Chapter 3: The Person Who Helped Her
The competition was delayed for twenty minutes.
Vanessa sat backstage with Mrs. Collins, holding the borrowed violin in her lap.
She couldn't stop looking at the cracked instrument lying inside its case.
It had belonged to her mother.
Daniel had given it to her on her twelfth birthday, explaining that her mother had saved for years to buy it.
“Your mom wanted you to have this one day,” he had said.
Vanessa remembered crying when she first opened the case.
Now the wood was damaged.
A deep crack crossed the body, and one string hung loose.
Mrs. Collins placed a warm cup of tea beside her.
“Don't stare at it, sweetheart.””
Vanessa looked up.
“I can't believe she did that.””
“I know.””
“She knew how much it meant to me.””
Mrs. Collins pulled a chair closer.
“Some people become so obsessed with winning that they forget what winning is supposed to mean.””
Vanessa ran her fingers over the borrowed violin.
“What if I can't play well?””
“Then you play imperfectly. But you play.””
A knock came at the backstage door.
Marcus entered with Mr. Harrison.
“Vanessa, there's something you should know.””
She sat straighter.
“What happened?””
“The security team reviewed the second camera.””
Mr. Harrison placed a tablet on the table.
“The recording shows Mrs. Tiana meeting someone near the service corridor approximately ten minutes before she entered the storage room.””
Vanessa leaned closer.
The footage showed Tiana standing beside a man in a dark jacket.
He handed her a small object.
Then he pointed toward the backstage entrance.
“Can you see his face?”” Vanessa asked.
Marcus zoomed in.
The image became clearer.
Vanessa's breath caught.
“No.””
Mrs. Collins leaned forward.
“What is it?””
Vanessa pointed at the screen.
“That's Mr. Lawson.””
Mr. Harrison frowned.
“Who is Mr. Lawson?””
“Brielle's violin coach.””
Marcus nodded.
“The security team identified him as Richard Lawson. He's registered as a private music instructor for one of the participants.””
Vanessa felt sick.
Mr. Lawson had been teaching Brielle for almost a year.
He had also been the person who recommended Vanessa for the competition.
He had complimented her playing at a charity recital and told her father she had a remarkable future.
Last month, he had even asked Vanessa to perform a difficult piece for him.
She remembered how he had watched her fingers.
How he had asked to examine her violin.
How he had said her technique was unusually advanced.
And now he was on the recording, handing Tiana something before her instrument was destroyed.
“What did he give her?”” Vanessa asked.
Marcus shook his head.
“The object is too small to identify from this angle.””
Mr. Harrison folded his arms.
“The competition organizers are reviewing whether Mr. Lawson had access to any confidential judging information. If he assisted Mrs. Tiana, that could be a serious matter.””
Vanessa stared at the frozen image.
“Does Brielle know?””
Nobody answered.
At that moment, a loud argument erupted outside the room.
Tiana's voice.
“You have no right to question me!””
Then a man's voice answered.
“Lower your voice. People are listening.””
Vanessa recognized it immediately.
Richard Lawson.
Mr. Harrison stepped toward the door.
“Stay here, Vanessa.””
But she was already standing.
“I want to hear what they're saying.””
Mrs. Collins gently touched her arm.
“You don't have to.””
“Yes, I do.””
She moved toward the slightly open door.
Outside, Tiana was standing near the corridor with Richard Lawson.
Brielle stood several feet away, holding her phone.
Richard looked furious.
“I told you to wait until the final announcement,” he whispered.
Tiana crossed her arms.
“And I told you I couldn't let Vanessa win.””
“You've made this much worse than it needed to be.””
“She was going to take everything from Brielle!””
Richard laughed bitterly.
“Everything? It's a music scholarship, not an inheritance.””
Tiana stepped closer.
“You promised me she wouldn't perform.””
“I promised to help you manage the situation. I didn't tell you to smash the instrument.””
Vanessa's hand flew to her mouth.
Tiana lowered her voice.
“You gave me the tool.””
Richard glanced around.
“Because you insisted on doing it yourself.””
Brielle suddenly looked up.
“Mom?””
Both adults turned.
Brielle was staring at them.
“What tool?””
Tiana's expression hardened.
“Go wait in the car.””
“No. What did you give her?””
Richard rubbed his forehead.
“This is not the place.””
Brielle took a step backward.
“Did you help Mom break Vanessa's violin?””
Tiana grabbed her daughter's shoulders.
“Listen to me. Everything I did was for you.””
Brielle pulled away.
“I never asked you to do that!””
Tiana's face changed.
“You wanted the scholarship.””
“I wanted to win it fairly!””
Vanessa felt her chest tighten.
For a moment, she wanted to believe Brielle meant it.
But the memory of her stepsister's silence in the auditorium remained.
She stepped into the corridor.
“Then why didn't you stop her?””
Brielle turned.
“Vanessa…”
“Why did you let her?””
Brielle began crying.
“I was scared.””
Vanessa looked at Richard.
“And you?””
He straightened his jacket.
“You should return to your preparation. This is an adult matter.””
“No,” Vanessa replied.
“You made it my matter when you helped destroy my violin.””
Richard's expression became cold.
“You don't understand the situation.””
“Then explain it.””
He looked toward Tiana.
She gave him a warning glance.
But before either could speak, Marcus approached with another security employee.
“Mr. Lawson, we'd like you to come with us.””
Richard's face tightened.
“On what grounds?””
“We need a statement concerning your presence in the backstage corridor and your involvement in the incident.””
Richard turned toward Tiana.
“You said there was only one camera.””
Tiana stared at him.
Vanessa heard every word.
Only one camera?
Her stomach dropped.
Marcus looked at Richard.
“There's another recording.””
Richard's confidence disappeared.
The security employee guided him toward the management office.
Tiana followed, protesting loudly.
Brielle remained in the corridor.
Vanessa stood opposite her.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, Brielle whispered, “I really am sorry.””
Vanessa looked at her stepsister.
“You watched me walk onto that stage knowing my violin was broken.””
“I didn't think she'd actually damage it that badly.””
“You knew she was going to hurt me.””
Brielle wiped her cheeks.
“I know.””
Vanessa wanted to say something cruel.
She wanted Brielle to feel even a fraction of the humiliation she had felt in front of hundreds of people.
But she couldn't find the words.
Instead, she turned away.
“Don't apologize because you got caught. Apologize because you understand what you did.””
She returned backstage.
Mrs. Collins was waiting with the borrowed violin.
“Are you ready?””
Vanessa looked at the instrument.
Then she looked at the stage entrance.
Her father's empty seat was still visible from the wings.
She picked up her phone and sent him one message.
Dad, I need you. Something terrible happened. Please call me.
No reply came.
The announcer's voice suddenly echoed through the auditorium.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to resume the competition.””
Vanessa took her position behind the curtain.
She could hear the audience settling.
She could hear the judges turning pages.
She could hear her own heartbeat.
Then the stage manager approached.
“Vanessa, there's someone here asking to see you.””
She turned.
“Who?””
The stage manager hesitated.
“Your father.””
Vanessa's eyes filled with relief.
But when Daniel stepped into the backstage area, he wasn't alone.
A woman in a dark blue suit stood beside him, holding a thick envelope.
Daniel's face was pale.
He looked at the broken violin.
Then at his daughter.
“Vanessa,” he whispered.
“There's something I need to tell you before you perform.””
The woman opened her envelope.
And the first document inside carried Vanessa's mother's signature.
May you like
Daniel swallowed hard.
“Your mother knew something about Tiana that I never told you.””
