In front of the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, William's proud figure stood tall. "Hello..." he said, pressing the phone to his ear, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, his voice magnetic and gentle.
On the other end was Mia's voice. "I called you earlier, but you didn't answer... Were you busy?"
"Yes."
"You..." Mia seemed to hesitate for a moment before blurting out, "Are you with Hazel?"
"Yes." William was not surprised by Mia's question.
Mia didn't speak further; she was waiting for William to explain.
"Yes, I'm in New York." At that moment, William told Mia the truth.
Mia was silent for a moment on the other end. "Why are you with her? And if you went to New York, why did you lie and say you were going to Japan?"
"Hazel is helping me with something, so she's with me. The reason I didn't tell you I was in New York was because I wanted to surprise you by bringing your mother here, and then later give you a surprise."
"A surprise?" Mia was slightly taken aback.
