelia, despite having no competition history, is very skilled. Check out this video.]
[Based on the video alone, even though Rachel didn't play her best, Amelia's performance was superior.]
The internet has a short memory.
At first, netizens didn't connect the dots, but now they recognized Amelia's name and the video.
Isn't this the Amelia who saved Rex from under a truck the other day?
She plays the piano too?
The prospect of Amelia competing against Rachel immediately heightened everyone's anticipation.
After all, it was said that one was the cherished lady of the Martinez family, raised with care, and the other was the recently discovered illegitimate daughter from the countryside. Both were exceptionally beautiful.
Who wouldn't want to see a showdown between two beauties?
And in such a dramatic, aristocratic setting, the excitement was palpable.
Thanks to professional and marketing teams, Rachel hadn't become the target of online hate after the impersonation incident. Instead, she gained more followers.
Marketing accounts claimed Rachel was set up by Amelia, who deliberately didn't tell her she was the rescuer, making Rachel look bad in public.
Most netizens lacked independent judgment and followed the crowd.
If everyone criticized someone, they would too, even without knowing the full story, hoping to gain likes.
If everyone praised someone, they wouldn't want to be the odd one out by criticizing, so they'd join in the praise.
Moreover, Rachel's titles like "Piano Princess" and "Musical Prodigy" were well-known online.
Her competition and daily performance videos had garnered many fans.
So, seeing Amelia's name on the list, many flocked to Rachel's Instagram, expressing their desire to see her crush Amelia in the competition.
Crush Amelia in the competition?
Rachel never imagined Amelia could enter the competition!
Rachel had no idea about Amelia's connection with Osborne, let alone that Amelia was personally recommended by Osborne to the committee.
Seeing Amelia's name on the list, Rachel was filled with indignation. How could she? How could she?
How could Amelia appear on the same list and compete in the same event?
Rachel was so angry her hands shook, feeling like Amelia was always there to ruin her good moments.
Just then, she received a message from Kelly.
[I saw the list of participants for the piano competition. Amelia's on it?]
Rachel took a deep breath, holding back her anger as she replied: [I can't understand how someone with no competition history got approved.]
Rachel didn't consider the possibility that Amelia hadn't applied but was invited by the committee.
She was just venting, but Kelly replied: [I know how it happened.]
Rachel was taken aback: [You know how?]
Kelly: [Wednesday night, Ben and I saw Amelia at a five-star hotel. Guess what she was doing?]
[She was there with an old man! He looked like he was in his fifties, older than your dad.]
[I thought she was just after money, but now it seems that man must be a committee member.]
[She got her spot in the competition by sleeping with an old man. Amelia is really something.]
Kelly then sent a clearly candid photo.