The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 506

Antoney glanced at his watch. “Only ten minutes left. It’s almost my turn.”

He turned to Abby. “Let’s push the ensemble and Star’s solo further down the program.”

Abby considered for a moment, then nodded—there wasn’t much else they could do.

Thankfully, everyone involved today was part of their group, so they could adjust the performance order however they liked.

It wouldn’t be a big deal if Stella went on stage a little later.

Candida spoke up. “What if Star doesn’t come back at all? What then?”

Antoney fell silent for a few seconds, his voice low when he finally replied, “Then the rest of us will perform.”

He looked over at Marvin, who had been waiting quietly for instructions. “Marvin, if Star can’t make it, you’ll need to play a couple more pieces. Can you handle that?”

Marvin nodded gently. “I can.”

He’d been practicing violin with Stella lately, and had learned plenty of pieces.

Playing a few extra songs wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Antoney then turned to Candida. “If Star really can’t make it back, you’ll need to fill in with extra piano pieces too.”

Candida nodded. “Alright.”

This wasn’t a formal concert, but everyone still took it seriously. No one intended to phone it in.

If something had happened to Stella and she really couldn’t perform, they’d still see the show through to the end.

Minutes ticked by.

By the time Antoney and Abby finished rearranging everything, the show was about to start.

They all took turns trying to call Stella, but no one answered.

Seeing that it was almost time, Antoney said to Abby, “I’ll go on first. If Star makes it back in time, we’ll stick to our original plan. If not, the rest of us will handle the performance.”

Abby’s expression was solemn. “Okay.”

Antoney picked up his violin and walked onto the stage.

“It really is him! But… what’s he doing here?”

A few of the Watsons turned to look at Antoney’s father, Nicolle Watson.

Nicolle shook his head, his voice stern. “I don’t know. I’ve reached out to him many times, but he’s always refused to come home. Even when I tried to pressure him, he wouldn’t relent. I worry if I push too hard, he’ll end up resenting the Watson family, so I decided to back off for a while.”

Nicolle’s tone was heavy as he recounted everything that had happened recently.

But Antoney was a professional musician, seasoned on stage.

He quickly pulled himself together and began to play.

…

Backstage.

Not long after Antoney started his performance, the door to the dressing room swung open.

Abby turned around in surprise, her face lighting up. “Star, you made it back!”