Chapter 540 Hello, Mother!

"MIA!" Sonia screeched excitedly as she jumped out of the car quickly and went to embrace Mia.

Mia laughed happily as she hugged her, "It's so good to see you again, Sonia! For a moment there, I really thought you two were over," Mia said when she pulled away to look at Sonia.

"Same here! Thanks for kicking Bryan's ass. He told me you didn't take it easy on him," Sonia said, and Mia grinned as they looked at Bryan, who was getting out some food packs from the booth.

They had been the last to leave the house because they had been waiting for Samantha to prepare and pack some dishes for Mia and Jeff.

"No one took it easy on him. I'm glad you both worked out your differences," Mia said as they turned to the door when Jeff stepped out to join them.

"Is that food?" Jeff asked hopefully when he saw Bryan carrying the food packs and quickly went to take some from him.

Jeff paused when it occurred to him that he had walked past Sonia, and he turned to her after taking some of the food packs from Bryan, "I'm sorry for causing such a misunderstanding for everyone. I wasn't thinking clearly," Jeff said, looking contrite, and Sonia smiled.

"We all had our faults. I hold nothing against you," Sonia assured him, and he gave her a nod before returning inside the house.

"I can't believe that you can't cook. How have you been feeding this whole time?" Bryan asked Mia when he got to where she was standing.

"If we all cook, who would patronize the cafes and restaurants? I have to help those honest people make a living," Mia said with a bright smile, and Sonia giggled while Bryan shook his head as he walked away without responding to her question.

Mia pointed to Lucy's apartment, "I guess that is your best friend's apartment?" She asked curiously, and Sonia nodded when she turned to look at Lucy's apartment.

"Yeah. I should probably drop in to see the place. It's been a while since she came here," Sonia said and looked across the street when Alicia called out to her, and Jasmine waved at her.

"That's the lady who interviewed you guys the last time, isn't she?" Mia asked since she recognized Alicia.

"Yes, she is," Sonia said with a wide smile as she waved at the couple who were now heading in their direction.

Sonia excused herself from Mia to meet them halfway, "Hello!" Sonia greeted pleasantly.

Seeing how they had looked out for Lucy and stood by her in her time of need, she considered them friends.

"Hello! How have you been?" Alicia asked with a friendly smile.

"Great!"

"We saw the scandal about you and Bryan. I told Jas that you both would never break up," Alicia said confidently, and Sonia smiled.

"Yeah, she said so," Jasmine affirmed.

"I guess you have more faith in what we have than I do. I actually thought we were going to break up. How are you two doing?" Sonia asked, and Jasmine shrugged.

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"We are fine. How are Tom and Lucy? It's been a while since we saw them around here," Jasmine said.

"We are fine. Still trying to find suitable sperm donors since our Tom is taken," Alicia joked at the same time, and Sonia giggled while Jasmine looked at Alicia, wondering how she could say that so carelessly.

Although Sonia wasn't a stranger to them, she wasn't exactly a very close friend either, so she saw no reason for Alicia to say that.

"Tom and Lucy are doing beautifully. I will be sure to let them know I saw you two," Sonia said to Jasmine before she returned her gaze to Alicia.

"Have you tried other gay couples? Or gone to a sperm bank?" Sonia asked, and Alicia shook her head.

"We don't want other gay couples, and I don't want a sperm bank either," Alicia said, and Sonia nodded.

This beggar was obviously a chooser, Sonia mused. "I'm sure you will find a way," Sonia said, and Jasmine nodded.

"Yeah, we will. Thanks."

"So, will the couple be living in Tom's apartment, or are they just visiting briefly?" Alicia asked, referring to Mia and Jeff.

"They are not a couple. The man is Bryan's manager, and the lady is Bryan's assistant. They will be sharing the apartment," Sonia explained as she waved to Mia, who had been standing beside the car waiting for her, beckoning her to join them so she could introduce her to the neighbors.

"I recognized the guy as Bryan's manager from the interview yesterday but assumed the lady was his wife. So is he single? I mean, his wife wouldn't allow him to live under the same roof with such an attractive female, would she?" Alicia asked as they watched Mia approach.

"They are both single. Why? Are you considering Jeff to be a potential sperm donor?" Sonia joked, and Alicia grinned.

"Well, he is good-looking. I could put him into consideration after I get to know him," Alicia said with a wink, making Sonia giggle, and Jasmine shook her head.

"Hello! You are welcome to the neighborhood. I'm Alicia, and this is my wife, Jasmine," Alicia said cheerfully when Mia joined them.

"I'm Mia. It's nice to meet you both," Mia said with an equally cheerful smile, and Jasmine nodded politely.

"I guess you will be around for the live show with Eric Howells?" Alicia asked, and Sonia grinned.

"I wouldn't miss that for anything. Do let me know if you need my help in compiling the questions," Sonia said with a wink.

"Sure. I will text you on Instagram," Alicia said, and Sonia nodded.

"We will leave you to go in now. Give our love to Lucy and Tom," Jasmine said as she took Alicia's hand.

Knowing Alicia and her penchant for gossip and poke-nosing, she knew that Alicia would want to go into the house with Sonia and Mia, and she couldn't let her do that.

