Evelyn hurried after Seraphina, grabbing her bag and angrily whacking the thief on the head. "That's for stealing our tickets! Why didn't you take my bag instead? F*ck! You had a bag, yet you went for the ticket instead! I'll bash your head in, you freaking thief!" "Mercy! Have mercy!" the thief cried, his voice pitiful as he begged for forgiveness. Security guards rushed over, pulling the thief away from Evelyn and restraining him. "Hand over the tickets," Evelyn demanded. "They're in my pocket," the thief admitted. Evelyn wasted no time, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the tickets. Her face darkened when she saw them. One ticket was perfectly intact, but the other had a torn QR code, rendering it unusable. Fuming, Evelyn glared at the thief. "You ruined my ticket! This was a VIP ticket!" They were practically impossible to get.The thief looked regretful, not because of the damaged ticket but because he missed out on selling it for a fortune. Had he not been caught, the ticket could have fetched tens of thousands. The police took the thief into custody, leaving Evelyn looking dejected and frustrated. Seraphina placed the intact ticket in Evelyn's hand. "The concert's about to start. Go on inside." Seraphina wasn't concerned about missing the concert. After all, she wasn't a fan of Thomas Foster. But Evelyn didn't see it that way. They had come together, and leaving her friend outside felt like a betrayal. "Forget it. I'm not going either." Her voice was heavy with disappointment. She had been looking forward to this concert for so long. "Don't be silly." Seraphina thought for a moment. Then, she approached the ticket booth with the damaged ticket. "This ticket is real. You can verify it. It was damaged during a robbery. Could you make an exception?"The ticket inspector shook his head firmly. "No exceptions." Evelyn joined in, trying to persuade the inspector. "You saw the thief get caught right outside! The ticket is legitimate." But no matter how much they pleaded, the inspector refused to budge. "The concert's starting. Just go in," Seraphina said, pushing Evelyn toward the entrance. Evelyn hesitated but then grabbed her phone, muttering angrily, "This is all because of that phone call. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!" Meanwhile, Dora and Michael had been repeatedly calling, but no one answered. Just as they were about to give up, Evelyn's callback came through. They exchanged a hopeful glance, and Dora quickly put the phone on speaker. "Evelyn, it's Dora." "Barnes?" Evelyn frowned at the name. She didn't know Dora well, so she couldn't understand why she'd be calling. Already in a foul mood, Evelyn snapped, "This better be important. Otherwise, you'll regret bothering me." "It is! Very important!" Dora said quickly. "Can you give me Seraphina's number? I need to speak with her urgently—it's a matter of life and death." "You need Seraphina?" Evelyn asked suspiciously, glancing at her friend. Seraphina reached for the phone. "This is Seraphina Valewyn." Michael's voice came through immediately. "Hello, Miss Valewyn. I'm Michael Chovak, Thomas Foster's manager. We're in desperate need of a pianist for his concert. Thomas heard you play and was very impressed. Could you help us out and accompany him for one song? Just one piece. Would that be possible?"