"My entire social media feed is flooded with posts about this incredible violinist. My notifications haven't stopped for three days straight."
"Ms. Langley, do you know anything about her? Could you share some details?"
Better than her? Victoria's thoughts immediately flew to Amy. Within Newhaven's elite circles, few could match Amy's musical talent.
"Who is she?" Victoria asked automatically.
"That's exactly why I'm asking you, Ms. Langley. Nobody seems to know her identity."
Victoria hesitated briefly before responding, "Forward me any photos or clips you have. Let me see this mystery musician."
Moments later, a video appeared on Victoria's phone. It showed Amy performing at the competition - flawless, breathtaking, utterly mesmerizing.
The memory of being humiliated by Amy still burned fresh in Victoria's mind. Worse still was seeing Alexander's rapt attention fixed on Amy during the performance, stirring unfamiliar pangs of jealousy.
This woman she'd dismissed as talentless had not only proved her wrong but surpassed all expectations. Even at Solmaris Conservatory, such skill would be extraordinary. Yet Victoria was certain she'd never seen Amy there.
As for the Conservatory's Hall of Fame... Victoria smirked. No matter how talented Amy might be, she couldn't possibly have her name among those legendary musicians. To Victoria, that honor remained an unattainable dream.
It never occurred to her that Amy might be listed under a different name. Everyone at Solmaris used English names - including herself. How would she recognize "Amy Sinclair" among the distinguished alumni?
Suddenly, Victoria remembered Nathan's plan to publicly humiliate Amy. Her expression darkened as she dialed his number immediately.
When Nathan checked the trending topics after her call, he nearly shattered his phone in rage.
"Are you kidding me? The stream was barely six minutes long! I cut it off, and now Amy's going viral?"
Amy's rise to fame was meteoric. While Victoria had needed Nathan and Alexander's considerable influence to amass a million followers, Amy achieved the same in mere days.
Nathan, unable to stomach Amy's success, snapped, "I'll have my team suppress the hashtags and scrub all mentions of Amy online."
"Don't worry, darling. As long as I'm here, she'll never outshine you."
Victoria bit her lip. "But Amy was involved in that major scandal recently. What if-"
Nathan cut her off. "The internet has the memory of a goldfish. Prescott Media already erased all traces of Amy's previous exposure. It's like it never happened."
"Once the buzz dies, people will forget. And if anyone recognizes her, we'll simply claim it's a case of mistaken identity."
"In a country of millions, doppelgängers are perfectly common, aren't they?"
The Prescott family controlled nearly half the entertainment industry. Most of the positive publicity surrounding Victoria and Alexander's relationship had been carefully crafted by Nathan's media empire.
Any negative stories about Amy? Also his handiwork. Yet somehow, Amy had managed to bypass Prescott Industries' extensive network and released that damning video of Victoria's sabotage - catching Nathan completely off guard.