Alicia looked at Jasmine with a pout before waving to Mia and Sonia, "Mia, do stop by whenever you can for a visit. I will find time to drop by with some homemade pies to welcome you to the neighborhood officially. You will love my pies," Alicia said, and Mia smiled.

"Jeff and I will appreciate that," Mia said, and they watched Jasmine lead Alicia away before heading for the house.

"One talks too much, and the other one doesn't talk much," Mia said, referring to Alicia and Jasmine.

"Probably the reason they're a good match. Why is Jeff single?" Sonia asked thoughtfully since it had never occurred to her to ask.

"I don't know. Never asked. Perhaps he is asexual?" Mia said with an amused laugh.

"You have never seen him with a lady before?" Sonia asked seriously.

"Until recently, our interactions have been strictly about Bryan. We only meet at work, so I wouldn't know. I could ask him if you want me to. Why? Are you planning to hook him up with someone?" Mia asked, and Sonia shook her head.

"I was only curious," Sonia assured Mia as they opened the door and walked into the house.

"What live show were you both talking about?" Mia asked, and just before Sonia could respond, Mia turned to Jeff.

"Jeff, why are you single?" Mia asked, causing Jeff to choke on the sandwich he had been eating.

Bryan raised a brow, "Why are you asking that out of the blue?" Bryan asked, looking from Mia to Sonia and back again.

"I just realized I never asked. Do you need me to create an account for you on the dating app?" Mia offered, and Jeff shook his head.

"No. Thanks," Jeff said, and Mia shrugged as she went to sit beside him to pick a sandwich.

Only Sonia noticed that Jeff did not answer the question, but she said nothing as she sat down beside Bryan.

"What took you both so long outside?" Bryan asked as he picked up a slice of sandwich and fed Sonia.

"We were saying hello to Alicia and Jasmine," she said, and Bryan had a puzzled look in his blue eyes at first as he tried to recall who they were, then his eyes cleared when he remembered, and he nodded.

"The nosy lesbian couple," Bryan said, and Sonia hit him playfully.

"They are not nosy. I can't believe that's the only thing you remember them for."

"That's not the only thing I remember them for. Anyway, I was talking to Jeff about my conversation with Matt," Bryan said, and Mia raised a brow.

"What conversation?" Mia asked curiously since she was the only one in the dark about it now.

Bryan informed her about his conversation with Matt and what Matt had said about Paul plotting with Sophia.

Mia shook her head, "That has to be the reason he is trying so hard to settle with you. All his plans are in tatters."

"Yeah. I should give Harry a call. I need to communicate everything to him, and I also have to find out what we are to do tomorrow. You know, like our office space and stuff," Jeff said as he picked up his phone and dialed Harry's line.

Harry, who was lying on his bed contemplating whether to call Jade to apologize for being too harsh earlier or going over to Tom's house to see her, glanced at his phone when it started ringing, and he received the call from Jeff.

After exchanging pleasantries with Jeff, Harry listened to all he had to say patiently, "Dont worry about Paul or Derek. We will take legal action if they make any move. As for Matt, he is welcome to join us after he ends his deal with Golden Star. And about the office space, you can come over to the office tomorrow, and we will work out the details," Harry said before hanging up.

Just as he threw his phone on the bed, it started ringing again, and he received the call when he saw that it was from the person he had asked to look into the cause of the fire at the hospital of his birth.

"What did you find?"

"They claim it was an electrical problem, but I checked the security footage in the hallway that leads to the medical record room. A man dressed in a doctor's coat walked into the room, and the fire alarm went off minutes after he left. He was wearing a face cap and a face mask so that I couldn't see his face, but I was able to find out who he was by checking the plate number on his car. The security camera outside the building captured him getting into his car," the man explained, and Harry sighed inwardly.

"Should I anonymously send the information to the police?"

"Yes. Do that," Harry said, knowing that if Sara Walker was anything like he thought she was, she would be able to come out of this unscathed. He was curious to know just how influential and powerful she was. That would determine how to deal with her. He didn't want her to recover from whatever he would do to her.

"Keep a close eye on the suspect and the case. Let me know if they make a connection. I suspect this is going to lead you to a lady named Sara Walker. If this happens, keep a close eye on her and let me know how everything plays out," Harry instructed before hanging up.

Between bonding with his family, preparations for the anniversary, and his budding relationship with Jade, he had almost forgotten all about Sara.

He needed to take care of Sara quickly. He couldn't bring himself to pretend like he did not know of her existence. He needed to at least let her know he now knew of her existence so that when he punished her, she would know exactly who was behind her downfall, Harry thought as he dialed Sara's line, which he had collected from Lucy.

"Hello! This is Sara Walker's line. Emma speaking, how may I help you?" Sara's assistant greeted once she received the call.

"Put me on to Sara. Tell her it is Harry. Harry Jonas," Harry said, and immediately Emma glanced at Sara, who was busy on her laptop trying to find all she could on the research center.

"It's Harry Jonas," Emma said, and immediately Sara heard his name, her head snapped up.

"Harry? Are you certain?" Sara asked, and when Emma gave her a nod, she extended her hand for the phone.

Harry was calling? What could be the reason? Sara wondered as she raised the phone to her ear, "Harry?" She asked doubtfully.

"Yes, this is your son, Harry. Hello, mother!"