It was a bigger ask if nothing else.

Hayley was none the wiser to the deeper connotations, of course. After all, she was among friends, being a good friend, and merely asking another friend if she’d like a chance in the limelight on a song that she presumably was a huge fan of.

And if we’re being real here, it’s not as if I had any greater insight into things either. How Ash thinks, what she knows, the ordeals she’s been through. My understanding of it was like having plucked a handful of leaves in a forest rippling and rustling with uncountable billions.

Still it was enough of a handful to know that, to Ash, it probably meant a whole more to her than just a song to pass the time.

"Once again, I feel it is in my best interest to simply abstain from the indulgence," Ash said, a little coarseness present in her voice that was similar to last night’s. Not entirely sure if it had always been there and I had just been deaf the whole time. "Besides, I will not do in the indignity of depriving everyone else of your mesmerizing harmonies."

Hayley let loose a single chortle, looking pleased enough to wriggle elf ears if she still had hers on from our scenes on set together. "I’ll sing forever if you want to keep flattering me like that. Alright, guess it’s just me."

Thus, the amazing karaoke automobile continued its show on the road with more merry tunes to accompany the miles remaining until we reached our destination.

Soft, slow melodies were apparently a frequent favourite. If I wasn’t already fighting off a ten-year coma, I’d probably enjoy it a whole lot more than I was currently. But I wasn’t gonna say anything. I’m not going to be the one to ruin her mood.

Indeed, Hayley really was in quite a chirpy mood. Then again, it always seemed like she was every time I saw her. Sifting through order after order at work, the endless rapid cuts in-between takes of a scene, the random encounters every now and then... like Christmas back then, and like here right now.

It’s rare that I ever see anything else other than that merry smile of hers, but I have, haven’t I? More than a few times already. And every instance had always included a singular common thread that binded them all together.

Nick’s words rattled sonorously around in the deep emptiness between my ears. His voice in my head, a harsh incongruent note imposing upon Hayley’s angelic singing and not just because he often sounded like a chainsmoker in the middle of a severe flu, but because of what he said to me too.

If what he said was true, and that their Dad was also invited along to the party as another one of many prestigious guests... what then? Nick said Hayley doesn’t know—so? Does he expect me to tell her? Does he expect me not to?

Keep an eye on her, he said. A simple, straightforward ask from a friend to a friend... so why was I already at a complete loss here?

Oh, Harry. I don’t know if you’re here for business, for pleasure, or quite possibly just to see your daughter... either way, you always have the worst habit of putting me into these complicated conundrums.

"Hey, Hayley," I said, dipping a toe before I go diving into any potential dangers. "Do you happen to know any of the other people that’ll be coming?"

Hayley looked a little hassled. Probably had to do with the fact I cut her off before she could belt out the chorus to the song. "Maybe? I mean, not particularly. I know there’s some big investors coming, a few government officials, other business owners. Rich folks. Fancy folks. Those kinds of people. If you want names, I can’t really give you any. Why?"

Do I tell her? Nick did say it was a big ’maybe’. A cautionary maybe. Like, maybe there’s another party happening elsewhere at the exact time and maybe that’s where Harry is. Maybe that’s the case here.

Or maybe not.

Hayley began humming along to the starting notes of the next song on the playlist, the tempo quickening, her voice rising, and the smile of joy on her face widening... and still I didn’t say anything.

I’m not going to be the one to ruin her mood.

Ten minutes went by in a blink after that. I might’ve actually dozed off with how sudden it seemed. More than likely, I was just in my head again. In any case, we were beginning to slow down.

"Okay, we’re here," Hayley announced, tapping her phone screen once and finally bringing an end to the concert on wheels. "Just need to turn here. Yep, guard’s over there. I’ll talk to ’em real quick, make sure he’s got us ticked on the list."

