Chapter 25 Give It My All 6 6 Finished Estella never expected Chase to invite her to audition for the orchestra . Overcome with excitement , she bowed deeply . " Thank you for the opportunity , Mr. Chase . I will give it my all . If she could secure a spot in Chase's orchestra , her lifelong dream of a career in music would finally become reality Watching Chase treat Estella with such warmth , especially in contrast to his earlier indifference toward her , Isabelle felt a sharp pang of jealousy . Once Jeremy and Chase had left , Nathaniel scoffed . " You play the piano ? Try not to embarrass yourself when the time comes . Jonathan chuckled . " Mr. Hartwell , looks like you don't know Estella as well as you think . I've only known her for a little over a month , and I'm aware of her talent . And yet , you had no idea . Isn't it a little inappropriate for you to keep clinging to her so persistently ? " " You ! Nathaniel fell silent . Only now did he realize how little he truly knew about Estella . He didn't even know which university she had attended or what she had majored in . For the past three years , he had completely neglected her . A strange sense of guilt stirred within him . But Estella paid him no mind and left with Jonathan . After the banquet , Jonathan drove Estella home . In the car , Estella expressed her gratitude . " Thank you , Mr. Bennett . Meeting Mr. Chase tonight made me incredibly happy . " Jonathan kept his eyes on the road , hands steady on the wheel . " I should be the one thanking you . If you hadn't agreed to be my date , I would have had no idea who to ask . " Estella knew that with Jonathan's status , countless women would have jumped at the opportunity to accompany him . He was only saying this to put her at ease . Her gratitude for him deepened . She resolved to make his future dinners even more elaborate , and to be more diligent about walking his dog . In the office , two teachers had taken extended leave , and their classes had been redistributed among the staff . When Estella checked the new schedule , she noticed that she had been assigned four additional classes , while the other teachers had only received two . She immediately suspected Isabelle's involvement . After confirming with Isabelle's assistant that she was in her office , Estella headed straight for her . Isabelle greeted her with a composed smile . " Something wrong ? " Estella placed the schedule in front of her . " Ms. Isabelle , I have an issue with this . " Isabelle gave it a cursory glance , then arched a brow , " What seems to be the problem ? " Estella's voice remained steady . " Why was I given four additional classes when everyone else only received two ? " 1/2 p p . Chapter 25 Give It My All Finished Isabelle tapped a manicured nail against the paper , making no effort to disguise her intentions . " Because I think you have too much free time , Ms. Hayes . I wanted to keep you busy . " Estella had anticipated this . But she also knew Isabelle's weakness . " In that case , I'll resign . Nathaniel offered to open an arts center for me and make me the owner . I was going to turn him down , but now that I think about it , why should I struggle here when I have the chance to enjoy life ? " With that , she turned to leave . " Stop right there ! " Now it was Isabelle's turn to panic . " If you so much as think about going to Nathaniel , you'll regret it ! " Estella halted , then glanced back at her with a knowing smirk . " So , Ms. Isabelle , are you still intent on making things difficult for me ? " for Isabelle clenched her teeth . " I'll have my assistant adjust the schedule . " Estella smiled . " Much appreciated , Ms. Isabelle ." When the revised schedule was released , Estella had the same workload as the other teachers , with just two extra classes . Everyone in the office had seen her enter Isabelle's office , and now they were quietly impressed by her ability to turn the situation around . Even Jocelyn , who had been waiting for a chance to mock her , wisely held her tongue . At lunchtime , Estella dined with Selene . Selene sighed . " Ms. Isabelle keeps targeting you . I almost feel guilty for bringing you into Serenade Music Hub . " Estella shook her head . " There's no need to feel bad , Selene . This has nothing to do with you . But to be honest , I have been considering leaving Serenade Music Hub . " Selene looked intrigued . " Do you have something else in mind ? " Lowering her voice slightly , Estella asked , " Selene , have you heard that Mr. Chase's orchestra is holding auditions soon ? " Selene's eyes widened . " Are you planning to try out ? " Estella nodded . " I want to give it a shot . " Selene beamed . " Estella , this is a fantastic opportunity . With your talent , staying at Serenade Music Hub is a waste . You deserve to perform on a much bigger stage . " Estella smiled . " You won't be upset , will you ? You gave me this job , and now I'm suddenly leaving . " " Of course not . " Selene laughed , then leaned in slightly . " To be honest , I'm planning to start my own music center in a couple of years . If you get into Mr. Chase's orchestra , that would be amazing . And once I open my arts center , you can be my guest of honor and our best advertisement . " Send Gifts