Chapter 6

The tips of her fingers tightened slightly around the paper bag as Harper looked at Sophie standing before her. Her gaze flickered. A trace of coldness surfaced at the corner of her taut lips.

Seeing Sophie suddenly appear, Colby awkwardly scratched at his freshly dyed red hair, pulling the corners of his stiff mouth into a forced smile as he rushed to explain.

"Harper, Sophie heard about the opening of my bar and came to celebrate. Don't get the wrong idea."

The moment he'd seen Sophie arrive with Silas, Colby had felt a jolt in his chest. That was why he'd waited for Harper at the entrance, hoping to give her a heads-up. But he hadn't expected Sophie to show up on her own.

Even though Silas had secretly registered a marriage certificate with Sophie, Colby still believed, deep down, that Harper was the only one truly suited for him.

"Yes, Harper, please don't misunderstand. I just heard from Silas that Colby's bar was opening. We've all known each other for so many years—I couldn't not come and celebrate."

Her eyes gleamed, curved like crescent moons as she spoke. Sophie stood at the door, cheeks faintly flushed, eyes drifting toward Silas, who was sipping wine on the sofa inside. She gently bit her lip, a layer of bashful charm settling across her meticulously made-up face.

Colby said nothing. His already furrowed brows knotted even tighter. He rubbed the top of his head in frustration and took a deep breath.

"Let's just head in. No need to stand out here."

"Yes, come in," Sophie added softly. She turned and entered first, walking straight over to sit beside Silas.

In the dim light, Harper's brows drew together. She reached up to touch the adhesive bandage on her forehead and followed behind Colby into the private room.

"Harper, you're here."

Silas narrowed his dark eyes as he saw her. He quickly set down the glass of wine he'd just poured and got up to meet her.

"You…"

His brows knit slightly as he looked her over—she had come to the bar wearing a full set of athletic wear. The smile on his lips faltered.

"Why would you come to a bar dressed like that?"

"Why? Is it not allowed?" Harper tilted her head slightly, one neat ponytail swinging gently with the motion. Her brows arched with calm defiance.

"Well, not exactly not allowed…" He touched the bridge of his nose lightly, already sensing the chill in her tone. He knew she was still angry about what happened earlier that day at the hospital.

"Harper, about today at the hospital—I really didn't have a choice. You didn't see how those reporters surrounded Sophie and the kid. They were like wolves, tearing at them with cruel, vicious questions. I mean, we've been friends for so many years—how could I just stand by and watch them get bullied like that? So I…"

"So you decided to pretend to be the father?" she interrupted coldly.

"I…" Guilt flickered through his eyes. Silas reached for her hands, which were cool to the touch, and tried to explain.

"I had no choice. If I hadn't stepped in, they wouldn't have let Sophie and Henry go. But you have to believe me—it's only temporary. Once this passes, she'll explain everything to the public."

Harper's brows remained locked in place. There was no emotion on her porcelain-white face. She listened, but felt nothing, only a bitter sense of irony.

She pulled her hands away firmly, lips pressed in a tight line. Then she turned and handed the blue gift bag in her hand to Colby.

"It's nothing fancy. Just a lucky cat. I hope your business prospers."

"Harper, I'm already thrilled that you came. Thank you. I'll put it on my desk and treat it like treasure," Colby said, eyes darting quickly from Silas back to Harper. He accepted the gift with a wide grin, showing his white teeth.

"Well, let's sit down."

Feeling the weight of the tension in the air, he quickly gave Silas a look.

Silas's brow tightened once again. Under the shadowy lighting, his face darkened. He took a deep breath.

"Harper, I know I messed up today. When we get home, I'll explain everything to you properly. For now, just sit down."

As he spoke, he reached again for her hand, wanting to pull her to sit beside him.

Sensing Silas's intent, Harper quickly pulled her hands behind her back and turned away, walking toward the outermost sofa in the private room. She sat down, quietly, in the corner.

Silas said nothing.

His hands, resting loosely by his legs, curled slowly into fists. The veins at his temple stood out, a thin pulse betraying the tight control in his expression. He stared at her, his gaze sharp and almost searing.

What was going on with her today? Why was she acting like this?

He had only helped Sophie with something minor. That was all. Why was she being so petty all of a sudden?

"This isn't something you can really blame her for," Colby said quietly, letting out a long sigh as he leaned in toward Silas. "Any woman would be upset. The fact that she still showed up tonight already makes her more generous than ninety-nine percent of women out there. I told you before—don't get so involved with Sophie. You're about to get married, for god's sake, and now suddenly a child appears out of nowhere. What do you expect her to think?"

"I've explained everything to her. It's all just a misunderstanding." Silas picked up a glass of red wine and emptied it in one go.

The wine, slightly bitter, slid down his throat. He took a breath. "You didn't see what it was like today, the way the reporters surrounded Sophie and her child. If it had been you, you wouldn't have been able to just walk away either."

"I would've," Colby muttered under his breath, lips twitching as he cast a glance toward Sophie, who kept stealing sidelong looks at Silas.

"What was that?" Silas's fingers tightened around the wine glass, his voice low, his dark eyes narrowing further.

"I said, I would've…" Colby murmured again.

Just then, a soft voice rose across the room.

"I'd like to sing a song," Sophie said. Her voice was sweet, deliberately light. She stepped toward the small stage in the corner of the private room.

"I came in such a hurry today, I didn't even prepare a proper gift for Colby. So I thought—I'll sing a song instead."

She stood on the stage, holding a silver microphone. Her gaze, bright and unwavering, settled on Silas. Her lips curved into a smile.

"The song I want to sing is my favorite. The most unforgettable. Over the years, no matter how hard things got, it's the song that kept me going. It's called 'The First Time.' And it's a song Silas wrote for me."

The private room, which had still been faintly noisy moments ago, fell into sudden silence.

Instinctively, everyone turned their heads toward Harper, who was sitting quietly in the corner.