“Humph! I will make all of you regret it!" As Clare settled into the driver's seat of her car in the underground parking lot, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. Glancing at the screen, she saw that it was from the Musicians' Association.

Ignoring the persistent ringing of her phone, Clare made a deliberate choice not to answer the call.

“Maria's talent surpasses mine, so what? Atwood said that Maria didn't have time to perform on the stage. No one in the country can play those musical pieces other than me," Clare muttered to herself, a hint of arrogance lacing her words.

Clare felt complacent again, finding solace in the fact that she was the only one capable of performing those pieces in the entire country.

"That's right!" said Clare.

Clare believed she made the right decision, even though quitting at that critical moment would be considered inappropriate.

Compared with her wrongdoing, the sponsor was more concerned about whether the concert could go smoothly or not.

"I'm the only one who can perform the music scores," Clare murmured, assuming that they would have no choice but to come to her in the end.

Clare narrowed her eyes.

“But this time, I won't perform unless they compensate me very well.

Clare's vehicle sparkled with opulence, a luxurious sports car draped in deep burgundy.

Pushing down hard on the accelerator, she blazed through the city's lively streets, maintaining a breakneck pace.

In a mere twenty minutes, Clare was pulling up at her home.

Nestled in the upscale residential enclave of Broome, Clare's comfortable abode was a testament to her parents’ wealth, with a price tag of nearly a hundred thousand dollars per square meter.

Clare quipped, “Well, here comes call number five."

During her homeward journey, Clare's phone was a persistent source of disturbance.

Each ignored call seemed to bolster Clare's odd sense of satisfaction.

“You want me to go back for the concert? Humph! I must make you pay for it this time!" Clare gave a contemptuous look.

However, considering the persistent calls hailed from the prestigious Musicians' Association, Clare knew she couldn't keep dodging them without repercussions.

Clare thought to herself that she could make a negotiation with them about her return to the rehearsal and the performance as well as the compensation when they called her again.

Surprisingly, the calls ceased altogether for Clare.

Half an hour dragged by in anticipation, yet her phone remained silent.

“What's happening? Why didn't they call me?" Clare furrowed her brow, speaking to herself while pondering.

Clare's frown deepened as she began to suspect the cause.