Genius violinist? Please. That''s just hype.


    The blonde girl kept going. "She only got famous because she cozied up to men. Now she actually thinks she can bepared to Aurora? What a joke!"


    "Yeah, as if a little secret lovechild like you deserves topete here," sneered the brte. "Why don''t you just quit before you embarrass yourself and the rest of us, too?"


    "Shameless! Spreading rumors just to worm your way back into the Williams family. You must be desperate to marry into money," the redhead added with a smirk.


    Abby looked like she wanted to say something, but Ste stopped her with a gentle hand.


    Ste didn''t know exactly what was going on, but listening to these three girls saved her the trouble of figuring it out herself.


    Her eyes flickered with thought as she spoke, "And who told you all this, exactly?"


    The brte rolled her eyes. "Does it matter? Everybody''s talking about it. You''re just the Williams family''s bastard daughter, trying to w your way back in, but they don''t want anything to do with you."


    "So you went and started some rumor, hoping to force their hand and make them ept you," the redhead finished, sneering.


    Standing a little way off, Foreman listened with a mixture of anger at the rumors and admiration for Ste. Despite the insults thrown her way, she didn''t lose her cool. Instead, she used the girls'' loose tongues to get a quick read on the situation.


    "Trying to force the Williams family to acknowledge me..." Ste echoed softly, mulling over the words.


    No wonder people had been looking at her so strangelytely.


    She''d wondered if all the gossip about being the family''s illegitimate child was why everyone seemed to be staring. After all, Haynes had warned her not long ago.


    But now, it seemed the rumors had gotten even wilder.


    The redhead gave Ste a look of utter disdain. "They say the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree. If your mother was a homewrecker, then what does that make you? Probably another one in the making."


    Illegitimate children have always been looked down upon, and in today''s world, people are even less forgiving. The stigma sticks to the kids as much as to the women involved, and it never fails to draw scorn and ridicule.


    That was why Skyler had kept Ste''s identity a secret for so long.


    Now that Ste understood what was happening, she saw no reason to keep tangling with these girls.


    She shot Abby a look. "Let''s go."


    Abby bit back her anger and nodded.


    The three girls, not content to let them leave, started forward-only to be blocked by Foreman.


    His voice was cold. "Are you looking to cause trouble here?"


    With Foreman in their way, Ste and Abby were able to slip away.


    The girls watched Ste''s retreating figure, fuming and stamping their feet in frustration.


    Once they were out of earshot, Abby was seething. "Those three act like their so-called idol is some kind of saint Everything they said today is going toe back and bite Aurora, just wait."


    Ste remained silent, her gaze distant and thoughtful.


    After years as best friends, Abby could guess what was on Ste''s mind.


    "Star," think


    these rumors?


    asked softly, "who do


    Someone from the Williams family?"


    Ste shook her head. "That''s possible, but I don''t think it was them."


    "Why not?"


    "The timing''s off," Ste said, her eyes dark with contemtion. "And it''s all a little too pointed. The Williams family isn''t that careless. If they wanted to leak something they''d be vague-just enough to get people guessing." . to