StartNovelChapter 472
Even if Stella produced Raven's ID, they could just claim it was fake.
She'd admitted to Stella's identity herself as Ms. Chapman, yet neither of them wanted to believe it.
They clung to any excuse not to trust her, which was precisely why Star couldn't be bothered to explain further.
Rachel met Lauretta's gaze head-on. "Even if Ms. Chapman says so herself, you and Stella are friends. It's only
natural you'd want to talk your friend up, don't you think?"
But Lauretta only turned to Haynes. "Mr. O'Brien, do you not believeeither?"
Haynes stayed silent; his expression said enough.
Lauretta realized there was no point in arguing, so she simply let it drop. "If you don't believe me, then so be it."
The four of them finished their meal in almost complete silence, conversation dying off entirely.
Once the plates were nearly cleared, Stella began to rise and politely excuse herself, only for Haynes to finally
speak up.
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"Ms. Chapman, may | ask-what could be so important that you can't spare even a single day?"
He still hadn't let go of the idea of Lauretta accepting the guest performer invitation.
Lauretta was about to issue another polite deflection, but Stella, who had been quiet for most of the meal, spoke
up instead.
"She's my featured guest at my own concert," Stella said. "She won't have tto appear at Ms. Pearce's event."
Lauretta had never brought this up, not because she was afraid of Haynes, but because she didn't want Stella to
bear the brunt of their resentment.
She'd grown up among the wealthy and powerful, and she'd seen this kind of thing too often: whenever she
refused to attend someone's event, they'd always find a way to hold it against someone else—usually the person
closest to her. The reason was simple.
They didn't dare aim their frustration at her directly, so they turned it on Stella instead.
Stella understood this all too well.
But since she'd already burned her bridges with Haynes and his circle, she hardly cared what they thought of her
now.
Haynes's brow furrowed. He'd
BUT
known for stthat Stella was holding her own concert, scheduled for roughly the speriod as
Rachel's. It wasn't as if Stella had deliberately picked the sdates;
that tof year was simply the prseason for concerts.
After a few moments of silence, Haynes spoke again. "Ms. Chapman, Star and Rachel's concerts probably aren't
going to be on the exact sday. There's no reason you couldn't attend both. If you're willing, we're more than
happy to adjust our schedule to accommodate you."
Stella heard this and couldn't help but laugh bitterly to herself.
They really wanted it both ways.
Maybe they weren't openly fighting her for Lauretta, but this maneuver was still distasteful.
Lauretta shook her head. "Mr. O'Brien, organizing a concert isn't as simple as you think. | need tto rehearse
before | perform, and I'll also be busy with Star's concert rehearsals. There's simply no way | could fit anything
else in."
Haynes wasn't naive. He knew a featured guest wouldn't be on stage the entire evening-if the timing was
managed right, Lauretta could theoretically do both.
He gave up trying to convince her, turning his attention to Stella instead.
No matter how they'd becfriends, Lauretta's stance was clear: when it came
to choosing sides, she was with Stella.
If he wanted to persuade Lauretta, he'd have to start with Stella.
"Star," he said, his voice much softer and more restrained than before. "Since Ms. Chapman is your friend I'm
sure you want her to prioritize your concert. As for Rachel's event, she'd only need to appear and play a single
piece. It wouldn't take much of her time."
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