Elena quickly stepped away from the auditorium door.
Her heart was beating faster than it should have.
She returned to the piano bench, trying to look as calm as possible, even though her mind was racing with everything she had just heard.
Engagement.
Dinner between the Volkovs and the Orlovs.
Adrian being summoned like he had no choice.
She pressed her fingers lightly against the piano keys, though she didn't play.
Footsteps approached the doorway again.
A second later, Adrian walked back into the auditorium.
His expression had changed.
The quiet softness from earlier had disappeared, replaced by the distant, controlled look he always wore in public.
Cold.
Untouchable.
Elena suddenly wondered if she had imagined the version of him who had stood there listening to her music.
"Who were they?" she asked before she could stop herself.
Adrian stopped a few feet away from the stage.
"That's none of your concern."
The words were calm.
But the tone was noticeably colder than before.
Elena blinked.
The change in his attitude caught her off guard.
A few minutes ago, they had been talking almost comfortably.
Now it felt like a wall had suddenly appeared between them.
"I wasn't trying to interfere," she said quietly.
"You already did."
The sharpness in his reply surprised even him.
Elena looked down at her hands.
"I didn't mean to."
Adrian ran a hand through his hair in quiet frustration.
The problem wasn't Elena.
The problem was the conversation he had just had in the hallway.
His father rarely sent men to the academy unless something serious was happening.
Which meant tonight's dinner wasn't just a family gathering.
It was business.
And Seraphina would be there.
Adrian exhaled slowly and forced his voice to calm again.
"You should go home," he said.
Elena looked up at him.
"You always do that."
Adrian frowned slightly.
"Do what?"
"You shut people out."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
For a moment, the air between them felt dangerously quiet.
Most people would never speak to Adrian Volkov that way.
But Elena wasn't thinking about his reputation.
She was thinking about the boy who had stood outside the auditorium listening to music like it meant something to him.
Adrian studied her carefully.
"You think you know me?" he asked.
"No," Elena admitted honestly.
"But I want to."
That answer caught him off guard.
Elena leaned forward slightly on the piano bench.
"You listen to music like it matters to you," she continued.
"You stand outside the auditorium instead of walking away."
Her voice softened.
"You used to play the piano."
Adrian's eyes darkened.
"And?"
Elena hesitated.
"And people don't give up something they love for no reason."
The room grew quiet again.
Adrian looked at the piano.
At the keys he hadn't touched in years.
"You're very curious," he said.
Elena smiled faintly.
"I'm a musician. Curiosity is part of the job."
Adrian shook his head slightly.
"That curiosity will get you into trouble."
Elena tilted her head.
"Is that a warning?"
"Yes."
"But you keep talking to me."
Adrian didn't answer that.
Because he didn't know the answer himself.
Most people avoided him.
Feared him.
Followed him because of his power.
Elena did none of those things.
She simply... talked to him.
Like he was normal.
Like he was just another student sitting in the auditorium.
Elena slid off the piano bench and stood.
She picked up her music notebook and held it against her chest again.
"Are you going to that dinner tonight?" she asked quietly.
Adrian's eyes flickered toward her.
The question confirmed something he had suspected.
"You were listening."
Elena looked embarrassed.
"The door was open."
Adrian sighed quietly.
"Yes," he said.
"I'm going."
Elena nodded slowly.
"With Seraphina."
It wasn't really a question.
Adrian didn't confirm it.
But he didn't deny it either.
For some reason, that silence made Elena's chest feel strangely heavy.
"Well," she said, forcing a small smile, "I guess I should stop asking questions that aren't my business."
She walked toward the stage steps.
When she reached the bottom, she paused.
"Adrian?"
He looked at her.
"You shouldn't give up music forever."
The statement was simple.
But sincere.
Adrian didn't respond.
Elena gave a small wave before walking toward the auditorium doors.
Her footsteps slowly faded down the hallway.
Adrian remained where he was.
The auditorium felt larger and emptier without her there.
After a long moment, his gaze returned to the grand piano on stage.
He walked slowly toward it.
The soft light reflected across the polished keys.
For years, he had avoided this instrument.
Avoided the memories that came with it.
But tonight, Elena's words echoed in his mind.
You shouldn't give up music forever.
Adrian sat down on the piano bench.
His fingers hovered above the keys.
Just like they used to.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he pressed one key.
The single note echoed quietly through the empty auditorium.
Adrian closed his eyes.
He hadn't played in years.
Yet somehow, his fingers still remembered.
Outside the auditorium hallway, Elena paused mid-step.
She turned slowly.
The faint sound of piano music drifted through the open doors behind her.
Her eyes widened slightly.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Because the boy who said he didn't play anymore...
was playing.