Chapter 408: Sonny is Here!

Aeri stood completely still in shock as she watched the crowd coming from her right side. There was someone special in that group of people, and just seeing him had turned her body into stone. Her eyes stayed fixed on that one person, and her face lost a little color.

"Aeri..." I called her name softly, standing right behind her with curiosity. I could feel that something was wrong.

"What happened? What are you staring at?" I asked, walking closer and gently holding her by the shoulders. My hands rested lightly on her, trying to get her attention.

"Ahh... hmm?" she expressed, stuttering a little as she finally turned her face toward me. Her eyes still looked distant and worried.

"What happened? What are you staring at? It feels as if you have seen a ghost or something" I asked again with a low, confused smile on my face.

"Ezra...." she took my name in a quiet voice. At the same time, the crowd of people kept walking past us, talking and laughing among themselves.

But then... a man’s voice that I somehow recognized came to my ears. He called her name clearly.

"Aeri..." he said in a slightly high tone. Something which I and Aeri both heard loud and clear.

My eyes widened a little. But more than mine, it was Aeri’s eyes that opened wide, as if the devil himself had just knocked on the door. Her body tensed under my hands.

"Huhh!?" I expressed in surprise and quickly turned my face toward the man who had spoken.

The blurry image of the person slowly became clear. The man standing in front of us was none other than the same man whose name Aeri had forgotten earlier. He was the man who had come that morning to drop Aeri home... the same morning after which she had fainted in the hall of our house.

"Sonny..." I muttered slowly, looking him up and down. He stood there with a girl beside him. His hands were casually in his pockets, and a very confident smile was on his face. He looked calm and sure of himself, as if meeting Aeri like this was nothing special.

The mall around us stayed busy and noisy. People kept walking past, the lights stayed bright, and soft music still played from the speakers. But in that moment, it felt like the three of us were frozen in our own small world. Aeri’s breathing became a little faster, and I could feel her shoulders becoming stiff under my hands.

Sonny’s eyes moved from Aeri to me, and then back to her again. The girl standing next to him looked at us with mild curiosity but didn’t say anything. The confident smile never left Sonny’s face.

Aeri stayed silent, her lips slightly open as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. I kept my hands on her shoulders, standing protectively close to her while my mind raced with questions. Why was he here? How did he know Aeri would be at this mall? And why did Aeri look so scared just from seeing him?

The lively noise of the mall continued around us, but none of us moved for a few long seconds. The air between us felt heavy and tense.

It’s the same guy who came that day at our house to drop Aeri.

"Yo! Hello Ezra!" Sonny said with a bright voice, waving his hand high in the air as if we were old friends.

"You..." I said slowly. That same smile from in front of our house that day came back to my mind clearly. He was the guy Aeri had spent the entire night with... the same night she couldn’t remember anymore.

"Sonny..." Aeri said, taking his name in a quiet voice. Then her eyes moved to the girl standing beside him. The girl was wearing a tight one-piece dress with a high leg slit that showed a lot of her thigh. She looked hot as fire and stood confidently next to him.

"Honey... you know them? Your friends?" the girl asked, sliding her hand around Sonny’s arm and holding him close.

"Yeah, somewhat. We have met before," Sonny replied to the girl with a calm smile. Then he continued speaking, looking straight at Aeri.

"Especially Aeri... we were having a sweet night out together last month," he said. After those words, he smiled at her again. That smile looked wicked as hell, full of meaning that only Aeri and I could understand.

Aeri’s whole expression changed. She looked down at the ground, her shoulders dropping a little. Soft sweat started forming on her forehead even though the mall air was cool.

"What did you do to Aeri? That day she fainted after reaching home. You motherfucker!" I said angrily, stepping forward and grabbing his collar tightly with both hands.

"Woahh... woahh... calm down..." Sonny said, raising both his hands up in the air. He didn’t look scared at all. His confident face stayed the same.

People around us started stopping and looking at the sudden argument. A few whispered to each other. I had to force myself to stop before things got worse. The woman beside Sonny also looked pissed now.

"Hello mister! I don’t know who you are, but can you stay away from my man?" she said firmly, grabbing my hand and trying to pull it away from Sonny’s collar. Her voice was sharp and angry.

I slowly loosened my grip, still breathing hard. Aeri stood frozen beside me, her eyes still looking at the floor. The lively noise of the mall continued around us, but the small circle of people watching made the air feel heavy. Sonny fixed his shirt collar with a calm smile, as if nothing serious had happened.

The girl kept holding his arm protectively, glaring at me. Aeri’s hands were shaking a little as she held her purse tightly. I stepped back slightly, still staring at Sonny with anger and questions filling my mind.