Her small face was a mess of tears, and snot was bubbling out of her nose. It was a heartbreaking scene.
Ian’s beautiful eyes narrowed.
Staring at her chubby finger, he spotted a red wound there, and his expression promptly darkened.
“Who did this to you?” he demanded, tugging off his bowtie to wrap it around her finger.
Vivian fell silent.
I’ve never seen Ian so mad! She recoiled in fear.
“Ian—”
“Did the violinists do that to you? This is caused by the violin strings. Am I right?”
Ian was smart enough to deduce that after glancing at his sister’s 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.
“Did you both hurt my sister?” he demanded icily.
Hearing his words, the girls immediately broke into mocking giggles. “Oh, so you ran off because you got hurt. I was wondering why you didn’t continue earlier!”
Their words caused Vivian to duck behind Ian fearfully as tears welled up in her adorable eyes.
The last hint of warmth disappeared from Ian’s eyes.
“Continue with what?”
“Oh, nothing. When she asked to play with us, we told her we’d play with her if she could play our violin. She couldn’t even play the violin but insisted on doing so and ended up cutting her finger!” They burst into loud giggles after explaining what had happened.
Mortified tears rolled down Vivian’s fluffy cheeks.
“Oh, I see. Why don’t we compete, too? I shall play a piece. If you can learn it, I’ll give you this,” an icy voice suggested.
Ian had a smartwatch on his outstretch palm.
“Wow, isn’t that a Qubbly watch? It’s a popular brand overseas. Only a few of us managed to get it in the country.”
“Yes, you’re right!”
Both girls gazed at the watch greedily.
Indeed, the watch was an expensive one.
Thus, they agreed without hesitation. “Sure. What are you going to play?”
Ian cast them a frigid glare. “You don’t have to know. Just play it after I do. But I have a condition—if you fail to play it, you need to receive a punishment!”
“What punishment?”
“Get hurt the same way she did!” 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 couldn’t believe he’d make that request, let alone think they’d 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 so…
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! He’s 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.
He’s 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.
“Play it now!”
Alas, they clearly weren’t 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.
“Wait, why are you leaving already? You haven’t received your punishment yet!” 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.
“Matt!” Vivian called out while clapping her hands in excitement.
Matteo’s eyes crinkled into a boyish smile. “Be patient. I’ll take revenge for you now!”
“Okay!” Vivian chirped in a happy manner.
Matteo grabbed the girls’ 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.
