One Wild Night

Neither Lucy nor Sonia were ignorant of the stares they were receiving or the attention they had drawn from the moment they walked into the restaurant where Sonia was meant to meet with her Editor and the movie producer.

She had chosen to meet with them in a restaurant because she didn't want her contract with the producer to be signed in her editor's office. Not when she was cutting ties with him after the meeting.

Thankfully the movie producer and editor were already waiting by the time they arrived, and they rose to welcome the ladies.

"Miss Smith, it's a pleasure meeting you. I've heard so much about you," The producer, a man in his early forties, said before her editor could do any introduction.

"I hope you heard nice things?" Sonia asked as she extended a hand to shake him, feeling confident with Lucy by her side.

"Only nice things, I assure you," he said before turning to look at Lucy.

"Miss Perry, I had no idea I would have the pleasure of meeting you today," the producer said with a pleasant smile, and Lucy looked at him with a confused smile.

"Have we met before?" she asked, wondering why he sounded like he knew her.

"I don't believe we have. I recognize you from your interview," He explained, and Lucy flashed him an awkward smile.

"Ah! I see."

She had wishfully believed she had left all that behind her in Ludus, but it was obvious that a lot of people had seen the interview, and thanks to Anita, people she knew nothing about all knew her face and life story.

"I saw the scandal last night. Are you okay?" Sonia's editor asked with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks. Let's get down to business," Sonia said curtly. It was too late for him to be acting like he cared about her.

"Is it true that you are breaking up with Bryan?" the producer asked curiously after they were all seated, and Lucy raised a brow.

"Will you call off the contract if the rumors are true and we are breaking up?" Sonia asked before Lucy could speak.

"Of course not. I was merely curious..."

"Then, if you don't mind, I would like us to stick to business instead of discussing about my private life," Sonia said with a polite smile, and the producer gave her a nod.

A waiter came to attend to them, and after that, they spent the next hour discussing the storyline and what adjustments were needed, as well as the perfect cast for the movie.

Lucy remained quiet most of the meeting as she merely listened and observed Sonia do her thing. She spoke only when spoken to.

Once they were done signing the contract, the movie producer turned to Lucy, "Is it true that I-Global will be signing Bryan Hank?"

"Where did you hear that?" Sonia asked at the same time as Lucy since it was not public knowledge yet that I-Global was starting an entertainment agency or signing Bryan.

"The CEO of Golden Star said it. He released a video a short while ago saying he kicked Bryan out of the agency. Didn't you see it? It's probably the most watched entertainment news on the internet today," the producer said, and immediately both Lucy and Sonia dug into their handbags for their phone.

"He didn't kick Bryan out. Bryan left on his own," Sonia hissed irritably as she unlocked her phone.

The first thing they both noticed was the missed calls from Tom. He tried to reach them both, but their phones had been on silent mode.

They both ignored the notifications as they tried to find the latest entertainment news online.

"I-Global just released a press statement about Bryan," Lucy said in surprise when she stumbled on an article about Bryan's interview while searching for Paul's video.

"They did?" Sonia asked, moving closer to Lucy to share her phone while the producer and Sonia's editor also took out their phones to see what was happening.

Neither of them on the table said a word as they read through the article, and Lucy played a short clip of Bryan talking about his love for Sonia.

"See? He is not breaking up. You will fix things," Lucy said with a happy smile as she turned to Sonia, whose eyes were teary already.

"I thought he beat up Derek because he was upset over our fight," Sonia said with a slight frown, feeling sorry for not listening to him as much as she should have.

"The good thing is that you both realize you screwed up. So you can fix things," Lucy said happily, and they both looked up when the producer cleared his throat, and they remembered they weren't alone.

"I'm glad to know you are not breaking up. I'm looking forward to the movie adaptation of the novel you are writing about your relationship," the producer said, and Sonia smiled.

"Thanks."

"Do you think Mr. Hank would be interested in investing in this movie if I give Bryan the lead role?" the producer asked Lucy hopefully.

Although he had been planning to shoot this movie for a while now, he didn't have enough sponsors that would enable him the kind of money he would need to pay A-list actors like Bryan Hank.

He had planned to make use of upcoming actors that wouldn't charge too much, but with a major sponsor like Thomas Hank, he would be able to afford Bryan Hank and perhaps one or two other exceptional actors. That would definitely bring his career to the limelight.

"Are you asking me as an employee of I-Global or as the CEO's girlfriend?" Lucy asked, and the producer smiled politely.

