Tilda shot her a look. "Frustrating? Sounds to me like you're enjoying the slow burn."

Corrine cupped her face and giggled. "Tilda, stop calling me out! You're making me blush."

Tilda sighed. Corrine was such a drama queen.

She could've gone into showbiz, not just music.

It was the first day Glenn met with his two new students. There was no formal lesson—just an introduction to the studio, some light theory.

He also set a list of daily practice tasks. Two hours later, he dismissed Rita and Sloane.

They left the studio together and waited for a taxi by the curb.

Rita turned to Sloane with a smile. "So, you're Lyndon's cousin?"

They'd chatted a bit during the break.

When Rita caught Sloane's surname, she couldn't help asking about her ties to the Fernandez family. So she discovered Sloane's identity.

Sloane nodded. "Yeah, lucky me. Tilda knew I was looking for a teacher and helped me get introduced. That's how Mr. Cortez agreed to take me on." She tilted her head slightly. "What about you? Who got you in?"

Rita gave another polite smile. "I was Lucky too. Lyndon recommended me to Mr. Cortez."

Her words confirmed Sloane's suspicion.

She smiled sweetly, but her thoughts were already drifting. Lyndon deserved an earful for this.

Feigning innocence, Sloane asked, "Rita, how do you know Lyndon? You're really pretty... Are you his mistress?"

Right at that moment, two young women walked past.

Hearing those words, they glanced at Rita with a look of subtle disdain.

Rita froze, face stiffening slightly. That stung.

She had her pride. Even if she did have hopes of rising from mistress to wife someday, she didn't want it thrown in her face like that.

Just as she was about to respond, Sloane burst into a giggle and covered her mouth. "Oh my gosh-listen to me! What a thing to say. Lyndon's not that kind of guy. I'm sure there's a real reason he helped you out, right?"

Rita forced a smile. "I saved his life once. So when he found out I wanted to be Mr. Cortez's student, he gave me a hand."

"Oh, so that's how you play it, huh? Calling in a favor just to pull strings?" Sloane tilted her head, playing the part of innocence effortlessly.

Rita caught the undertone immediately. She wasn't naive. Sloane was clearly mocking her.

Her expression hardened, the fake friendliness dropping from her face.