Chapter 100: Choosing Truth

Leo shifted his feet back slightly toward the tar surface. "What detail?"

"Your sister spends the rest of her life carrying the blame for you dying on the flagstones," Jude said, his voice carrying clearly up the brickwork. "She’ll carry it every time she plays her instrument, until she can’t take it anymore and comes up to this exact roof. Is that the outcome you wanted when you climbed the stairs?"

Leo went rigid against the brick parapet.

In his rush to remove the financial pressure, he hadn’t thought past clearing the medical bill...

By the stairwell, Sophie stood with her hands over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks.

She realized what Jude was doing... using blunt logic to break the boy’s tunnel vision and force him to look at the consequences.

"Answer the question, Leo," Jude called up. "Is that what you want for her?"

Leo shook his head, taking a full step back onto the roof. "No. I don’t want that. I don’t want to hurt her."

"Leo, please," Sophie called out, her voice shaking. "Step away from the edge. If you jump, I won’t be able to stay here either."

Leo dropped to his knees on the other side of the parapet, out of sight from the ledge. "I’m stepping back. I won’t jump. But tell me the truth, Soph... do you actually want to leave school and get married?"

Afraid that honesty would push him back to the edge while he was still on the roof, Sophie wiped her cheeks quickly. "Yes, Leo. I’m ready to take a break from classes. I agreed to it."

On the roof, Leo stayed quiet.

Down by the entry, Helen and Arthur seized on the words immediately.

"You hear that, Leo?" Helen yelled up, her relief turning instantly into a confident smile. "She said it herself. Now get down the stairs before you catch cold."

"That’s right," Arthur called out, turning to the courtyard with an easy wave. "Everything is fine. Lenny, come on over."

A man in his mid-30s walked through the crowd, carrying 2 gift boxes under one arm and a briefcase in the other.

He stopped beside Arthur, his gaze going directly to Sophie.

"Afternoon, Sophie," he said, stepping into her space. "I’m Leonard Li. Lenny is fine."

"This is who you’re marrying next month," Arthur said, nodding toward Lenny.

Helen nudged Sophie’s shoulder. "Say hello. Excuse her, Lenny, she’s quiet around new people. She’ll settle in once you’re living together."

"No problem at all," Lenny said, his eyes scanning her.

Sophie stepped back behind Victoria Liu, looking at the ground.

Arthur turned to the crowd, raising his hands. "You heard my daughter. She’s leaving the school and getting married. This is private family business. The show is over... head inside."

"Go back to your apartments," Helen added. "We have paperwork to handle."

"Wait a moment," Dean Victoria Liu said, stepping forward.

The crowd paused, looking back toward the entrance.

"I am the Dean of the Manhattan Conservatory, and this is Mr. Lawson from our visiting faculty," Victoria said evenly. "We came here to confirm the withdrawal. Sophie, answer me directly... do you want to drop your courses?"

Sophie looked between Victoria and Jude, her expression torn, before looking back down. "I agreed to it, Dean Liu. Mr. Lawson... please don’t get involved in this. You should head back to Manhattan."

Arthur let out a short laugh. "Can you hear her now? I told you at your desk an hour ago she was done with classes. Stop meddling in our house and walk."

"Leave the courtyard," Helen said, stepping up beside her husband. "You aren’t needed here."

Victoria held her ground. "That doesn’t match her academic record. She holds the top performance marks in the strings department. Mr. Lawson helped her pick up that commuter bicycle over there yesterday afternoon specifically so she could commute to classes."

Lenny looked over at Jude, taking in his tailored build and composure.

His expression tightened with annoyance. "What’s the argument? Sophie already said she’s finished with school. What does she need a bicycle for anyway? Once we’re married, I’ll buy her a car."

Victoria ignored him, keeping her eyes on Sophie. "Sophie, answer me."

Lenny’s face darkened at being dismissed. "Are you not listening? Keep talking and I’ll remove you from the property myself."

Sophie looked up, her voice rising. "Don’t speak to her like that."

Lenny turned toward her, frustrated. "You’re wearing my ring next month and you’re defending two people trying to disrupt our arrangement?"

"Lenny’s right," Arthur snapped at her. "Stop siding with outsiders against your own parents."

"Dean Liu, Mr. Lawson, out of respect for your positions, walk out that gate right now," Helen added.

Sophie stepped between them, her voice shaking. "Dean Liu, Mr. Lawson... please leave. Don’t make this harder."

"Tell me what you actually want, and we’ll leave," Victoria said.

Sophie hesitated.

"Think before you answer, Sophie," Jude said, catching her eye. "If marrying him is what you want, Victoria and I will walk out the gate and leave it alone. But if you close the door on us now, we can’t step in."

"We’re here to help you resolve this," Victoria added. "Don’t sign away your future."

Sophie wiped a tear from her cheek. "I don’t know what to do..."

"Forget the medical bills for 10 seconds," Jude said, his tone measured and calm. "Do you trust me?"

Sophie looked into his eyes, the panic in her chest easing slightly under his steady focus.

"...I trust you," she whispered.

Sophie took a sharp breath, the words finally breaking out, "Mr. Lawson... I don’t want to get married. I want to stay at the Conservatory."

Arthur, Helen, and Lenny froze, their expressions souring instantly.

"That’s enough," Lenny barked, stepping forward across the pavement. "She’s my fiancée, and this wedding is moving forward. Get off the property."

Lenny reached out with his right hand, aiming straight for Dean Liu’s shoulder to shove her toward the alley.