When Romeo mentioned that Jax had connections in the music world, Sophia's face lit up with a happiness Romeo had not seen before. It was like a small candle being lit in a very dark, cold room. Her eyes, which usually looked tired and worried from all her troubles, finally showed a bit of sparkle.
She looked at Jax, then back at Romeo, feeling a little bit shy. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and bit her lip. "Oh. I don't really know anyone from that world," she admitted softly. "I just play in the subway for people who are in a hurry. I didn't think anyone important was listening."
Jax smiled lightly. He had a kind face despite his messy hair and tired appearance. "Yeah, same here," he said with a little shrug. "I just play the drums sometimes. I am not a big star or a famous name. But when you play in different clubs and meet different people, you hear things here and there. You learn where the music is hiding in this big city."
Sophia frowned a little, her curiosity growing. She stepped closer to the two boys, her violin case forgotten for a moment. "Hear things? Like what?"
"Opportunities," Jax replied. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees to get closer to her. He spoke in a way that made it sound like he was sharing a great secret.
"Nothing fancy or rich. No red carpets, no limos, and no expensive cameras. But sometimes, small doors open when you least expect them to. You just have to be ready to walk through them before they close again."
Romeo watched Sophia closely from the side. He could see how tired she still looked despite the sleep she had. The dark circles under her eyes told a story of many sleepless nights and days spent worrying about her sick father. He saw how she held her arms close to her body, almost like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. He knew she did not expect anyone to help her. In her world, things were usually hard and unfair. People who have had a very difficult life usually stop waiting for good things to happen because they don't want to be disappointed again.
Jax cleared his throat, breaking the silence of the room.
"Actually," he said, "that reminds me of something I heard just yesterday while I was out in the city."
Sophia looked up at once. She was listening with her whole heart now. Every word Jax said felt like it was the most important thing in the world to her.
"There is an old theatre downtown," Jax continued. "It's not famous anymore. It isn't shiny like the ones on Broadway. Most people drive right past it without even looking. It's an old place…. the paint is peeling off the walls, half the seats are broken, and the lights flicker like they are about to go out forever. But the sound? The sound in that place is beautiful. It makes every note feel alive."
Sophia's fingers tightened slightly around her sweater sleeve. She had always loved old theatres. She loved the history they held and the way the old wood smelled like memories and music.
"They are looking for a violin player," Jax said, watching her reaction carefully. "Just for a few shows. They want a live audience to hear some beautiful music while they perform a play. It's a small stage, but it's a real one."
The room felt suddenly warmer to Sophia. Her eyes widened, and she took a small, sharp gasp of air. "A real theatre? Not the dirty street? Not the noisy subway station where the trains drown out the music?"
"Yeah," Jax said with a nod. "They had someone lined up to play, but it did not work out. They had a big disagreement about the style of the music. Now they need someone new, and they need them fast. They told me they want someone who can play with real feeling, not just someone who hits the right notes like a machine."
Sophia looked at Romeo. Her heart was full of questions. She was not sure if this was a real job or if Jax was just being extra nice to her because he was Romeo's friend. She was a proud girl; she did not want a handout or charity. She wanted to earn her way with her own talent.
Romeo met her gaze. He did not look away. He reached out and nodded gently to give her courage. "I heard you playing last night, Sophia. I heard the way the violin sounded even in the cold rain. You have more feeling in your music than anyone I have ever heard in my whole life. You can do this. I know it."
Sophia swallowed hard. Her heart began to beat faster against her ribs. She took a slow, deep breath to calm herself. Her voice came out softer, almost like a whisper.
"A theatre means... they pay the musicians, right?"
Jax nodded quickly. "It's not a lot of money. You will not become a millionaire overnight. But it's real money. It's a real paycheck for real work. It's enough to buy more than just a sandwich."
As soon as Jax said the word "money," Sophia thought about her father. She remembered his small, white hospital room that always felt too cold and smelled like soap. She remembered the sharp smell of medicine and the constant beep-beep-beep sound of the heart machines.
She thought about the pile of expensive hospital bills that the nurses gave her every single day. Those papers felt like heavy rocks she had to carry on her back.
For a long time, she had felt trapped, like she was in a deep, dark hole with no ladder. She felt like she was drowning in her problems. But now, for the first time in many days, she saw a little bit of light at the top of the hole. She started to feel a small, quiet sense of hope growing in her chest.
"When would the audition be?" she asked, her voice getting stronger and more confident.
"You can go whenever you get time today," Jax said. "They just want to hear you play one or two songs first. It is an audition, but it's nothing intense. There are no scary judges with clipboards or mean faces. It's just you, your violin, and the empty stage."
Sophia let out a slow breath. She did not realize she had been holding it so tightly. Her eyes shone. They were not full of tears of sadness this time. They were full of a soft light she had almost forgotten she had. It was the light of a girl who finally had a chance to save what she loved.
"I can do that," she said, nodding to herself. "At least, I really want to try."
Romeo smiled without even thinking about it. He was so happy for her that his own worries about his father and the black cars felt smaller for a moment. "That is enough, Sophia. Just trying matters more than anything. You have already done the hard part by saying yes."
