Chapter 9 Narissa chuckled softly . " Is this really that hard ? " Of course . Even though Melissa's impromptu piece had been transcribed by professionals for her fans to play and admire , very few could truly capture the deep essence of the melody . But now , the real question was - how could Narissa even play the piano? Not only that , but she managed to perform it even more flawlessly than Melissa herself . It was almost like … " It's like Melissa herself showed up in person . Unbelievable ! " someone in the crowd gasped . The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop . Everyone was stunned by Narissa's performance . Everyone - except Cressida . Snapping out of it , Cressida refused to believe that Narissa could've gained such skills on her own through hard work . She glared at Narissa , her eyes burning with hatred , as if trying to tear off Narissa's mask and expose the dirty secrets she'd been tangled up in all these years : " Quit the mysterious act , Narissa . Even if you copy her every move , someone like you can't even come close to one percent of Melissa's grace and class . " You can't hide the filthy things you've done . You only got to learn piano because you got a sugar daddy . You've done so much to polish your image just to squeeze into high society and leech money off wealthy men . " But let's be real - you're nothing but a gold - digging call girl . " Disgusting ! " Cressida's glare was venomous . She was certain Narissa must've learned piano as part of her act - playing the fake socialite to attract rich men when she was some sugar daddy's sidepiece . Otherwise , if she really were just a cleaner , just some nobody , how could she possibly play Melissa's piece ? hko In her opinion , this was undeniable proof of Narissa's dirty past . Cressida felt even more furious . If before this she still held a glimmer of hope that maybe she had misunderstood Narissa , now she was utterly disappointed . So , right in front of everyone , she spoke clearly and deliberately . " Call girl ? " 1/4 16:45 Wed , Aug 13 B 10 X +20 ) Chapter 9 " Cressida , wasn't your sister just a cleaner before coming home ? Did she also play sugar baby for some rich dude ? Damn …. this … is wild … the onlookers gossiped . The daughter of the top - tier Everton family , missing for over a decade , turned out to be a hooker before being brought home ? Everyone was shocked . " Yeah ! Cressida saw it - pics of her walking into a hotel arm - in - arm with some fat - cat billionaire . Everyone online says she's a gold - digging call girl . Only goes for the rich . Don't believe me ? Go search it up yourselves . The pics are still there . " Cressida told me everything . " Miranda , standing nearby , had already held a grudge against Narissa after what happened earlier . As Cressida's bestie , she jumped in to back her up the moment Cressida spoke . Instantly , her words pushed the gossip to its peak . " Damn , this is actually real ." " Since when does our school take in street scrap ? " " Call girl , get out ! " " Damn right ! Take your disgusting ass outta here ! We ain't gonna be classmates with some rotten trash - you'll ruin our rep in the elite circles ! Get out ! Now ! " These kids weren't just rich - they were the who's who of Sinney's elite , the kind who held the city's fate in their pinky rings -when they sneezed , the city caught a cold . 09 The teacher stood there gaping , mouth opening and closing like a fish , too scared to even try calming things down . All he could do was to pray things didn't spiral out of control . ' Cause if this shitstorm hit the fan , the Everton couple would have his head on a platter . Scorn , disdain , belittlement … Mockery , ridicule … Standing in the crowd , Narissa - now the prime target - felt her expression darken , her mood turning colder by the second . Even though she never cared about these people and only came back for her parents , that didn't mean she'd just stand there and take the hits . Growing up in a cutthroat environment , Narissa knew one thing for sure : people only believe what they see and hear . So , she wouldn't explain . She wouldn't defend herself . Insults ? Disrespect ? Fine . She'd make them shut their loud mouths - with blood as the price . Swish ! 2/4 O 16:45 Wed , Aug 13 86 % D X 20 Chapter 9 Just as Narissa flipped her hand , a blade that could refract light in a graceful arc was silently gripped in her palm . She was about to strike back when- " What are you all doing ! " A sharp shout suddenly sounded . Following that , a young man , dressed in a racing suit and standing about 6 feet tall , walked in through the door of the training center . He had a male helmet tucked under his arm , looking every bit the dashing figure . The young man had naturally deep , soulful eyes - just one glance could make anyone fall hopelessly under their spell . Paired with his tall , robust frame and the faint outline of his broad shoulders beneath the racing suit , he was downright irresistible . Though he couldn't quite match Bastien's perfectly sculpted , battle - ready physique , among ordinary young men , he was top - tier . His sudden appearance made Narissa flip her hand again and hide that glint of silver . Soon , Narissa noticed that her so - called older sister , Cressida - who had been at odds with her just moments ago instantly softened her gaze the moment she saw the young man . Her eyes were practically glued to him , as if coated with superglue . She couldn't look away . " Jaylen , what brings you here ? " Cressida stepped forward , her voice dripping with sweetness . It was obvious to Narissa at a glance - her sister had a crush on Jaylen . And that was indeed the case . Jaylen - the first son of Sinney's untouchable Presley dynasty . The Presleys and the Evertons ? They basically ran this town . And this heir ? Total package : face carved by gods , brain bursting with genius , and the literal poster boy for the city's elite incubator program . There was nothing he wasn't good at . Naturally , he was adored and pursued by countless women in the city's elite circles . But he was both gentle and aloof - like right now , when his cold , serious demeanor made it impossible for anyone to ignore him . " Jaylen , we were just teaching this new student a lesson . Her background is shady , and we all think she doesn't deserve to study here ," Miranda quickly stepped in , eager to smear Narissa's name . As she spoke , she shot Narissa a vicious glare . Unexpectedly , Jaylen's gaze landed on Narissa , who , despite wearing no makeup , still looked stunningly fresh and lovely . His previously stern and icy expression softened slightly . Not because he was drawn to her , but simply out of gentlemanly courtesy , he said gently , " Heroes aren't defined by their origins . " If anyone had a choice , they wouldn't choose to do bad things . Since she's joined our training program , she's one of us now . She can always choose to be a different person from here on out . " As seniors , you should be looking out for new students , not bullying them . Don't let me catch this kind of behavior again ." 3/4