Hugo tried to convince himself that Tracy's presence beside Uma was purely a coincidence. After all, this was a party—people bumped into one another all the time. Besides, Uma wasn't alone with Tracy; Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer, two of Hollywood's top actresses, were there too, along with a couple of familiar faces whose names Hugo couldn't quite recall. The group stood together, chatting and laughing, perfectly normal.
But it wasn't easy for him to believe that. First Martin, now Tracy—both had crossed paths with him tonight. Not long ago, Hugo had been officially removed from the The Firm shortlist, and then there was that loaded glance Tracy had given him earlier. Try as he might, Hugo couldn't stop his mind from spinning.
Taking a deep breath, he forced down the swirl of thoughts in his head and started walking toward the group where Uma stood.
The first to notice him wasn't Uma or Tracy, but Nicole. She greeted Hugo with a polite smile and gave a graceful wave. The motion drew the others' attention; curious, they turned to see who she was acknowledging and there was Hugo, walking toward them.
Uma's expression froze for a brief moment before she quickly looked away, avoiding his gaze with an uneasy flicker. Tracy, on the other hand, showed no reaction at all. She behaved as though meeting Hugo for the first time—composed, polite, and no different from the other actresses as she offered a slight nod. Nothing more.
Reaching Uma's side, Hugo found that she had already recovered her composure. A bright, confident smile lit her face, her demeanor calm and natural. She instinctively stood on his left side. Hugo gave a courteous half-bow. "Good evening, ladies," he said warmly. "I hope I'm not interrupting. It seems I've arrived at the wrong moment—please forgive the intrusion."
"If no gentleman came over to greet us, that would be what truly hurts," Nicole replied cheerfully. Though it was their first meeting tonight, they'd immediately formed a good impression of each other. Her tone was friendly, teasing. "Besides, I'm sure many women here would envy us for being greeted by such a charming gentleman as Hugo."
Her words drew soft laughter from the group, a symphony of voices, graceful and alluring. Tracy said nothing, her face unreadable, blending perfectly with the others.
Before Hugo could speak again, Uma smoothly took over. "Excuse me," she said with a polite smile. "I might have to step away for a bit—I hope you don't mind."
Michelle Pfeiffer, standing to Nicole's left, chuckled playfully. "No rush, darling. You've got plenty of time. We certainly don't mind." She and Uma seemed quite familiar with each other, and when she gave a teasing wink, the rest of the women giggled, leaving Uma blushing bright red.
Hugo seized the chance to bow again. "Then we'll take our leave. I hope you all have a wonderful evening." He gently took Uma's arm and began leading her toward the exit. "Joe's waiting in the car," he whispered. "Come on—we should try to make it to Santa Monica before eleven." The soft background music in the hall made their voices easy to hear.
But Uma tugged lightly on his arm, steering him away from the exit and toward the staircase instead.
"What's wrong? Did you forget something?" Hugo asked, puzzled. "We've already lost some time—"
"Hugo," Uma interrupted, meeting his eyes firmly, "you and Joseph should go find Alexander yourselves. I'm staying here." The indecision from earlier had vanished
her tone was steady, resolute, the bold decisiveness that defined her shining through.
Hugo stared at her, stunned. "What? Why? If you're worried about Nicole and the others, I can explain everything."
"No, it's not about them," Uma said. "I just want to stay. You go on to your friend's party. I'm choosing to remain here." The place was full of opportunity—she wasn't about to walk away. Her conversation with Nicole and Michelle Pfeiffer had been going wonderfully, and meeting someone like Michelle was no everyday chance. After some hesitation, Uma had made up her mind.
"But…" Hugo's frustration began to show. Before he could continue, Uma cut him off again. "I know you promised Alexander, but I don't even know him. I never agreed to go to his party. Why can't we just go our separate ways tonight?" Notably, she called him "Alexander" instead of "Alex," the more formal tone marking a subtle but clear distance.
At first, her argument sounded reasonable, but the more Hugo thought about it, the less it made sense and the angrier he grew. They had planned this together from the start; Sydney's party had been a last-minute detour. "But you did agree earlier!" Hugo snapped. "You said we'd just say goodbye to Nicole and the others, then leave!"
