0.1 | No Exit from Deception ✓

Epilogue

After one year

"Alex, I'm repeating: shift the drum set to the left. Madame Elizabeth wants to get each corner of the studio space utilized. Got it?" Ember took a swig of her avocado juice as her tension surpassed a manageable level.

Winded by the blow of the inefficiency of the staff, she stepped back and almost was going to bump into her mistress.

"Careful Ember!"

"Oh, good evening Madame Elizabeth." Ember intuitively touched her strawberry curls. "Here's the final list of sixteen students out of all applications we have received over the weekend." Ember handed over the sheet of enrollment to Elizabeth, her lips pressed in a bright smile.

A year had taught Elizabeth the art of living with the other equally lovable and frustrating prongs of doing something. Far from finding love again, this time she geared up to achieve something big in her life, all on her own. Perhaps, chasing her new dreams. As someone who was gifted with a soulful voice and was a performer before, Elizabeth went on to open a small school to foster a love of music in others too.

Through the palisade of her long lashes, her eyes skimmed over the names in bold italics and stopped at one person's name: 'Madison Holden'. Her heart missed a beat stealthily. Joseph, whom she'd loved crazily had unfortunately never wished to become a reason for lighting up her phone with a message or a call. He disappeared like a disappointment. Part of her contended there was something that he had jam-packed to his heart and took the wrong decision of walking out of her life like a wayfarer.

Still, she wanted to see if she could forgive him and was ready to hear his reasons, his justifications. But, only if he cared to backtrack himself at the mansion.

"Um . . . so when are they all coming?" Elizabeth asked in a thick tone as she used her thumb to mend the crack on the right-most corner of the sheet.

"From Friday. If you are okay with it?" The restive girl said and pushed her glasses back. She crinkled her nose, peering through the yellow lenses that looked more yellowish than the signal light.

"Anyway, I'm not satisfied with the haunting wall designs. The walls should be of vivid colors with an outlay of different musical instruments. We want them to feel like it is a fun place, not a courtroom. And remove the podium from the center, please I don't wish to create a distance between the teachers and the students."

Ember gulped and noted everything in her notepad in a spidery writing style. "Anything else Madam?"

"Yes. Have you contacted the piano teacher? Last time it was very disappointing to know that he couldn't attend the interview because his nephew had the flu." Elizabeth stopped in her tracks and added intensely, "Replace him with another."

"But why? I heard he is one of those veteran professionals who have performed at big events. You should reconsider him."

"A few days back, I'd sent the manager with a doctor to see if his nephew really had the flu and we could give him a treatment. A drastically shattering fact arose, he never had a nephew. He had skipped the interview only to stand in a big queue outside of a liquor shop and buy a keg of beer due to the temporary closure of these shops in his area." Elizabeth scoffed and shoved the sheet at her face. She raised her eyebrow and gave her a once overlook. "I hate liars."

"Noted."

Elizabeth floundered outside of the huge room and the guardsmen who secured their posts bowed down. She strode hastily as she saw the time on her phone screen.

"Oh, no. I'm so late!" She yelled at the drop of a hat as she felt two arms squeezing her tiny waist and spinning her body around until he felt vertigo himself. After two rounds of revolving with the unidentifiable guy, as her feet kissed the floor, she crouched low with her head between her hands. "Tash! I hate your surprises!"