Chapter 480 480

Chapter 480 480
She's Melody Mastro, so she's probably got enough grace and confidence to let the formalities slide, right?
Grace jumped in right away. "Exactly, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. Kiera could just bow to her Grandmaster, that should be good enough, don't you think?"
Rosie and Julian exchanged a look, both frowning. Grace was talking way too much. It wasn't that they didn't want to help Kiera. It was just that, right now, they honestly couldn't.
Blake glanced at Grace, his eyes dark and annoyed.
Elena lifted an eyebrow. "She said herself that if I played better, she'd kneel, serve me tea, and call me Grandmaster. Everyone here heard it. If she wants to go back on her word, that's her problem. If she doesn't serve me tea, I honestly don't care.”
A ripple of whispers ran through the crowd.
"She made the bet and lost. Now she won't go through with it? Sounds like she can't handle losing."
"And Melody Mastro really is her Grandmaster. Serving tea and bowing isn't too much to ask."
"I'd do a lot more if I had a Grandmaster like that. I'd crawl if I had to."
"I thought she was an incredible pianist and gorgeous too, but I guess she's not as genuine as I thought."
"Yeah, she's all looks and no substance."
"Right. That piece she played, now that I think about it, was all style and no depth. Melody Mastro's playing is on another level."
The voices were low, but Kiera still heard every word. Caspian did too, and his frown deepened.
"Melody Mastro is already a legend in the piano world. It's not just Kiera. Even Maestro Richie couldn't beat her," Caspian said, tone heavy. He was hinting Elena had set Kiera up, challenging her when she knew she couldn't lose. Wasn't that kind of beneath her?
Damon gave a cold laugh. “Maestro Richie would never do something like this. She wouldn't make a bet she couldn't keep, then refuse to follow through just because he lost."
Richie watched Kiera, disappointment clear on his face. She'd lost the bet and now she was refusing to kneel and serve tea. He was honestly let down. Other peoples might not know, but Kiera herself had to remember that the piece that made her a champion was edited by Melody Mastro. Now, she wouldn't even give her Grandmaster a cup of tea.
“Kiera, your Grandmaster is waiting,” he reminded her, his voice firm.
Kiera could tell her mentor was unhappy. She knew she was letting him down, but she just couldn't bring herself to kneel in front of Elena.
"Melody Mastro, you must have your reasons for being as successful as you are, but..." Caspian started again.
Elena cut him off, her face going cold. "Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?"
She didn't have the patience for this back and forth. She turned right to Kiera, her tone blunt. “If you're not going to honor the bet, just say so. What's the point of standing around?"
Kiera stared back at her, eyes red and watery, looking as if she was the one who'd been wronged. But she was the one who made the bet in the first place. Now that she'd lost, who was she putting on this act for?
Caspian's heart twisted at the sight of her like this.
"Melody Mastro, do you really have to push her so hard?" he asked, his voice pleading.
Desmond couldn't take it anymore.
"You're from the Hansen family, aren't you? Are you stupid or just not listening? She made the bet herself. Now she's lost and has to follow through. No one is pushing her?"
He was furious. Just a little while ago, he'd actually thought Kiera played pretty well. Now, he wanted to take it all back.