One Wild Night

Chapter 377 Secrets

　　”Mr. Hank? Mr. Jonas?” A man in his early sixties called out to them as he walked past the private section they were seated with his wife and daughter, and both friends, who had been laughing at something Lucy had said, looked up.

”Mr. Reynolds,” They both greeted as they stood and excused themselves from the table to go greet the elderly man, while Harry tried to hide his displeasure when he sighted Tanya standing beside her parents and eyeing him. 

He didn’t feel the least bit sorry for speaking to her in the manner he had done, and he didn’t like that he was running into her again either.

”I’m sure you have both met my lovely wife and beautiful daughter,” Mr. Reynolds said as he led them to his table, and Tom smiled as he gave him a nod.

”Yes, we have,” Tom said as he gave both ladies a polite bow of acknowledgment, and Harry did the same. 

”I was going to give you a call, Mr. Jonas. I learned you had a misunderstanding with my daughter publicly,” Mr. Reynolds said after all four of them were seated, his disapproval ringing clearly in his voice as he looked at Harry with a cool smile. 

”I was going to ignore it, but I learned your daughter embarrassed both Harry and my sister publicly. She is lucky Harry stepped in. Else it would have been a lot more than a misunderstanding,” Tom said coldly before Harry could speak, and Tanya’s eyes widened slightly in surprise when she realized who Jade was. 

”Your sister?”

”Yes. Harry was out with her, and your daughter embarrassed them. Jade is a lawyer, and she wouldn’t have hesitated to handle the issue both physically and legally had Harry not stepped in the way he did. You should thank Harry,” Tom said, and Mr. Reynolds turned to glare at his daughter with disapproval for causing trouble without knowing who she was dealing with, and she looked down.

”I’m very sorry about that. I didn’t get the full details of what transpired between you both. Why don’t I pay for whatever you are having to make up for it?” He offered, and Tom shook his head. 

”Maybe you can buy him a drink some other time. We are here to celebrate Harry’s appointment as my Co-CEO, so it is only fair to me that I waste as much of his money as I can tonight,” Tom said with a grin, and both Harry and Mr. Reynolds chuckled. 

”Congratulations, Mr. Jonas,” Mr. Reynolds and his wife said while Tanya kept her head down in embarrassment.

”Thank you,” Harry said with a polite nod.

”Are we to assume that you both plan to be in-laws? I mean, are you in a relationship with Mr. Hank’s sister?” Mrs. Reynolds asked Harry curiously, hoping that he wasn’t so that she could set him up on a date with Tanya once again. 

Tom said nothing but looked at Harry as he waited to hear his response to the question since he too was curious.

”We haven’t made up our mind yet. When we do, you will know. If you don’t mind, we have to return to our table. We don’t want to keep my dad and Tom’s Jewel waiting,” Harry said with a polite smile as he stood, wanting to escape from there before they started another matchmaking exercise.

”Oh, sure,” Mr. Reynolds said and shook hands with them. 

”We haven’t made up our mind whether she’s our sister or not?” Tom asked with a chuckle as they walked away.

”Shut up!” Harry warned, making Tom laugh even more. 

A few tables away from there, Aaron was engrossed in a similar discussion with Lucy, “I suppose you are well acquainted with Tom’s sister, Jade?” He asked, and Lucy smiled.

”I am.”

”What do you think about her and Harry? Do you think she might be interested in Harry?” Aaron asked, and Lucy narrowed her eyes at the older man she had observed to be sly in the last couple of minutes.

It seemed like many more people were interested in this ship than she thought. Sonia would find it very interesting. “Why do you ask? Are you interested in Jade?” She asked with a grin, and Aaron chuckled. 

”C’mon! Don’t get smart with me. I thought we were getting along as friends already,” Aaron said, and Lucy grinned. 

”I’m friends with Jade and Harry too,” Lucy pointed out. 

”Yeah, Harry mentioned that hence I’m asking. Since you are friends with them, why not help them get things moving already?” Aaron asked, and Lucy shrugged. 

”Maybe some of us enjoy watching the process more than interfering. If you are certain they like each other, why not relax and enjoy how they navigate towards each other eventually?” Lucy asked, and Aaron scowled. 

”They’re being too slow. Besides, I won’t be here to see it. You will be the only one getting all the fun.”

”I could fill you in on it if you want,” Lucy offered with a grin, and Aaron chuckled. 

”I knew Tom made the right choice when I set my eyes on you,” Aaron said, making Lucy giggle.

”But what if they mess it up?” Aaron asked, slightly concerned. 

”I don’t see either of them messing anything up. They are both straightforward people. But if they do, I can assure you that Sonia and I will step in,” Lucy said, knowing that Sonia wouldn’t let them ruin her perfectly planned love story. She would also have to step in since she was interested in Sonia’s story as well as Harry’s and Jade’s happiness.

”Sonia? Your best friend? Bryan’s fiancee?”

”You are so up to date,” Lucy observed with a grin, and Aaron chuckled. 

”I have to be. Is she close to Harry too?”

”She is closer to Jade, and Jade confides in her about stuff,” Lucy said, and Aaron grinned.

