Moreover, Clare was mad at the girl, But why did she have to drag Mia's name into this? Her tone seemed to suggest that she had seen Mia messing around at the site of the rehearsal.

“What's going on here?™

Atwood and the representative of the association had rushed over as soon as they heard the scream.

The girl with freckles opened her mouth to explain, but Clare was a lot quicker.

“Mr, Clarkson, your assistant was so reckless that she hit my Ancient Zither which I had just painstakingly adjusted for the rehearsal. She messed up the strings. What's more, it's not just any Ancient Zither. It's a high-grade antique. There are only fifty pieces left in the country! A set of this instrument is worth more than two hundred thousand dollars! Where would she get the money to pay for it if she had broken it?"

Hearing this, Atwood was speechless for a moment.

He frowned at the assistant and said, "Cara, I believe that you also majored in the Ancient Zither Performance, How on earth could you be so careless?"

Cara Morris, a student at Broome University, majored in the Ancient Zither Performance.

Being reprimanded, Cara lowered her head and said in a low voice, "I was just passing through the corridor. I had no idea when I turned a corner after walking through the curtain that Clare's Ancient Zither was there..."

On the stage, there was a designated place for the instruments to be placed, so that there would be a passage for the crew members to walk around without colliding with anything.

After Cara's words, everyone noticed how Clare had very casually set up her instrument in a way that blocked the corner of the passage.

ALL the individuals present were seasoned experts in this domain, well- versed in the intricacies of stage performance.

In an instant, they discerned that Cara bore no responsibility for the issue.

Clare sensed an anomaly as the audience cast her peculiar glances.

However, she didn't feel guilty at all. In fact, she appeared even angrier!

“Cara, what insinuation is this? Are you saying I deliberately blocked your path?

Well, Mr. Clarkson, I'm truly astonished by your assistant's audacity. As the solo performer for this concert, I should make way for you. Is that what you are trying to say, huh? Perhaps you'd like to take my place at the concert! I'm curious whether the audience would embrace such a change or not

Hearing this, Cara's countenance drained of color, her eyes welling up with tears. She dared not utter another word.

An introverted soul by nature, Cara's mind was now consumed by the thought that Clare's departure could jeopardize the entire concert, casting her as the culprit.

Seeing Cara was crying, Clare felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction, her earlier Internet-induced agitation dissipating.

“Well, there's no need to make a fuss over such a trivial matter," Atwood finally interjected with a furrowed brow.

In truth, Atwood had considered admonishing Clare for her recklessness. The blame clearly did not lie with Cara.

Yet, Atwood recognized Clare's solo performance as the concert's linchpin. To ensure its success, he opted to indulge Clare.

Despite his years in the music industry, Atwood understood that talents varied among individuals. He excelled in conducting and playing the piano, making it inappropriate for him to reprimand Clare, a rising star in the realm of the Ancient Zither performance.