Now, I didn’t know where ’here’ was going to be exactly. Dad mentioned it was going to be hosted at a house, only it seemed he utterly failed to mention that the aforementioned house was, in reality, a grand estate.

Outside the humble living of green suburban squares and away from the bustling chaos of tangled metropolitan streets. There, beyond the sunny glare of the windshield sat the largest single fusion of rock, brick and wood I’ve ever seen.

A giant monolithic achievement of woodwork and masonry sat squarely upon a million trillion square-feet of land far detached from the world outside of puny little mortals and their puny little woes.

From intuition and just having a working pair of eyes in general, I knew Dave was a wealthy man the moment I first had a glance at him in his office and let him hoodwink me into a scam all that time ago.

A lot of things have transpired between us between then and now. Him unearthing our little fantasy secrets, me coming upon the realization he had worked with my dad, and then the bewildering revelation that Leon was his son.

So many aspects of him to discover that after a point I just sorta glossed over what he really was first and foremost—that Dave was a crook. A very rich and powerful crook at that.

His estate had everything—anything even.

It was the ideal rags-to-riches scenario. Just from the front I could see shrubberies with their leaves clipped to an even, disciplined perfection, and expansive roads that curve and bend around rosy patios and gushing fountains. Then of course, nearest in view, was the large arching metal gate withholding every luxury behind its thick, steely bars. Two guards stood in constant vigilance on either side, one of them slowly coming up to us as Hayley wheeled on forward.

"Hi! How are ya!" Rolling her window down, Hayley greeted the man with an air of enthusiasm that sadly was not reciprocated. "My name’s Hayley Leonard. I’m a guest—I mean, duh, obviously—oh, um, I’m also on standby to perform later. You got me on some memo, I hope?"

In the corner of my eyes, I caught Ash matching their ever watchful glare, always ready to act at an instant’s notice. Though I doubt her caution was at all necessary, I still very much appreciated it.

The man muttered something inaudible to a receiver hooked to his ear, and after receiving an equally incomprehensible blare of static right back, gave Hayley a silent nod of affirmation.

"Awesome, thanks. Oh! Right, these three are, uh..." Hayley followed the man’s intense inquisitive stare at the rest of us. She narrowed down on me in particular. "I think, um... I’ll just give him your name? They should probably already have your name, right? Yeah, so, this is—"

"You."

An unfamiliar voice spoke. Gruff, a little accented. It took me at least a full second before I realized it was the guard that was speaking, and another full second to register that he was staring straight at me.

"Yes, you," he repeated again, his lips barely moving in his face of stone. "The boss told us to be expecting you. All of you. We know your face. His most esteemed guest, yes?"

I spoke up, finding my voice somewhere between a croak and a crack. "That’s news to me, actually. But, yeah... I guess I’m that guest."

"Then please do enjoy yourselves. Ladies. Gentleman. Thank you most kindly for joining us today."

The man stepped back and sunk himself into a respectful bow that Ash would approve of. The other guard at watch by the gate then muttered something in his own earpiece and promptly after, the giant metal bars swung wide open for us.

"Thanks!" Hayley bid the guard with a hearty wave as she rolled up her window and rolled us onward onto the first few metres of high-class living.

And yet despite being beset on all sides by stunning views, the only thing Hayley found worthy of her amazement was the awkward-looking dude sitting to her right.

"Holy shit. What does he mean ’most esteemed guest’? You know Leon’s Dad personally or something?"

Again, with all that’s transpired, the safest and fastest way forward was to be vague. "I suppose you could say that."

"How personal is personal, then?" She pried even more. "Because it kind of sounds like he’s pretty fond of you."

"Like I said, my dad—"

"No, ’esteemed guest’ is you, not your dad. So what’s that about?"

"Then best you ask him."

"I will!" She declared feverishly. "But right now you’re the best I got—so? C’mon, just spill! How is it that a guy like you is seemingly buddy-buddy with the most influential in the entire city?"

Once more, what the hell do I even say?