Oops! My Secret Baby Is Caught By His Top-Lawyer Daddy! Novel

---- Chapter 58: His Wife Was Brilliant Scarlett and Cyrus had quite a fanbase in the room-the energy was electric. Nobody had expected Scarlett to be not only a good actress but a pretty decent singer too. The duet they performed was a lighthearted, sugary-sweet love song that had the crowd cheering nonstop. Clearly, being in showbiz wasn't for the faint of heart. You practically had to be a jack-of-all-trades to survive. Next up was Sebastian Storm. The man was nearly fifty, carried himself with undeniable charisma, and still had that larger-than-life presence.

He had snagged first place at an international piano competition when he was just eighteen! Dressed in a deep navy tailcoat, he walked up to ---- the grand piano with a cold, noble air. His expression was solemn, and he gave a slight nod before sitting down and starting to play. The moment his fingers touched the keys, the room fell into complete silence. Everyone was drawn into the spellbinding beauty of his music. When the last note faded, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd. As Scarlett and Cyrus made their way back to their seats, Scarlett leaned in to gossip to Clara.

"Ugh, I seriously can't stand these high-and-mighty artists. Always looking down on everyone like they invented talent. Last year at another charity event, some poor debutante played a piano piece and Sebastian tore her to shreds. Like, give me a break-how many true prodigies are there in the world? Just because he's gifted doesn't mean he has to act like he's better than everyone." Cyrus chimed in, "Totally.

He's ripped so many people in the industry to pieces that now, if Sebastian's attending an event, no one even ---- dares to touch the piano." Clara listened and silently decided she wasn't a fan of the guy either. Still, geniuses often came with a side of eccentricity-it was practically a package deal. No big deal either way; it wasn't like she'd be crossing paths with him. Just then, the emcee returned to the stage. "A huge thank you to Mr. Sebastian Storm for his incredible performance! Thanks to him, we've raised an additional $2.9 million in donations! And now...

let's check the results of our audience voting!" The emcee glanced at his tablet, and his face lit up with dramatic flair. "Oh-oh wow! This is unexpected! Our third performer is a new face!" His exaggerated expression had the entire room buzzing with curiosity. Everyone looked down at their tables to check the mini-screens and see which artist had landed the third spot. ---- Clara suddenly had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She thought back to Linsey and her friend's smirks earlier-and her heart began to race. She clenched her fists under the table, palms starting to sweat.

At that moment, the voting results were cast onto the massive stage screen for everyone to see. Mrs. Devereaux on piano!!! Votes: 36!!! The room burst into chatter. Clara felt a jolt run through her, but she kept her expression perfectly composed. She knew all eyes were on her now. Scarlett leaned in, looking both nervous and furious. "Someone's clearly up to no good! You're a total outsider and this is your first charity gala-there's no way you'd be voted up there unless someone was trying to mess with you. And that vote count? Way too high." Obviously, someone had rigged this.

---- Before tonight, who even knew Clara? No one even knew if she could play the piano-and yet, somehow, her name had magically appeared on the ballot? This was clearly a setup to humiliate her. Even if she could play, she'd have to follow Sebastian's performance-which had basically been flawless. She'd be trashed either way. Whoever had orchestrated this was trying to turn her into a joke, placing her right after the bigshot maestro so everyone could see the difference. Right now, Clara was stuck between a rock anda hard place.

The event organizers had already accepted $3.6 million in donations tied to her name. They couldn't exactly give that back, could they? And even if they could-what about Aaron's reputation? Tomorrow's headlines would be all about how the Devereauxs refused to support charity. A PR ---- nightmare. Aaron reached out and gently took her hand. He honestly didn't know whether Clara could play piano-she'd never mentioned it, and he'd never seen her play. But one thing was certain: there was no way she could compete with Sebastian's level. He spoke softly, trying to reassure her. "Don't worry.

I'll figure something out." This wasn't an easy situation. He quickly ran through three options in his head: One-Clara could go on stage and just mash the keys to get it over with, but that would be social suicide. Two-she could refuse, and he could cover the donation himself. Money wasn't the issue. But the damage to their image? Still devastating. Three-find a substitute. Aaron mentally scanned the room, trying to think of any performer who might outrank Sebastian...