Chapter 98: Trouble Outside Building Four

Sophie put on a cardigan and headed down the stairs to the ground-floor courtyard, pausing when she saw the rose-gold commuter bicycle locked to the railing.

Looking at the bike brought everything from yesterday back into focus... Jude stepping in at the school gates, handling the trouble at the market, buying the bicycle, and asking her to step in as his girlfriend.

Now her parents were pulling her registration to finalize the arrangement, cutting her off from the Conservatory entirely.

She wiped her eyes, unlocked the courtyard door, and walked toward South Street.

Up on the 4th floor, the moment the gate clicked shut below, Leo pushed the quilt aside and swung his legs off the bed.

Holding onto the wall for balance, the 14-year-old made his way out to the landing, looked up the narrow stairs toward the 6th-floor roof access, and started climbing one step at a time.

Across town, the black Koenigsegg Jesko crossed the Queensboro Bridge, heading toward the South Street corridor.

Jude drove while Dean Victoria Liu sat in the passenger seat with a tablet showing Sophie’s student file.

Concerned that one of her department’s top scholarship students was being pulled out against her will, Victoria had come along to handle the situation in person.

"Did Sophie mention anything about home yesterday?" Victoria asked, looking up from the screen.

"Nothing," Jude said. "I went with her to pick up a bicycle yesterday afternoon so she wouldn’t have to walk to class, and she planned to be in the seminar this morning. Someone dropping out doesn’t buy a commuter bike 18 hours earlier."

Victoria frowned. "Which means her parents are pushing the withdrawal themselves."

"After seeing how they handled your office, that’s clear enough," Jude said. "Let’s get there before they return so we can hear it directly from Sophie."

Victoria pointed toward a row of older buildings ahead. "Take a right past this light. The Redbrick complex is just down the block."

As Jude pulled up to the curb near the entrance alley, the console chimed with an incoming call.

He connected the line. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lawson. It’s Claire Kensington, from the gala," a calm voice came through the speaker.

"I remember, Miss Kensington," Jude said.

"I wanted to reach out yesterday, but audit meetings ran late," Claire said. "Do you have 30 minutes this afternoon? I have the draft prospectus ready for the endowment."

"I’m handling a personal matter out in Queens right now," Jude said, unbuckling his belt. "Let’s set a time tomorrow."

Claire paused. "I’m serious about managing the fund, Mr. Lawson. I can drive out to your area and wait at a café nearby. Even 10 minutes when you finish would work."

Seeing she wanted to move quickly, Jude agreed. "Fine. I’m near the Redbrick complex off South Street. Find a coffee shop on the avenue and send the address. I’ll stop by when I’m done here."

"Understood. Heading across the bridge now."

Jude hung up, stepped out onto the sidewalk with Victoria Liu, and walked into the complex... a tight grid of pre-war 6-story buildings where the courtyards were too narrow for vehicle access.

They hadn’t walked 50 yards down the walkway toward Sophie’s building when shouting broke out ahead.

30 or 40 residents stood gathered in the alley outside Building 4, looking up at the 6th-floor roof as people yelled toward the top.

Jude and Victoria stopped and looked up.

Standing on the edge of the 6th-floor roof was a thin boy in pajamas, unsteady against the wind, his feet right at the edge of the 60-foot drop.

"Step back from the ledge!" someone called out from the ground.

"Isn’t that Arthur Reed’s son from 4B?" another neighbor said. "Why is he up there?"

Jude stepped over to a tenant standing near the stairs. "Is that Arthur Reed’s son?"

Victoria had read the family file on the way over: Arthur, Helen, and the younger brother, Leo.

"Yeah, that’s Leo," the man said, shaking his head. "Been sick at home for over a year with heart trouble. Looks like he hit a wall."

Jude’s expression hardened.

Her parents trying to force a withdrawal that morning and the younger brother ending up on the roof right after wasn’t a coincidence...

At that moment, near the street curb where Jude had parked, a silver Toyota sedan pulled up to the alley entrance.

Behind the wheel sat Lenny Li, a 35-year-old gym owner with slicked hair.

After seeing a photo of 19-year-old Sophie Reed through a family contact, he had put up a $300,000 settlement to secure the arrangement.

Sitting in the back seat, returning from the Conservatory, were Arthur and Helen Reed...

Arthur and Helen Reed had met Lenny Li 2 blocks from the tenements after leaving the campus administration building.

Today had been set aside for Lenny to bring the initial deposit and confirm the arrangement in person.

Lenny glanced into the rearview mirror as he pulled toward the curb.

"Everything handled at the school, Uncle Arthur?"

For a 35-year-old gym owner, securing an arrangement with a 19-year-old conservatory student like Sophie Reed was an opportunity he wasn’t going to let slip.

Under ordinary circumstances, their paths wouldn’t have crossed.

With the family facing heavy medical expenses, however, $300,000 had settled the matter...

Lenny had made his terms clear: Sophie had to withdraw from the Conservatory immediately and cut ties with her campus circle.

Eager to keep the deal on track, Arthur leaned forward. "Completely handled, Lenny. We spoke directly with the dean this morning. Her classes are done."`

Lenny gave a satisfied nod.

"The gifts are in the trunk and the cash is in the briefcase," he said, tapping the leather case on the passenger seat. "Once we sit down upstairs and confirm Sophie agrees, I’ll hand you $150,000 on the spot. The remaining $150,000 clears the day the paperwork is filed."

In the back seat, Arthur and Helen exchanged a quick, eager look.

$150,000 in cash on the kitchen table was more than they had seen in 10 years!