”Should I just move down to Ludus? I think all the fun is here,” he said and cleared his throat when he sighted Harry and Tom returning to the table.

”You boys returned too soon. I was enjoying my date alone with the beautiful lady, right darling?” Aaron asked, and Lucy batted her lashes at him, making them laugh as they sat down.

”I was just asking if I should relocate to Ludus so I can be closer to her,” Aaron said, and Harry shook his head. 

”Please don’t. I can’t stand having you pester me every day,” Harry said just as the waiters arrived with their special order.

”Ungrateful brat. I never complained when you pestered me every day while growing up,” Aaron hissed, and at the same time, his eyes fell on his phone which was on the table when it started vibrating. His brows pulled together when he saw the caller’s identity, and he glanced at Harry before picking up the phone and rejecting the call.

”Whose phone calls do you keep rejecting? Is it the same person that kept calling last night? Don’t tell me you have a woman in your life now, and you are hiding her from me,” Harry teased his father, and Aaron chuckled as he dipped the phone into his pocket.

”Yes, I am. I don’t want her to see you and decide she prefers the younger Mr. Jonas,” Aaron joked, and Harry laughed while Tom reached under the table and took Lucy’s hand, making her look at him with questioning eyes. 

”I’m missing you,” Tom mouthed, and she smiled at him.

Aaron’s phone started to vibrate again, but he ignored the call. Once the waiters left, they began to eat and continued with minor discussions about different subjects until Aaron got tired of the phone, which kept vibrating in his pocket, and he set down his cutlery. 

”Excuse me for a moment. I need to use the restroom,” Aaron said, and Harry gave him directions to the restroom closest to them before he walked away. 

”Why do you keep calling?” He asked impatiently once he walked into one of the restroom stalls and received the call.

”Because you keep ignoring my call.”

”I have nothing to say to you, so there is no reason to receive your calls, Sara.”

”I went to your apartment, and I was told you traveled. I suppose you went to see him. Have you told him yet?” The lady on the other end of the line asked. 

”Told who what?” Aaron asked, pretending not to understand her question.

”Aaron, have you told Harry about me?” She asked, unaffected by his coldness.

”No,” Aaron said, annoyed that his dinner was being interrupted.

”Why not? Why are you delaying?”

”Because there is nothing to tell him. And if you don’t mind…” 

”Aaron. He is my son too,” the lady cut in, her voice annoyingly calm in a way that made Aaron’s blood boil.

She was always so calm. She had been that calm too twenty-seven years ago when she decided to abandon her newly born child in her quest to pursue stardom.

”Your son? A child you abandoned barely a week after his birth? You have no right to call him your son. He doesn’t know about your existence, and I prefer it remains that way.” Aaron hissed in annoyance, angry with himself for still letting her words annoy him so much.

”He is an adult, Aaron. Why not let him know I want to see him, and allow him to decide if he wants to see me or not?” The lady asked reasonably.

”As always, you are still very selfish. You do not care about him or how this revelation is going to make him feel. You just want to have your way as always, don’t you? I’m not going to let you do that. I won’t let you hurt him!” Aaron said, trying hard to keep his calm.

”I didn’t call to fight with you, Aaron. I told you. I’m dying, and I…”

”And you think I’m going to feel sorry because you say you are dying? Would you have wanted to be associated with him were he not successful? Would you have remembered him or given him a second thought were you not dying? You died to us over twenty-seven years ago, and I hope it remains that way.”

”Aaron, please. I need to meet him at least once before…”

”You wanted fame. You chose wealth and fame over us. Those should be your companions on your deathbed. And please stop trying to contact me,” Aaron warned, angry that not once in a couple of weeks since she first contacted him had she apologized for walking out of their lives the way she did. He couldn’t let someone like her near Harry.

”If you keep being adamant, I will have to approach him myself…”

”You wouldn’t dare! I will not forgive you if you go anywhere close to him. I will expose you for what you are if you so much as show your face anywhere around my son. Try me,” Aaron threatened angrily before hanging up the call. 

He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing, but knowing how much Harry had taken all his stories about his mother to heart, he knew that the truth would devastate him, and that was what he was terrified of.

If he had a choice, he would rather die and take the secret to his grave with him than watch Harry break down when he finds out the truth. But he knew that wasn’t up to him alone. Sara seemed desperate, and he couldn’t trust what she would do in her desperation.

He really hated that she chose a time like this to return to Harry’s life. He needed to figure out a way to talk to Harry about it before Sara would do anything.

That was even more reason why he wanted Harry to get involved and be in a committed relationship with Jade, as he feared that Harry might not want to do that anymore if he found out the truth first. He didn’t want Harry to live a lonely life because of his poor choices, and knowing how much Harry hated being lied to, he knew that Harry might have a hard time forgiving him for lying to him all these years, and as such, he wouldn’t be able to offer him much comfort.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. Once he was sure he was calm, he returned his phone to his pocket and washed and dried his hands before returning to join them. 

”So, where did we stop?” He asked with a bright smile as he returned to his seat, and once again, they resumed their conversations as they ate.