Chapter 42: A Trigger
As Henry had said, Jay was intermittently insane—better to just ignore him. Auntie Sterling, sensing Sonya’s concern, quickly reassured her. “Jay’s just a bachelor who gets riled up whenever someone mentions marriage. Don’t worry about it, he’ll calm down.”
Leaving Simon’s eatery, Henry carried the jujubes he had picked. Once home, they sat in the second-floor sunroom, backs against each other, reading quietly and enjoying the last rays of the setting sun. They had planned to cook dinner together, but Henry’s phone rang.
“It’s about a business deal. I’m deciding whether to give the other party a chance,” he said.
Since it was work-related, Sonya didn’t pry. Shortly after Henry left, Lily Lane called, inviting her for drinks at Jake Parker’s bar.
“You stood me up last time,” Lily huffed.
“I got drunk and forgot to call you. I just left,” Lily explained.
“I’m pretty tired, actually,” Sonya replied.
“I miss you,” Lily whined.
“Fine, I’ll go.”
The bar was closed, but one private room was lit.
“Sonya, over here!” Lily waved from the bar.
Sonya nodded. “Why aren’t you open?”
Lily pointed to the lit room. “Jake Parker said he’s hosting an important client tonight.”
Sonya sat beside Lily. “Is Jake Parker in there?”
“And Leo Jones,” Lily paused, then added, “and Julian Jennings.”
Sonya frowned at the mention of his name.
“I didn’t know he’d be here,” Lily quickly explained.
“It’s fine,” Sonya replied.
Lily Lane’s face was flushed from the alcohol; she had clearly been drinking a bit already.
“How’s filming going?” Sonya asked.
Lily Lane sighed. “I transferred to Group A.”
“Is Luna Stone giving you a hard time?”
“It’s manageable, but Director Davis has high standards. Every take of my scenes is a retake; the pressure’s intense.”
Sonya patted Lily Lane’s shoulder. “You haven’t acted in years; it takes time to adjust.”
“Teacher Sullivan is really helpful. She occasionally gives me acting tips. Oh, you know Teacher Sullivan?”
“I know her, but we’re not close.”
Lily Lane hugged Sonya. “Teacher Sullivan is only being nice to me because of you.”
“Really?”
“She mentions you all the time, asking about you. I think she wants you to be her daughter-in-law.”
Sonya laughed. “Does Teacher Sullivan have a son?”
“She did, but…” Lily paused, thinking. “He passed away.”
Sonya’s heart sank as Lily continued. “There was a car accident. His fiancée was with him.”
Sonya remembered hearing about the accident but had never looked into it further. Linda had clearly been through a lot.
At that moment, Chef Stone rushed out of the kitchen, asking Sonya to deliver a freshly prepared dish to the private room.
“We’re closed, and nobody’s here. I’m the only one in the kitchen, I’m swamped!” He scurried back to the kitchen.
“I’ll go,” Lily Lane offered.
“No, I’ll go. You’re drunk.”
“Okay, just don’t bonk Julian Jennings on the head.”
“I just wish I didn’t know him,” Sonya muttered as she carried the dish toward the private room.
She heard lively chatter as she approached. Opening the door, she froze. Sitting across from each other, lounging and smoking, was Henry. He stiffened, instantly sitting up straight when he saw her.
Before he could say anything, Julian Jennings cut in.
“Who says all the girls in school liked you? Some of us liked me, too.” Julian Jennings glared at Henry before pointing at Sonya. “She loves me, madly. Even if I didn’t marry her, she’d have stayed with me for eight years.”
It was a joke, but Jake Parker and Leo Jones frowned.
“Julian, don’t talk nonsense. You’re about to get married,” Jake Parker warned.
But Julian, seemingly fueled by something, continued. “I am getting married, but she still loves me. She’d rather be my mistress than leave me.”
“Julian, you’re drunk.” Leo Jones reached for Julian’s glass, but he shoved him away, slamming it on the table.
“Sonya, pour me a drink,” Julian demanded.
Sonya took a deep breath, placed the dish on the table, and grabbed the bottle, pouring it directly over Julian Jennings’s head.
Everyone was stunned. Henry reacted first, clapping with laughter.
Julian, humiliated, yelled at Sonya. “Are you crazy?!”
Before Sonya could respond, Henry grabbed a pack of cigarettes and threw it at Julian.
“Cut the crap!” Henry snapped.
Julian’s eyes widened with fury. Jake Parker and Leo Jones quickly intervened, wiping Julian’s face and trying to calm Sonya down.
Henry, with a long drag from his cigarette, flicked the ash and looked at Julian Jennings. “Julian, we’re old classmates. About this deal, I’ll give you face, but…” He paused, letting the tension build. “Let’s have a drinking contest. If you win, you can sign with Reynolds tomorrow.”
Julian stood up abruptly. “Forget the deal. Tonight, I’m going to drink you under the table!”
Henry chuckled, then looked at Sonya. “Please, pretty lady, get us some more drinks.”
Sonya frowned, about to speak, but Henry winked at her.
“It’s fine. He’s definitely going down.”
Leo Jones went with Sonya to fetch more drinks, explaining the history between Henry and Julian Jennings. “They’re childhood friends. Their families were close, so they hung out together from kindergarten through high school. But in middle school, Henry had some trouble, missed a lot of school, and had to repeat a grade. In high school, we knew Henry through Julian. Henry was brilliant, handsome, and a great fighter—loyal and fun. He had tons of friends. But one time, he and Julian fought… Julian got beat up badly and needed surgery. After that, they stopped talking. We drifted away from Henry. We only heard later that he studied abroad.”
Childhood friends? Sonya felt a headache coming on.