She looked at him, and her voice was much gentler now. The anger and fear from earlier were gone.
"If this works, Romeo... I might finally be able to help my father. He needs proper treatment. He needs better medicine that we could not afford before. This job... it could save him."
"It will work," Romeo said. He did not say it like a fake promise just to make her feel good. He said it like something he truly believed in his heart. He would make sure it worked, one way or another, even if he had to help secretly.
Jax watched the two of them in silence. He was a drummer, so he understood rhythm and how things moved together. He could see the quiet bond forming between Romeo and Sophia. It was a delicate thing, like a thin glass string, but it was very real. He had seen this before in the music world. Music and hard times have a magical way of pulling people together without asking permission.
"I should head out now," Jax said as he stood up straight and stretched his arms. "I have already stayed longer than I planned. If I'm gone too long, people might start asking where I went."
Romeo stood up too. "Take care of yourself, Jax. Be very careful on the way back to the mansion."
"I always take care of myself," Jax replied with a quick wink. He turned to Sophia one last time. "You play with honesty, Sophia. Hold on to that. Don't let the world change the way you play."
"I will," she said, her voice full of gratitude. "Thank you, Jax. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I won't forget this."
Jax nodded and walked to the door. Just before leaving, he looked back at Romeo. His expression was thoughtful for a brief moment, as if he wanted to say something else about the chaos at the Victor mansion, but then he just shook his head and left. The door closed softly behind him. The loft grew quiet again, but it did not feel empty or lonely anymore. It felt like a place where a big plan was starting to grow.
Sophia sat down near the window, moving slowly like she was still in a beautiful dream. "I did not expect my day to start like this," she whispered, looking at the city buildings and the bright sky.
"Neither did I," Romeo said. He sat on the floor near her, feeling the warmth of the sun on his back. He felt happy, but he also felt the weight of his secret.
She smiled faintly at him. "But I am very glad it did."
The morning light had grown even stronger now. The grey clouds from the storm were completely gone. Bright sunlight poured through the loft window and spread across the wooden floor like a golden carpet. It warmed the quiet room and made the dust look like tiny dancing stars. Outside, New York was fully awake and busy.
Car horns echoed in the distance. You could hear people talking and laughing on the street below. Life was moving forward, and for the first time in a long while, they felt like they were moving with it instead of running away from it.
Inside the loft, Sophia stood up and walked back to the window. She had her old, cracked phone in her hand. She had been staring at the screen for a long time, her thumb hovering over the buttons. Finally, she pressed the call button. Her fingers felt stiff and cold from nervousness. Her chest felt tight again. Every time she had to call the hospital, fear followed her like a dark shadow. She was always afraid of what the doctors would say.
The phone rang once... twice... three times... then the call connected with a click.
Sophia turned slightly away from Romeo to have some privacy. She lowered her voice as she spoke to the nurse on the other end. Romeo stayed where he was on the floor. He wanted to give her space, but his eyes never left her face. He was protecting her with his gaze, watching her every move.
He watched her very closely. He saw the small, scary changes in her body. He saw her shoulders slowly get tense and move up toward her ears. He saw her free hand tighten into a hard fist at her side.
"Yes... this is Sophia Bennett," she said into the phone. Her voice was shaking just a little bit, like a leaf in the wind. "I am calling about my father, Arthur Bennett. I wanted to check on him. How was his night? Is he doing any better?"
There was a long pause. Romeo could hear a tiny humming sound from the phone, but he could not hear the words the nurse was saying. He watched as the color drained from Sophia's face. She turned very, very pale, almost as white as the paint on the wall.
"I understand," she said quietly. Her voice was so thin it was almost gone. "Yes... yes, I can hear you. Please tell me everything."
There was another long pause. Romeo felt his own stomach sink into his shoes. He did not need to hear the nurse to know it was not good news. Sophia leaned her weight against the window frame. It looked like her legs were made of jelly and could no longer hold her up. The sunlight touched her face, but it did not look warm on her anymore. Her eyes grew distant and unfocused, like she was looking at something very far away that was breaking her heart into pieces.
"What?" she whispered. Her voice broke on the last word. She could not finish the sentence.
She dropped the phone from her ear, and it nearly fell to the floor. Her face was full of pure shock and horror. She looked like she had seen a ghost.
Romeo jumped up and ran to her side. "Sophia? What is it? What did they say?"
Sophia looked at him, but it was like she didn't even see him. Her breath was coming in short, shallow gasps.
"He's gone," she whispered.
Romeo's heart stopped. "You mean... your father...?"
"No," Sophia said, shaking her head wildly. "Not like that. They said... they said a man came this morning. A man with a lot of money and a team of lawyers. He moved my father to a private clinic across the city. They wouldn't tell the nurse where. They said it was 'private business' for the Kane Corporation."
Romeo felt like the world was spinning. His father had found out about Arthur Bennett. His father was using her sick father as a way to find him—or to punish her.
"What exactly happened to Sophia's dad while he was away? Is Arthur Bennett in more danger than before? How will Sophia react if she finds out Romeo's last name is Kane? Don't miss the next chapter of this story to see the shocking truth!"