Chapter 98 Direct Evidence
Did they hear that right? Amelia just said that the piece Rachel played, the one that captivated the entire audience, was actually her own composition?
So, the mesmerizing "Mich Drowning" that Rachel performed was originally written by Amelia?
This is going to be one for the history books!
The audience's eyes lit up with excitement.
Even though the tickets for this competition were significantly more expensive than usual, with the performances and the series of twists today, it was worth every penny.
"You're lying!"
Rachel exploded on the spot.
She couldn't care less about maintaining her usual elegant and poised image in front of the cameras. She pointed at Amelia, furiously retorting.
"The piece I played is my own composition. You're slandering me!"
Rachel had considered the possibility that Amelia might expose the truth about the piece if she found herself in a bind or after Rachel won first place.
But in her original plan, Amelia was just a country girl who had never even participated in a piano competition. Compared to Rachel, she was nothing.
Even if Amelia stepped forward to claim Rachel stole her piece, no one would believe that Amelia could compose such a high-level piece.
But things were different now.
Amelia's recent composition and performance had earned a record-breaking score of 9.85, and Osborne himself confirmed that she was the globally renowned but mysterious Rosy.
A year ago, when Amelia was just sixteen, she had already composed the masterpiece "Daytime Fireworks."
And "Mich Drowning," whether compared to "Daytime Fireworks" or the piece she just played, "On the Wasteland," was much simpler in both arrangement and difficulty.
Rachel's denial was expected by Amelia.
Rachel didn't dare to admit it, nor could she afford to.
If the accusation of stealing Amelia's work was proven true, it would be a permanent stain on her reputation. Rachel would be blacklisted from piano competitions and her career in music would be over.
But Amelia wasn't going to let her off the hook.
People must take responsibility for their actions and bear the consequences of their choices. Rachel brought this upon herself.
"When the host announced Rachel's piece as 'Mich Drowning' backstage, I realized she had performed my piece before I had a chance to," Amelia explained.
"I don't know how she managed to steal my work or what kind of deal she made with the committee members responsible for reviewing the pieces."
"But if I didn't have the ability to improvise and perform without sheet music, everyone would have seen me on stage, panicking and helpless."
The entire venue fell silent.
As Amelia spoke, the audience couldn't help but put themselves in her shoes, feeling a chill run down their spines.
Just five minutes before going on stage, discovering that the piece you prepared had already been played—what would you do?
Even if you had other compositions, without the sheet music and prior practice, mistakes would be inevitable.
If Amelia had accused a well-known, award-winning pianist of stealing her work, who would believe her?
Not only would no one believe her, but Amelia might even be seen as causing trouble on purpose and could be thrown out by security.
The audience took a deep breath.
While feeling a sense of fear for Amelia, they were also deeply impressed by her incredible ability to adapt and perform under pressure.
If what she said was true, it meant she made the decision, rearranged the piece, and notified the staff to change the program within five minutes, then delivered a flawless performance on stage.
That's true musical genius!
Hearing Amelia's words, Rachel's hands trembled, but she forced herself to stay calm.
She absolutely couldn't admit it, no matter what.
"What's the point of saying all this?" Rachel gritted her teeth, glaring at Amelia. "You claim I played your piece, but where's the proof?"
"Of course I have proof."
Amelia's gaze was calm, looking at Rachel as if she were a ridiculous clown.
"First, when I composed 'Mich Drowning,' someone recorded the entire process of me sitting at the piano, inspired and creating the piece."
"In other words, this video documents the birth of the piece."
"I will submit this video to the committee after the competition. If you have similar evidence of your composition process, you can submit it too, and let the experts make a professional judgment."
Rachel's lips trembled uncontrollably upon hearing this.
Amelia had a video of her composing the piece?
She had never considered this possibility!
But Amelia wasn't finished.
"Second, because you didn't know I was Rosy, or perhaps your skill level wasn't enough to notice, the first measure of 'Mich Drowning' starts with a short triplet."
"This triplet is identical to the one in the same position in 'Daytime Fireworks.' It's my compositional habit, or you could call it a signature."
"No matter how you argue or deny it, you can't explain why your piece would contain my signature, can you?"
A signature?
A signature?
Rachel's eyes widened as she listened to Amelia.
Standing on the stage, she heard the murmurs from the audience and felt her mind go blank, her ears ringing.
It's over.
It's really over.
There was no way she could explain away this signature!
Even if the truth was already clear to everyone, Amelia delivered the final blow.
"Third, you claim the piece is yours, so let me ask you, why is it titled 'Mich Drowning'?"
"You might say you thought the name was fitting, but I need to tell you, this title has a special meaning."
"The title includes the name of someone I care about. Because I wrote this piece for him."
Amelia stood tall, her beautiful eyes lifting slightly to look at Michael, sitting in a corner of the audience.
The crowd erupted in amazement.
Rosy already had someone she liked? And she composed a piece for him, naming it after him? How romantic!
Eric, sitting in the audience, widened his eyes and excitedly turned to Michael. "Mr. Johnson, did you hear that? No wonder Miss Martinez named the piece 'Mich Drowning.' It was written for you!"
"And Miss Martinez just declared on stage that you're the one she likes!"