Chapter 246: Doing This Kind of Thing In Secret
Sophia changed the subject. "Do you remember what day it is tomorrow?"
Jerry looked perplexed. “What’s tomorrow?”
Sophia’s exasperation was palpable. “It's your birthday! The perfect occasion, Jerry! You can finally ask Hope out and introduce her to your friends.”
Jerry shrugged with indifference. “I forgot. We’ll see.”
Sophia wasn't having it. “What do you mean? I’ll handle the reservations and notify your friends. You better have a few drinks, muster up some courage, and make your move!”
After ending the call, Jerry noticed the cleaner had just finished and left. He endured the persistent pain in his legs as he slowly made his way into the bathroom, retrieving the robe Hope had left behind. Examining it to ensure it was dry, he carefully folded it and placed it on the bedside table beside the quaint, albeit unattractive, bunny money box.
The money box held sentimental value. The original was crafted by a young Hope two decades ago, and the one now resting on the table was her more recent creation.
Jerry’s fingers traced its familiar contours, a sudden idea sparking in his mind. He made a quick call. “Heather, can you check something for me?”
Heather’s response was prompt. “Sure, what do you need?”
"Check if there's any record of Hope entering or leaving the country two years ago."
"Hope? Didn't you and she..."
Jerry interrupted sharply. "Heather, this is none of your business."
"Sorry. When do you need it?"
"As soon as possible!"
Setting down the phone, his thoughts became more coherent. Hope had asserted she wasn’t with Christopher during those two years, yet she remained elusive. The only logical explanation was that she must have gone abroad. If she had, it would be far easier to trace her footsteps, conveniently out of Christopher’s orbit.
As evening descended, I had just finished bathing Nolan and looked up to see Elissa walking in, her face clouded with discontent. “Trouble with the shop negotiation?”
Elissa’s purpose in Maple Valley was to secure retail space for ElevateJoy’s burgeoning offline presence, a strategic move for the company’s growth. She had an appointment with the shopping center manager that afternoon.
Standing in front of the air conditioner, she let out a heavy sigh. “To say it didn’t go well would be an understatement. It was a fiasco. They outright refused our proposal.”
"Why?"
Elissa shook her head. "I don't know."
"Then why did they even agree to meet with you?" I demanded, incredulity coloring my tone.
Elissa huffed in frustration. "Must be out of their minds."
Rolling her eyes, she added, "That person had the nerve to say founders like us could never build a successful brand."
I frowned. "Founders like us?"
Elissa’s anger grew with each retelling. "Apparently, we're unfaithful and indecisive in their eyes."
I tried to offer a rationale. "Could there have been some kind of misunderstanding?"
Meanwhile, at Jerry’s house, the atmosphere was just as tense though underlined with a different kind of tension. Jerry eyed his friend Jared Blake, who lounged arrogantly on the couch.
Jerry's smile was controlled, hiding the tempest brewing within. "People like them? And what exactly did you mean by that?"
A sudden chill ran down Jared's spine, but he dismissed it as a figment of his imagination; Jerry was still smiling, after all. "I checked out their company. The founder is Hope – you know, the one who ditched you two years ago. You can’t trust flaky people in business, so I turned them down."
Jerry’s gaze sharpened as he evaluated Jared’s smugness.
Feeling emboldened, Jared continued, "And don’t worry. I also made it clear that even if you were to end up alone, you'd never be interested in her friend."
Jerry’s fists clenched as he turned towards Francis Peterson. "Did he really say that?"
"Yes." Francis’s face was as stern and expressionless as ever, but the coffee stains on his dark shirt bore testimony to Elissa’s retaliation.
Jared looked at Jerry with false bravado. "Jerry, didn’t I handle that well for you? Hope really thinks she's something, like you'd crawl back to her."
Jerry’s teeth ground together audibly. "Why didn’t you check with me before doing this?"
"I wanted to surprise you," Jared said, clueless to the storm brewing in Jerry's eyes.
Just then, Elissa’s continued tirade brought us back into our shared space.
"Jerry?" I asked, catching her off guard.
"Yes, Jerry!" she nearly yelled. "They said with Jerry around, ElevateJoy shouldn't expect to open a store here, let alone survive in Maple Valley."
I felt a pang and asked cautiously, "What else did they say?"
Elissa’s face flushed with fury. "They said Jerry has good girls around him and doesn’t need unfaithful ones like us."
A little smile tugged at my lips as I processed that. "I don't think so."
Elissa’s eyes burned with indignation. "What does Jerry mean by this? Acting all nice to you and then doing this behind your back?"
I mulled it over. "This probably wasn’t Jerry’s idea. His friend likely did it without his knowledge."
After all, he had been by my side last night. He wouldn’t have turned on me so quickly.
As if to underline the point, my phone suddenly rang, providing a strange sense of timing.
[Hope, tomorrow is Jerry’s birthday. I booked a place, and he asked me to send you the location.]
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