Chapter 627

The live broadcast exploded into pandemonium.

[Wait, what just happened? The forensic expert confirmed the Twitter script matches Evelyn's handwriting perfectly?]

[Someone explain this mess to me!]

[It's simple! Someone stole the original manuscript of "Melodic Storm" from Natalie, Evelyn's junior apprentice, and now they're trying to pass it off as their own! And guess who's behind it? Isabella!]

[No way! That's beyond disgusting! Stealing creative work and then playing victim? The audacity!]

[No wonder "Melodic Storm" stayed silent through all the online hate – she was being framed! Her composure is incredible – I'd be screaming from rooftops!]

[Exactly! Poor Evelyn! Enduring all this slander without defending herself. I heard trolls have been flooding her DMs for weeks!]

[Keyboard bullies make me sick!]

Isabella watched in horror as her world crumbled.

Her face burned with humiliation, the weight of exposure crushing her.

"This can't be happening," she thought. "My career is over. Who'll hire a known plagiarist?"

The orchestra's strict anti-plagiarism policy flashed through her mind. Expulsion was inevitable.

Even teaching positions at music academies would be impossible now.

Cassandra sat among the audience, witnessing the spectacular downfall.

She gasped when the truth surfaced about Isabella's stolen composition.

"Karma's a bitch," Cassandra murmured, relieved she'd avoided sharing the stage.

Rage boiled inside Isabella as her dreams shattered.

"You're setting me up!" she screamed, charging toward Evelyn like a madwoman. "This report is fabricated!"

The crowd watched in mixed horror and amusement as Isabella unraveled.

Then – impact.

Evelyn, wearing modest heels, stood steady until Isabella's unexpected lunge.

With no time to react, Evelyn instinctively shielded her abdomen as Isabella crashed into her back.

Gasps echoed through the auditorium.

The stage's elevated edge loomed dangerously close.

Natalie sprang forward, grabbing Evelyn's wrist. "Careful!"

Live comments flooded in:

[Why isn't anyone shipping them? Mentor-student cellists with insane chemistry!]

[Stop! Natalie's way out of her league!]

[Isabella's just throwing a tantrum because she got caught. Attacking someone? Classy.]

Evelyn, shaken, gently touched her belly.

"Did that scare you, little one?" she wondered, feeling stronger movements than usual.

Observant viewers noticed the protective gesture and the subtle curve.

[She attacked a pregnant woman? Disgusting!]

[If Natalie hadn't reacted... God, the consequences!]

Security finally dragged Isabella away. Her legs gave out in the hallway.

A shadow fell across her crumpled form.

Sebastian crouched beside her. "I saw everything."

He'd dropped everything when the scandal broke.

Isabella scanned the empty corridor. "Here to mock me?"

"Never." He grasped her hand. "When you wanted Dominic punished, I made it happen. His legs? Shattered. Hospitalized."

Isabella recoiled. "That was just venting! You actually...?"

"The Powells are ruthless, but for you..." Sebastian pulled her into a crushing embrace.

"Let go!" she hissed. "You're engaged to Victoria Clarke! If her family sees this–"

The Clarkes ruled Cresthaven with iron fists. A disgraced musician like Isabella? Easy prey.

Sebastian scoffed. "They wouldn't dare touch what's mine."

Nearby, a shadowy figure exhaled cigarette smoke, the scar on his nose bridge barely visible.

As Isabella disappeared into Sebastian's car, he crushed his cigarette.

"Know her, Andrew?" a voice asked.

The man simply walked away, leaving the question unanswered.