?Chapter 1606:


    Chloe’s brows knit together. She was utterly puzzled by Vickie’s intentions.


    Didn’t Vickie know Christina supposedly wasn’t good at ying the cello? Why choose such a difficult piece—and perform the same one herself first?


    From start to finish, Vickie hadn’t mentioned a word about Christina performing tonight.


    Chloe leaned closer and whispered, “Christina, did you two n this?”


    “No,” Christina replied, a faint curve tugging at the corner of her lips. “I have no idea what she’s thinking. Maybe she just feels like seeing me perform in front of everyone.”


    When Vickie had suddenly asked earlier whether she could y the cello, Christina had already sensed something unpleasant wasing.


    And sure enough—this banquet was the setup.


    It was presented as a farewell celebration held in her honor, but in truth, Vickie only wanted to humiliate her in public.


    Unfortunately for Vickie, she had no idea that Christina’s “could manage” wasn’t a confession of weakness—it was an understatement.


    Christina was La Rosa—one of the most celebrated cellists in the world. A piece like this posed no challenge to her at all.


    Her ownpositions were far moreplex, and she honestly couldn’t understand why Vickie hadn’t chosen something even harder if she truly meant to expose her.


    Christina had chosen her alias as a tribute to Joelle, rising to the peak of the cello world under the name La Rosa. She had built a legend in Joelle’s memory, hoping that the name La Rosa would be remembered by the world.


    And when her time eventually came—as long as people still walked the earth—she wanted the name to echo through history, passed down through generations without ever fading.


    Chloe’s patience finally snapped. It infuriated her that Vickie had taken it upon herself to make such a reckless choice.


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    “She knows you can barely y,” Chloe burst out, her tone sharp with disbelief, “and she still threw you into something that tough in front of everyone. Don’t tell me that wasn’t intentional.”


    But the moment the words escaped her lips, guilt tugged at her conscience.


    “Still…” she added quickly, softening her voice, “Vickie’s always been so sweet. She’d never hurt anyone on purpose. Maybe someone forced her hand.”


    To Chloe, Vickie had always seemed gentle and kind—someone incapable of malice.


    She couldn’t imagine her deliberately setting Christina up to fail.


    Even as that uneasy thought whispered in her mind, guilt crept in, and she rushed to defend Vickie instead of doubting her.


    “Who knows,” Christina murmured, a faint, indecipherable smile touching her lips.


    Chloe had lived too sheltered a life to see through such deceit—kind, trusting, and blissfully na?ve.


    She and Vickie had grown up side by side, and since Vickie had always treated her well, it was only natural she’d react this way. Had she not heard Vickie’s true words with her own ears, even Christina might have doubted what kind of woman she really was.


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