"Hello? Sheffield, are you still there?" Evelyn asked softly when Sheffield didn't answer.
He came back to his senses and took a deep breath before replying, "It doesn't matter, Evelyn. Just go ahead with your own business." Without waiting for her answer, he hung up.
Evelyn stared blankly at her phone. 'What's wrong with him? He is being really weird, ' she wondered with a frown.
It was ten minutes to seven o'clock, and three-fourths of the hall was filled with audience. Behind the music hall, Sheffield leaned against the wall and continued to smoke his cigarettes, one after the other.
When he was done with the last one, he took a few puffs and stubbed it out before striding into the hall.
His seat was in the middle of the third row. The seats around him were filled, except the two in the middle.
He fixed his eyes on the first row. In the dead-center of the first row was a woman in a beautiful white dress, along with a man in a black tux.
There were several reporters not too far away from Calvert and Evelyn. The two of them were continuously being photographed.
The concert began at seven o'clock sharp. Jimmy, the piano maestro, stepped onto the stage and the hall fell silent at once.
Evelyn's heart was not in the music. She couldn't help but reach for her phone. Sheffield had sounded rather weird when they had spoken earlier. She wanted to text him to check what was going on.
"Evelyn, what's wrong?" Calvert leaned closer and whispered in her ear.
They were so close that from where Sheffield sat, it looked like they were having an intimate moment. His heart stung.
Evelyn put her phone away. She distanced herself from Calvert and said coldly, "Nothing."
"Mm-hmm."
After his performance, Jimmy announced, "We have a special program for you, while I take a small break. Enjoy the show, ladies and gentleman!"
Evelyn was lost in her own thoughts when Calvert stood up from his seat. Under everyone's confused gaze, he walked onto the stage and shook hands with Jimmy. After sharing a few words with him, the pianist walked off the stage and Calvert took his seat in front of the piano.
'What?! Calvert is going to perform? What is he trying to do?' Evelyn thought, frowning. Unlike her, the crowd was excited.
Calvert took a deep breath, and then, placed his fingers on the keys and started playing.
"Wow! Isn't that Calvert Ji—the heir of the diamond family?" "I cannot believe that he is playing a Moritz Moszkowski etude! This is amazing!"
"He looks like a real prince, playing the piano so gracefully."
Leaning against the seat lazily, Sheffield had eyes for only one person. He showed no interest in what others were saying or doing.
But when he heard Calvert's performance, a mocking smile flashed in his eyes.
When the melody finally came to an end, Calvert stood up to a warm applause. He took the microphone in his hand and slowly walked towards the woman in the front row. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to have taken up your precious time. But, I hope you will forgive me for the intrusion. I am about to embark on a special journey at the moment."
He stood in front of Evelyn.
Ignoring her shock and refusal, he grabbed her hand and brought her to the stage, to stand under the watchful eyes of the elite crowd.
The audience erupted in whispers.
The lights on the stage were turned off, leaving only the round blue light which fell on the handsome couple on the stage.
Calvert continued, "Evelyn, I've known you for almost two years now. My love for you has only grown infinitely since the day I met you. I can't live without you. So, today I ask you…" Despite Evelyn's reluctance, Calvert knelt on one knee.
As people around him gasped and clapped, Sheffield looked at them with a blank face.
Calvert opened a brocade box to reveal a ring with a huge aquamarine.
The stone dazzled under the light. Even those in the crowd who didn't know much about gems could tell that it was incredibly valuable.
"Evelyn Huo, I love you. Please marry me." His confession was like the tipping point.
The crowd erupted into screams. "Say yes! Oh my God! The prince and the princess are supposed to be together. You are made for each other!"
"This is so romantic."
Evelyn hadn't expected that this would happen. With a poker face, she stared at Calvert, who was still on one knee in front of her. Any woman would be touched by a proposal like this; she would cry and fall into the man's arms. But Evelyn was scared and somewhat annoyed. The irony of this whole situation was that Calvert used an aquamarine to propose to her.
There was dead silence in the hall because of Evelyn's cold reaction. At that moment, another man stood up from his seat in the hall.
He was wearing a white suit, with sparkling white teeth and smiling eyes under his bushy eyebrows. He stepped onto the stage as the silent hall watched.
It had never occurred to Evelyn that Sheffield would be at the concert. 'Who did he come with?' she wondered in surprise. 'Did he come with Dollie?'
Amidst the confusion, Sheffield sat down in front of the piano with a smile and spoke over the microphone. "I wish to correct Mr. Ji. The Moritz Moszkowski etude you just played had four mistakes."
The audience burst into an uproar. One of them whispered, "I told you! I told you there was something wrong with the Moritz Moszkowski etude that Calvert Ji played, but you didn't believe me."
"So what? Who is this man? What does he want?"
"We'll know soon."
Calvert's proposal was interrupted, and now, Evelyn couldn't take her eyes away from the man in front of the piano. Calvert stood up from the floor and looked at Sheffield with a murderous aura.
But Sheffield didn't seem to notice. He slowly glided his fingers along the piano keys.
Many professionals and enthusiasts in the audience knew at once which piece he was playing as soon as he began the first note.
"Grande Valse Brillante! I can't believe my ears. He is very talented!"
"Wow. Such a beautiful tone, and he's so handsome as well!"
"Is this for real? His fingers are so agile."
The audience, including Evelyn, was shocked. She stood still and stared at the piano, as she watched Sheffield's fingers dance on the keys. There was a casual, charming smile on his face. He was playing with great ease.
The melody was like the sounds of nature, flowing with the clouds and echoing through their bodies.
When the performance was over, no one spoke. Before anyone could react, Sheffield stood and walked up to Evelyn.
He had a cynical smile on his face.
Sheffield grabbed the microphone from Calvert's hand forcefully, and said to Evelyn in a casual, lazy voice, "Playing the piano for a proposal? I can do that too. It's really not a big deal. Evelyn, I love you. His aquamarine means nothing. It's just an experimental achievement. But I'm different. Although I don't come from a rich family like him, I have the heart and the grit to support you."
