Chapter 40
A woman in an apron emerged from the kitchen, balancing a baby in one arm and a case of beer in the other.
“Table four, stir-fried conch!” she shouted.
She handed the beer to a group of students, tossing them a bottle opener. “Sorry, we’re swamped! I’ll give you a discount later.” She chatted with them before glancing up—and freezing in surprise.
“Dr. Ella! What a surprise!”
She rushed over, handing the baby to Henry without hesitation.
“You should’ve called! I would have met you at the alley!” She wiped her hands on her apron before reaching for Sonya.
Sonya shook her hand. “Sister Sterling, no need to be so formal.”
“Come home with me! My husband will cook. We’ll treat you well,” Mrs. Sterling said enthusiastically, already pulling Sonya toward her house.
She was so focused on Sonya that she completely ignored Henry.
“Sister-in-law, do I not exist?” Henry asked dryly.
Mrs. Sterling finally looked at him. “Henry! You’re back?”
“Yesterday. I—”
Before he could finish, she stuffed the baby back into his arms.
“Hold Mia,” she said. “Let me get Ella settled first.” Then she turned to Sonya. “Let me introduce you two.”
Pointing at Henry, she said, “This is Henry. He works for a big company, makes a lot of money, and is ridiculously handsome! Better looking than those TV stars!”
Then, pointing at Sonya, she said to Henry, “And this is Dr. Ella from Haichuan Hospital. She saved both Mia and me. It was critical—no one dared to take the case. Thank God for Dr. Ella!”
She nudged Henry. “Isn’t she beautiful? And kind too! Any man who marries her is incredibly lucky.”
Sonya blushed. “It was just my duty as a doctor.”
Henry chuckled. “Saozi, are you trying to set me up with Dr. Ella?”
Mrs. Sterling smacked his arm. “Behave yourself! Don’t scare her.”
Everyone laughed.
“What are you two laughing about?”
Henry took Sonya’s hand and held it up for Mrs. Sterling to see.
“You two…”
“We got our marriage license this morning. We’re practically an old married couple now,” Henry announced.
Mrs. Sterling’s jaw dropped. “Really?” She looked at Sonya, trying to confirm, half-expecting Henry to be joking.
Sonya nodded. “Really.”
Mrs. Sterling beamed. “Wonderful! I have to tell Simon!” She rushed inside excitedly.
Henry looked at Sonya. “Our fate was destined.”
Sonya teased Mia, who was reaching for her. “Maybe we’ve met before. I studied at MIT for eight years, and you visited here often.”
Mia had been born premature. One night, Mrs. Sterling started bleeding due to overwork, and Simon rushed her to the hospital. Sonya had been on duty. With severe preeclampsia and hemorrhaging, both mother and baby were in danger. Two doctors refused the case, but Sonya stepped up. The surgery lasted six or seven hours, and miraculously, both survived. Since then, Mrs. Sterling often brought Mia to visit Sonya, making them familiar with each other.
Mia stubbornly reached for Sonya, ignoring Henry’s attempts to get her attention.
“Hey, look who it is! I’m your Godfather!” Henry tried again.
Sonya took the baby and kissed his forehead. “You’re Mia’s Godfather?”
“Self-proclaimed.”
Sonya smiled. “Then I guess I’m the Godmother?”
“Definitely.”
They walked into the restaurant. Even though Simon was busy, he made time to come out and congratulate them.
“Order whatever you want. It’s on me.”
Henry smirked. “We weren’t planning on paying anyway.”
Simon laughed. “My brother is shameless. Takes after me.”
Their bond was obvious, but Sonya couldn’t help but wonder—how did a scruffy restaurant owner and an elite businessman become so close?
Henry handed Mia back to Mrs. Sterling and took Sonya upstairs. The second floor was clean and well-organized.
“Brother Sterling’s family lives here, but I have a room too,” he explained.
He led her to a room at the far end. It was small, with a single bed and a large bookshelf stuffed with books. The walls were decorated with basketball posters and model race cars—a typical teenage boy’s room.
“In middle school, I ran away from home. Brother Sterling found me, and I stayed with him. Simon, Jay, Smith… we were thirteen or fourteen, reckless, always getting into trouble. Our biggest worry was where our next meal would come from,” Henry said, smiling at the memory.
Sonya sat beside him, and he pulled her into his arms.
“Why did you run away?” she asked.
“Because of my father. I wanted to study music, go to a music school. He didn’t agree—he smashed my guitar. Back then, I didn’t understand my parents. I felt they had no right to control my life. So, I ran away. Later, I regretted it.”
“Huh?”
“Smith was the oldest in our group. He had a younger sister. One night, she needed surgery for appendicitis, but he didn’t have the money. He didn’t tell us. Instead, he tried to rob someone… and was stabbed to death.”
Sonya’s breath hitched. She noticed Henry’s hands trembling slightly, so she hugged him tighter. The pain in his voice told her how deeply this had affected him.
“After that, I went home, followed my parents’ plans, went to a top middle and high school, then studied abroad,” Henry continued.
Sonya didn’t know what to say to comfort him. Instead, she kissed his chin gently.
Henry smiled, then kissed her lips before pulling her onto his single bed.
Before anything could happen, a loud knock interrupted them.
“Henry! Jay’s fighting someone at the warehouse!”
Henry let out a frustrated sigh and released Sonya.
“Go eat. I’ll be right back.”
Sonya grabbed his arm. “Don’t be impulsive!”
Henry grinned. “Don’t worry!”
And with that, he was gone.
