Chapter 34: Musical Encounter V
On the same day of Justin's competition.
Harmony walked through the grand mansion, surrounded by a sprawling garden, her footsteps heavy with unease. She had been summoned back for some reason, even though no party was being held.
"I hope this isn't about what happened at school," she sighed inwardly, steeling herself.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
She knocked when she reached the imposing door of the office.
"Come in," a deep voice answered from within.
"Good evening, Sir," Harmony greeted as she stepped inside.
The man stood by his desk, a figure of stern authority.
His sharp eyes and cold demeanor instantly filled the room with an oppressive atmosphere. Despite standing still, he exuded a pressure that made Harmony's pulse quicken. She kept her head lowered, not daring to look him in the eye.
"Come closer," his voice commanded, devoid of emotion.
She obeyed, stepping forward until she was close enough.
*SLAP*
The sharp sting of the slap rang through her body, only realized what happened after a few seconds, she could even feel the pain inside her cheek, tasting blood.
"Do you know why I slapped you?" he asked in a chilling tone.
"I apologize, but I—"
*SLAP*
Another strike landed, cutting off her words. She swallowed the blood in her mouth, her body tensing in response.
"You really don't know?" he pressed coldly.
"My... school," she muttered, realizing with a sinking feeling what had triggered his fury.
When no further slap came, she knew she had guessed correctly. The issue was what had happened at school.
"I caused a commotion and brought attention to myself," she admitted softly.
"And what was the condition for you to stay in that school?" his voice remained icy.
"To never draw attention, either positive or negative," she replied, staring at the floor.
"And if you do?"
"You will pull me out," Harmony finished, her voice barely above a whisper.
*SLAP*
She clenched her teeth, trying to suppress the rising urge to cry.
"Please, stop!" a voice suddenly cried out.
An elderly woman, with features that mirrored the man's, barged in and pulled Harmony away from him. Her grip on Harmony's arm was tight.
The man glared at the woman.
"She knew what she did wrong already. You already know right, honey?" she looked at Harmony.
"Yes, sir. I understand my mistake. I will ensure it never happens again," Harmony responded quickly.
The elderly woman faced him, her tone pleading, "That's enough. Please don't hurt her anymore. Don't pull her out of school. I'm begging you."
The man harrumphed, his eyes narrowing.
"I've already dealt with the family to keep this incident from spreading. Be grateful. If you weren't my blood, you wouldn't be standing here now."
"Yes, thank you," Harmony said, her voice full of forced gratitude.
"Now leave," he ordered, dismissing them with a wave.
The elderly woman led Harmony out of the office.
"I told you to be careful," she chided, leading her to another room.
Inside, she pulled out a first-aid kit and began tending to the wound on Harmony's lip.
Harmony glanced at the first-aid kit without saying a word.
"You need to follow your father's rules. It took so much pleading to allow you to study outside this house," the woman reminded her as she applied a healing balm to the cut.
"I'll ask a servant to bring an ice pack. Use it before you leave."
Harmony sat in silence, staring out the window. When the woman finally left the room, Harmony stood up and walked out of the mansion, not bothering to wait for the ice pack.
"Miss, shall I drive you back?" the chauffeur asked as he saw her heading out.
"I'll manage," she replied curtly, and the chauffeur stepped aside.
Harmony walked alone towards the train station, her expression as impassive as ever.
…
"Here you go," Justin said as he placed a small assortment of treats on Luca's desk.
Kenneth, Luca, and Gabriel were already gathered, chatting away.
"Ooh, chocolates!" Kenneth grinned.
"Are we included in that?" Kathrine asked teasingly, approaching them from the side.
"They're for everyone who was with me yesterday, that's what my cousin said," Justin said, his tone flat.
Beatrice looked a bit hesitant, sensing that Kathrine might be overstepping her bounds. She had enjoyed their company yesterday but still felt uncertain about their closeness.
"We were all together yesterday. There's no need to feel reserved," Luca said, trying to ease the atmosphere.
Kathrine picked up a piece of candy and placed it in front of Beatrice.
"This one's delicious, Bea."
Beatrice smiled, her eyes lighting up.
"It is!" she agreed, her love for sweets overriding her hesitation.
The four guys looked at one another before Justin passed the rest of the pack to Kathrine and Beatrice after the other three took a few sweets.
"You two can have the rest," he said casually.
"But…" Kathrine glanced at Beatrice with uncertainty.
Beatrice slowly shook her head.
"You can go and share it with her," Kenneth pointed at Harmony using his mouth.
The two ladies made an "O" with their lips, understanding what they meant.
"Thank you," Beatrice said, smiling gratefully.
As the two girls walked over to Harmony, who was sitting alone with her earphones in, Kathrine spoke up.
"Hi!"
Harmony looked up, removing her earphones.
"We have some extra sweets, and we thought we'd share them with you. Do you like candy?" Kathrine asked with a friendly smile.
Harmony's eyes flicked to the plastic bag, then to Beatrice, who slowly pulled out a few sweets and placed them in front of her.
"They're from Justin's cousin," Beatrice explained.
Harmony's expression remained indifferent as she asked, "What do you really want?"
There was a different shift in her tone that took the girls by surprise. Though Harmony had always been indifferent, there was now a distinct chill in her demeanor.
"I… I wanted to apologize," Kathrine said, her voice soft.
"For what happened before. I shouldn't have slapped you. I didn't listen to you even when I saw how clear your eyes were. That there were indications it was not you who did it."
Harmony stared at the sweets in front of her, then picked up a mango-flavored piece.
"Is this supposed to mean I accept your apology?" she asked, her tone measured.
Kathrine and Beatrice exchanged glances.
"Yes. And thank you," Beatrice said, taking back the rest of the sweets.
Harmony let out a soft sigh and picked up a chocolate bar, "I'll take this too."
Beatrice smiled, "Of course, you can."
After the girls left, Harmony leaned back in her chair, popping the mango candy into her mouth. Her thoughts drifted as she stared ahead, after putting back her earphones.
'I can't return to how things were. I can't push them away or it will only create more problems. I'll have to keep my distance but interact just enough. I can't afford more trouble.'