"You are both. Are you not?" the producer asked, undeterred by Lucy's coldness.

Lucy sighed, "Yes, I am. Maybe you should write a good proposal. I'm sure the businessman in him would be willing to invest in it if your proposal is good enough," Lucy suggested.

"Could you both put in a good word for me?" the producer asked hopefully.

"Is that why you want to adapt my story? Because you want to take advantage of my connection to the Hanks?" Sonia asked, and the producer looked at her with a frown, feeling insulted.

"I beg your pardon. I've been wanting to meet you long before your fake engagement with Bryan Hank. And as a matter of fact, I met with Mr. Conner here earlier that day to discuss the contract process," the producer reminded Sonia stiffly.

"Yeah. You're right. I'm sorry," Sonia said, recalling that she had been waiting for her editor to come to tell her about his meeting with the producer when Bryan showed up and proposed to her.

"Think about it. It will be a win for us all if this movie is as successful as I know it will be. Apart from the fact that Mr. Hank would make a lot of money from it, this will be your first adapted novel, and we can keep working together to move your stories from paper to screen. And my career. This would really help me a lot," the producer said, and Sonia exchanged a look with Lucy.

"I can't influence his decision, but if your proposal is good, I could encourage him to go for it if he seeks my opinion," Lucy said, and the producer gave her a nod.

"I will very much appreciate that. I should be on my way now," he said as he rose, taking with him a copy of their contract.

The editor rose too, but Sonia looked at him, "I would like to speak with you privately before you leave," Sonia said, and Lucy excused herself from the table just as the producer left.

Lucy dialed Tom's line as she headed for the restroom, and Tom, who was in the car with Bryan on their way to the airstrip, received the call almost immediately.

"Hey, Jewel! I'm sorry I missed your call earlier. I was busy..."

"Yeah. I noticed. I read the press release. My phone was in silent mode. Hence I missed your call," Lucy explained.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asked when she noticed that he sounded like he was inside a car.

"Yes. I'm on my way out," Tom said since he and Bryan had agreed to surprise Lucy and Sonia.

Neither of them was to let them know that they were coming over, and they had passed that message across to Harry, Jade, Mia, and Jeff too, not to let it slip.

"Out where?"

"Uhm, something urgent came up, so I'm flying out to take care of it," Tom said, wanting to go with a half-truth.

"Is everything alright? Where are you flying to?" Lucy asked with concern, and Tom realized that if he didn't change the subject, she was going to keep asking more questions until he was forced to tell her the truth.

"Everything is fine. I can't tell you the details right now. I will tell you about it later. How is Sonia doing?" Tom asked, and Bryan, who had been busy on his phone, turned to look at Tom this time.

"She is fine," Lucy said and then told him about the meeting with the producer.

"I don't mind investing in it if his proposal is good. But my financial advisors would have to take a look at his proposal to determine if it's worth my investment," Tom explained.

"Sure. Have you seen Aaron today? How is he doing?" Lucy asked curiously as she walked into the restroom and stood by the mirrors to check her appearance.

"Yes, I have. He has been discharged and is home now with Candace and Jamal," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.

"That's cool. My mom told me you helped get her out of the station. Thanks," Lucy said, and Tom nodded.

"You don't have to thank me for that. What's your plan for the rest of the day?" Tom asked, and Lucy told him of the plans they had made.

"Alright then. Keep me posted. I love you," Tom said before hanging up.

"They will most likely be at the cinema by the time we arrive," Tom informed Bryan as he glanced at his wristwatch.

After the phone call, Lucy used the restroom before returning to join Sonia. By the time she got to the table, the editor had left.

"You are done already?" Lucy asked, and Sonia sighed as she shook her head.

"I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to fire him for that. Everyone makes mistakes, right? And it's the first time he has done something like that," Sonia said, and Lucy smiled.

"So, what's your plan? You're not going on with the app or website thing again?" Lucy asked curiously.

"I will. We talked about it, and he's going to look into it," Sonia said, and Lucy nodded.

"That's cool too."

"So, I was thinking. I think I should go to Ludus. I need to resolve things with Bryan," Sonia said thoughtfully.

"Sure. We are going back tomorrow..."

"No. I don't think I can wait until tomorrow."

"But we are supposed to go see your mom," Lucy reminded her.

"She has waited all these years. I'm sure she can wait some weeks more for me to visit her with Bryan. I want to book the next available flight. It should be a surprise."