"Sophia!" She stands and pulls me into a hug, and I let myself sink into it. I've missed her—missed all of them—more than I realized. "I hope you don't mind me crashing lunch."
"Of course not." The lie comes easily, even as my heart constricts. Having Grant's sister here is like poking at a wound that hasn't finished healing.
Jess slides a glass of wine toward me when I sit. "You look good. Rested."
"Vancouver agreed with me." Another lie, but I'm getting better at them.
"Speaking of agreeing," Jess says, leaning forward with that mischievous gleam in her eye. "We were just talking about our favorite big romantic gestures in pop culture—Lloyd Dobler with the boombox, Noah building the house for Allie…"
"The airport scene inNotting Hill," Stella chimes in dreamily.
"Kat Stratford reading the poem in class," Brandon adds, earning a few raised eyebrows. "What? I watch rom-coms."
"You know what I love?" Stella sighs. "Those dramatic moments where someone realizes what they've lost and fights to get it back."
I take a slow sip of my wine. "Those only happen in movies. Real life is…messier."
"I don't know about that," Blair counters. "Sometimes, real life surprises you."
"Speaking of surprises," Jess says, straightening in her chair, "did you all see the speculation about Wonderland Studios maybe selling off their streaming platform?"
The abrupt subject change makes me tense. Any mention of the studio still does that to me.
"The press has been ruthless," Brandon cuts in. "Accusations about lack of transparency, questioning the studio's direction…brutal."
Sarah nods. "That's why Grant finally agreed to do press—he wants to clear the air about Wonderland's future. Address rumors head-on."
My stomach drops. "He's doing interviews?"
"Just one." Sarah watches me closely. "Personally, I love it when someone's willing to be vulnerable in front of the whole world. To just…lay it all out there."
"Like a podcast interview?" Blair asks, her tone a little too innocent.
Suddenly, it all clicks. Jess's podcast, this carefully steered conversation, everyone glancing my way like they're waiting for a reaction.
"What did you do?" I ask Jess, narrowing my eyes.
"He came to me," she says quietly, "said if he was going to talk about the studio's future, he wanted someone he trusted. Someone who'd let him tell the whole truth." She takes out her phone and slides it across the table. "Including setting the record straight about the relationship between you and him."
"Just watch," Blair urges.
The video opens on Jess's familiar podcast set, but in the guest chair is Grant. And Hazel. My heart stutters.
Jess's voice comes through the speakers with practiced clarity.
"Welcome back toOn the Red Carpet. Today, my guest is Grant Hall, head of Wonderland Studios, and his daughter, Hazel. Grant, Hazel, thanks for being here."
"Happy to be here, Jess."
"Let's address the biggest rumor right away. Is Wonderland really planning to sell off its streaming arm,FlixPix?"
Grant exhales as though he's been expecting this.
"No, we're not selling FlixPix, despite what the tabloids and trade papers are saying. We're restructuring some of ourdeals, but that's a far cry from a sell-off. I want to set the record straight on that."
"So, there's no truth to the speculation about financial trouble?"
"No. We're making strategic adjustments, sure—but nothing as drastic as a sale. The board and I are fully committed to the platform's future."
