Her small face was a mess of tears, and snot was bubbling out of her nose. It was a heartbreaking
scene.
Ianâs beautiful eyes narrowed.
Staring at her chubby finger, he spotted a red wound there, and his expression promptly darkened.
âWho did this to you?â he demanded, tugging off his bowtie to wrap it around her finger.
Vivian fell silent.
Iâve never seen Ian so mad! She recoiled in fear.
âIanââ
âDid the violinists do that to you? This is caused by the violin strings. Am I right?â
Ian was smart enough to deduce that after glancing at his sisterâs wound.
Before the girls could brag about that incident to their mother, the air suddenly turned still.
Coming to a stop, they spotted the girl who they scared away earlier.
A young boy about her age with chiseled features tugged her over to them.
âDid you both hurt my sister?â he demanded icily.
Hearing his words, the girls immediately broke into mocking giggles. âOh, so you ran off because you
got hurt. I was wondering why you didnât continue earlier!â
Their words caused Vivian to duck behind Ian fearfully as tears welled up in her adorable eyes.
The last hint of warmth disappeared from Ianâs eyes.
âContinue with what?â
âOh, nothing. When she asked to play with us, we told her weâd play with her if she could play our
violin. She couldnât even play the violin but insisted on doing so and ended up cutting her finger!â They
burst into loud giggles after explaining what had happened.
Mortified tears rolled down Vivianâs fluffy cheeks.
âOh, I see. Why donât we compete, too? I shall play a piece. If you can learn it, Iâll give you this,â an icy
voice suggested.
Ian had a smartwatch on his outstretch palm.
âWow, isnât that a Qubbly watch? Itâs a popular brand overseas. Only a few of us managed to get it in
the country.â
âYes, youâre right!â
Both girls gazed at the watch greedily.
Indeed, the watch was an expensive one.
Thus, they agreed without hesitation. âSure. What are you going to play?â
Ian cast them a frigid glare. âYou donât have to know. Just play it after I do. But I have a conditionâif
you fail to play it, you need to receive a punishment!â
âWhat punishment?â
âGet hurt the same way she did!â Ian declared icily.
Is he a fool?
The girls shared glances after hearing his ridiculous request.
Vivian hurt herself after insisting on pressing the strings with her tiny fingers, but they were experienced
violinists.
They couldnât believe heâd make that request, let alone think theyâd lose the bet. Is he that good? Can
he even play the violin?
They paid no heed to his words.
After they gave him a violin, Ian placed it on his shoulder and started playing a piece.
Re mi so mi re mi soâ¦
It was a song that stunned all listeners!
He started off with a lively and exciting melody that soon ascended into a birdlike croon. His fingers
flew deftly across the strings to create a melodious song that attracted the attention of practically
everyone in the garden, including the two girls.
Oh, he can play the violin well! Heâs really good at it!
They froze in shock. Ian glared at them in the middle of his piece and followed up with a tricky and
demanding chord.
Heâs terrifyingly good! Not even our teacher can do that!
The color drained from their little faces within seconds, stunned by the turn of events.
Two minutes later, Ian finished playing the last note and placed the violin down, casting a petrifying look
in their direction.
âPlay it now!â
Alas, they clearly werenât capable enough to play the challenging piece.
Their bodies trembled as they turned to make their leave.
Ian was at a loss for words at their cowardly antics.
âWait, why are you leaving already? You havenât received your punishment yet!â Another tiny figure
arrived.
The girls stopped in their tracks when they realized a young boy who resembled the genius violinist
was stopping them from leaving.
âMatt!â Vivian called out while clapping her hands in excitement.
Matteoâs eyes crinkled into a boyish smile. âBe patient. Iâll take revenge for you now!â
âOkay!â Vivian chirped in a happy manner.
Matteo grabbed the girlsâ hands before they realized what was going on.
This time, the violin strings had indeed emanated a horrendous sound as the girls let out ear-splitting
screams at the same time.