Chapter 290

"Serena, I just saw your post. Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Clara Fernandez asked, her tone warm but laced with concern.

Serena Cole’s voice carried a quiet resignation as she replied, "When you called before, the first thing you told me was that I was barred from the Owathe concert."

"I didn’t even get the chance to explain everything to you."

Because of those two photos, the orchestra had removed her from the performance, citing negative publicity, and replaced her with her understudy.

When Serena first received the news, she had been in a state of utter panic.

The person who had been scheming against her had been eyeing her position for months, pulling strings behind the scenes. Serena had always managed to thwart her rival’s attempts—until now. If her opponent succeeded this time, it would undoubtedly jeopardize Serena’s future in the orchestra.

Despite her desperate efforts to change the orchestra’s decision, Serena had hit a wall. It was then that she realized she needed to tackle the root of the problem. Fortunately, she had resolved it—for now.

After hearing Serena’s explanation, Clara’s response was noticeably uneasy. "Uh… Well, I’m glad we’ve cleared up this misunderstanding! I never believed you’d do something like that, Serena. Knowing you, it just didn’t add up. It’s a relief to know it was all a mistake. I have a few things to handle here, so I’ll have to go now."

"Alright, Clara. See you at the orchestra." With that, Serena ended the call.

Dylan Reeves turned to her. "Did you sort things out with the orchestra?"

"Yes." Serena nodded, gratitude softening her expression. "Dylan, it was your quick thinking that made this possible. Without you, I wouldn’t have known what to do."

Dylan shook his head, his expression tinged with guilt. "Honestly, part of this is my fault. If I hadn’t taken those photos and sent them to Evelyn, none of this would’ve happened."

Serena quickly reassured him. "Don’t think like that. You had good intentions."

"And because of me, you got dragged into this mess with your father—even lost a project. If anyone should apologize, it’s me."

Dylan fell silent. The sting of losing the East District deal still weighed heavily on him.

After a moment, he spoke carefully. "Serena, for now, you should stay away from Nathan."

Serena’s expression shifted slightly as she understood his concern—that provoking Nathan and Gregory Thornton further would only make things worse. Avoiding conflict was the wisest move.

"Okay, I understand," she agreed quietly.

Dylan offered a small smile. "Evelyn and Nathan are getting divorced soon. Once he’s single, no one can criticize you for being near him."

Serena forced a smile, though it lacked warmth. A question nagged at her—would Nathan and Evelyn actually go through with the divorce this time? The answer remained uncertain.

To everyone else, the matter seemed settled. But then, the unexpected announcement from Triumph Consortium sent shockwaves through them all.