The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Two servers carefully hoisted a zither onto the stage, its ebony finish gleaming like ink. Made from the finest blackwood, the zither's head was slightly tilted, resembling a dragon with its mouth slightly open. Intricate floral patterns and inscriptions adorned its back, hinting at untold stories.

From a distance, it looked rather ordinary, but Karen's eyes sparkled with excitement as she ran her fingers over the zither. "This one! It's perfect!" she exclaimed.

Alyssa cast a disdainful glance, a flicker of contempt in her eyes. Yorick clearly didn't favor Karen, offering such a seemingly ordinary instrument. With a touch of condescension, Alyssa asked, "Shall I go first, or would you like to, Karen?"

Karen raised an eyebrow nonchalantly, "After you."

Alyssa smiled slightly, "Then I'll go first and set the stage." Internally, she sneered at Karen, thinking she was just a coward, confident only in agreeing but too scared to perform first.

Alyssa gracefully seated herself at a nearby crystal piano. She wore a hand-embroidered white gown, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, highlighting her fair skin and elegant demeanor. As she began to play, the live stream viewers were in awe.

"Wow, she's breathtaking! Even through the screen, she outshines all the celebs."

"That crystal piano is blinding! Talk about showing off wealth."

"Alyssa's so pure and talented. How do us mere mortals even compare?"

"I hereby declare myself Alyssa's number one fan. She's stolen my heart."

"A true beauty with brains. She plays like a pro!"

soul. Her performance was flawless, earning her a thunderous applause and admiration

was abuzz, with Alyssa's performance skyrocketing to the top of trending topics. Kate, the host, saw her followers increase by millions, thrilled by the

sit directly on the floor, facing the zither she had chosen. The audience murmured, comparing the simplicity of

but Vivienne and Percival, sensing foul play, decided to host their own livestream to showcase Karen's

unadorned by makeup, the audience was captivated.

in, capturing every detail in

"Is that Vivienne?!"

stunning." S~ᴇaʀᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the

resembles Vivienne, but there's

really makeup-free? She's

powerful emotions that resonated deep within the listeners. The music built up like a tempest, commanding attention, before transitioning into

performance painted vivid images in the minds of the audience,

is heavenly.

goddess descended to

exclaimed, prompting laughter and unending applause,

disbelief turning to envy.

this be

so well at that, even better than her? Wasn't she always

was petrified,