Rachel never responded to any of the allegations Ste had made public.


    Many assumed her silence was an admission of guilt.


    Still, a handful of diehard fans clung to hope, insisting Rachel must have her reasons, or that some dramatic twist would set things right in the end.


    But the truth was in as day for everyone else.


    With evidence this overwhelming, there was nothing left to defend.


    After several days of relentless online condemnation, Rachel still hadn''t uttered a word. The public''s anger quickly shifted to Mr. Walden.


    For plenty of people, it was actually Mr. Walden who''d first drawn them to Rachel.


    And now, Rachel''s reputation had copsed so spectacrly, it was worse than any celebrity cheating scandal-she''d gone from star pupil to outright criminal in the eyes of the masses.


    People began turning their rage on Mr. Walden. "Isn''t Mr. Walden supposed to be a legendary musician, winner of the lifetime achievement award? How could he have chosen someone like Rachel to be hisst protégé?"


    "With character like that, she deserves to be called a musician?"


    "Mr. Walden, are you losing your mind in your old age, or does Rachel have something on you?"


    "A lifetime of wisdom, and Mr. Walden throws it away over Rachel. She''s ruined his legacy all by herself."


    "Mr. Walden, you publicly supported a student with this kind of character-don''t you owe us an exnation?"


    "Rachel could never match Ste''s talent, so what exactly made Mr. Walden favor her?"


    "Mr. Walden''s fans always imed he was a paragon of virtue. But just look at hisst protégé, Harry-couldn''t be more obnoxious, and still his favorite student. Any reasonable teacher would''ve cut someone like Harry loose long ago."


    It didn''t take long after this wave of criticism for Mr. Walden to release a public statement, announcing he had severed all ties with Rachel.


    But the public wasn''t buying it.


    ét


    "Oh, so when Rachel was famous, you took her under your wing, and


    the second she''s in trouble,


    her lose? Is that what it met


    be à mentor?"


    "If Mr. Walden had continued to stand by Rachel, I might have respected him. Now? His reputation is shattered."


    No matter what Mr. Walden said, the attacks kepting.


    After the debacles with Harry and now Rachel, Mr. Walden''s status in the music


    world plummeted overnight.


    The stress was too much he ended up hospitalized.


    ...


    After Ste exposed Rachel, the first person to call her was Haynes.


    She ignored the call.


    Haynes'' apologies and regret meant nothing to her anymore.


    Ste kept practicing, preparing for her uing recital and the internationalpetition that would follow.


    A gentle knock sounded on the practice room door.


    Antoney Watson stepped inside. "Star, are you busy?"


    Ste set down her violin. "I was just about to take a break. What''s up, Antoney?"


    Antoney hesitated, then said,


    "There''s something I''ve been


    thinking about, and I decided you


    should know before the Williams


    family tries to set you up and you walk right into their trap."


    Ste''s eyes narrowed slightly. "This is about the Williams family?"


    Antoney nodded. "Before our mentor passed away, she told me


    ong


    something. She said she owned ten percent of the founding shares in the Williams Group."


    "She left a will—those ten percent founding shares belong to you alone. They have nothing to do with your father or your three brothers."


    Ste stared at him, surprised. "Founding shares? I''ve never heard anything about that. When did this happen?"