BuzzNovelChapter 423
Stella felt her cheeks burn with shat Mr. Walden's words.
There was nothing she could say to defend herself.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "You're right... All of this is my fault. | gave up too easily, and
only then did | realize how wrong | was. Mr. Walden, | promise you-l won't walk away so lightly ever again.
Please... would you consider givinganother chance?"
Mr. Walden's expression was unreadable, his tone measured. "Ms. Cameron, | already gave you that chance.
You're the one who let it slip through your fingers. This isn't the kind of place where you can just cand go as
you please-show up when you feel like it, and turn your back when you don't."
He paused, and Stella's heart clenched. "You gavea chance?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"When was that?"
Mr. Walden looked at her with piercing eyes. "Not long ago. | saw something special in you, so | reached out and
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtasked to meet."
He glanced at Haynes, who stood awkwardly nearby.
"Your husband met within your place. He toldyou were too busy with the O'Briens, and turned down my
invitation."
Stella whipped around to face Haynes, disbelief flickering in her eyes. "You met with Mr. Walden for me?"
Haynes' gaze darted away, unable to meet hers.
She didn't need a confession. Haynes had turned Mr. Walden down on her behalf -without ever telling her.
But now was not the tto argue. She forced herself to swallow her anger and turned back to Mr. Walden. "I'm
so sorry. | had no idea. If you'd only—"
Mr. Walden raised a hand, silencing her. "I'm old, Ms. Cameron. | don't have the energy | once did. Long ago, |
decided | would take on just one last student."
His stern demeanor softened as he glanced at Rachel, standing quietly by his side. "Rachel here is my final
protégée."
Rachel offered a gentle smile. "Thank you, sir."
Mr. Walden nodded, pride and affection in his eyes. "Rachel may not have your natural talent, but she loves
music with all her heart. She's never stopped working, never let her illness win. Over the years, I've chosen
many students with remarkable gifts-but what good is talent without dedication?"
He let his words settle in the room. "I'll admit, I've made mistakes. | once turned away sstudents who lacked
raw talent but worked harder than anyone. Now, they're thriving in their fields-successful, fulfilled. And those |
chose for their genius? Most walked away, distracted by marriage or convinced they were too gifted to need real
effort. The moment they failed, they gave up, and in the end, amounted to nothing."
He drew in a slow breath. "That's why, with my last student, | decided to do things differently."
The sharpness in his gaze faded, replaced by a gentle kindness.
Stella opened her mouth, desperate to plead her case, but the words caught in
her throat. She understood, painfully, that sopportunities only conce. If you miss them, they're gone.
Perhaps yesterday, Mr. Walden had been open to taking on one more exceptional student. Today, something had
changed his mind. And now, his last student had already been chosen.
The hope in Stella's eyes slowly faded.
Just then, Noah, who'd been silent until now, spoke up. "Mr. Walden, Ms. Cameron truly didn't know about your
invitation. If she had, she never would have turned you down."
Mr. Walden seemed to understand now how things had unfolded. He offered a gentle, regretful smile. "I'm sorry,
but | won't be accepting any more students."
Noah persisted, his voice earnest. "Ms. Cameron's talent is rare, and
her love for music hasn't faded.
Even if you can't take her on aset
student-perhaps you could offer her sguidance, help a lost soul find her way again?"
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