The band finished rehearsing all the pieces except for the solo, and

Maria patiently expressed her opinions to each of them. Surprisingly, more than two hours had passed by since they began.

Everyone understood that a concert's duration should be roughly equivalent to that of a film, ideally capping at two hours.

Within that timeframe, there were various parts of the concert, like announcements, a break, interviews with the film crew, and more. Then, of course, came the solo renditions of the soundtracks.

As the original composer of the soundtracks, Maria swayed all who were there with her insights.

Atwood, visibly impressed, remarked, "As conductors, we aim to grasp the tale behind the tune, articulating it through our orchestration.

But now that I've heard your comments, Maria, I realize I still have a long way to go in the music field."

"You're being too modest. If I were in your shoes, I couldn't possibly fathom the inner world of a musician I've never encountered, much less interpret the compositions."

At that moment, Atwood admired Maria more than ever and nodded several times, pleased to have met Maria face to face.

It was then that everyone realized something. Clare had been noticeably absent during the rehearsals.

Her solo piece came from the film adaptation of “Female Military

Counsellor," a melody that captivated audiences. It was the crowning glory of the concert.

Atwood couldn't help but feel a touch of irritation when he noticed

Clare's obliviousness to the gravity of her role.

"Clare, you're up," Atwood declared, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"I..." Clare would like to retort that she didn't want to perform for Maria.

However, the reality of her binding contract flashed before her eyes.

She had to follow the sponsor's directives, including submitting to

Maria's review.

To some, this was a golden opportunity, but Clare found it humiliating.

Would she now have to perform for Maria? And would Maria then turn around and troll her online, just as she had done before? Was Maria actually behind one of those criticisms on her post?

Just thinking about Maria probably insulting her on the Internet had put Clare in a foul mood.

But she still took her seat behind the instrument and hovered her hands over the strings.

Clang!