"I changed my mind," Uma replied calmly, still holding her ground. "I'm having a good time here. I've met so many great people. I'm happy."
"But it's New Year's Eve! Our first New Year's together! Don't you want to spend the countdown with me?" Hugo couldn't wrap his head around it. Just hours ago, they'd danced, kissed—everything between them had felt right. It had been the one bright spot in an otherwise miserable night of The Firm drama. So why was this happening now?
"Hugo, we're together every day. One countdown doesn't mean anything," Uma said, unwavering. Once she made a decision, she never backed down and Hugo knew that all too well. "I told you, I'm happy here. But if you'd rather stay, that's even better."
"No way." Hugo's temper finally flared. He'd had a rough enough night already; this was the last thing he needed. "I told you—Alex is our friend. We promised him first!"
Uma shook her head. "I don't want to argue anymore. We just see things differently. You can't accept my decision, and I don't agree with yours. So why can't you just let me stay here? I'm fine. You go. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"
"But you're my girl!" Hugo burst out, anger spilling into his voice. Yet even that didn't shake Uma's calm expression. His amber eyes darkened as a sudden thought struck him—Joseph's earlier words echoed in his mind.
"Wait," Hugo blurted out, his tone sharp. "Did Martin or Tracy say something to you just now?"
He didn't want to be suspicious but he couldn't stop himself.
Uma froze for a second when she heard his words, a flicker of panic flashing across her face. But she quickly steadied herself, meeting his furious gaze head-on. "Don't change the subject. I told you—I want to stay. You know this has nothing to do with anyone else. Don't use your dirty imagination to question me!"
She knew enough about the whole The Firm situation, and though she only knew of Tracy through industry rumors, that alone was enough to make her understand why Hugo was suspicious. So she pushed back, hard.
Hugo said nothing. His eyes stayed locked on hers, unblinking. Uma's lips trembled slightly, but she didn't flinch. She held his gaze without fear. After about three seconds, Hugo exhaled deeply.
"Sorry," he said finally, his voice low. "I'm being too sensitive." His expression softened slightly, though a trace of tension remained. "Uma… are you sure you don't want to come with me to Alex's party? Today's the last day of 1992…"
"No," Uma replied firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Hugo shut his eyes, anger and frustration knotting in his chest. He wanted to understand her decision but he couldn't. Not now. He wanted to lean forward, kiss her cheek, and let the tension fade but he couldn't do that either, not in this mood.
In the end, he simply pulled her into a brief, restrained hug and whispered, "Happy New Year." Then he turned and walked away.
His footsteps were long and heavy, driven by anger, and in just a few strides he disappeared through the doors. Even from behind, the tension in his shoulders and back made it obvious how upset he was. Uma took a slow breath to steady herself, then turned around and walked back toward Nicole, Michelle, Tracy, and the others.
Joseph saw Hugo approaching alone and sliding into the passenger seat. He glanced around but saw no sign of Uma. Before he could ask, Leonardo spoke up from the back seat, voicing what they were all thinking.
"Just you? Where's Wonder Woman?"
Fastening his seatbelt, Hugo let out a long sigh. "Wonder Woman's off saving the world." Then, turning to Joseph, he added quietly, "Let's go. Alex is still waiting for us."
Hugo didn't explain further, but Joseph could sense the unease radiating from him. The image of Uma chatting with Martin earlier replayed in his mind like an unwelcome echo. Still, he knew this wasn't the right time to pry, so he simply started the engine.
Leonardo and Tobey sat in the back, exchanging a silent look. They had no idea what had happened. Noticing Hugo's somber expression, Leonardo rolled down the window and howled dramatically into the night. "Whooo! We're off to the real party! Party! Party!"
Hugo couldn't help but laugh despite himself. He opened his own window and called back, "When you say 'real party,' you just mean one with alcohol, don't you?"
"Of course! Absolutely!" Leonardo shouted back, his laughter echoing through the chilly night.
The wild midnight wind poured through the open windows, roaring past them as the car sped down the dark streets. The rush of cold air cleared Hugo's crowded mind; all the frustration, all the doubts, were swept up and scattered across Santa Monica Boulevard, vanishing into the stormy night.
....
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