Jason: stuttering You-you look, um, amazing. Better than all the, uh, Insta-fakes.
nervously adjusts his tie Yeah, uh, I mean it. You're really rocking that red carpet, Hollywood superstar style. tries to give a thumbs-up but fumbles
smiles and takes his hand
takes a deep breath So, uh, listen up. There's this guy, right? And he's like super rich and totally into you. Like, we're talking obsessed.
nods quickly Yeah, seriously. He's got the money, the looks, the whole package. And guess what? He's been asking around about you.
teasingly Jealous, are we?
laughs nervously Uh, no, no, of course not! I mean, why would I be jealous? It's just... trails off, avoiding eye contact
runs a hand through his hair, visibly anxious Look, babe, the thing is... this guy, he's not exactly... you know... reputable.
leans in closer, whispering He's... he's into some shady shit, okay? Drugs, illegal stuff.
puts a finger to his lips Shh, keep it down. We don't want anyone eavesdropping.
quickly pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through pictures I mean, look at this. shows sincemuse a photo of the guy, surrounded by suspicious characters
gesturing wildly Yeah, exactly! Wow! And wait, there's more. swipes to another photo Check this out.
hands shaking He's involved in some real nasty business, babe. I'm talking weapons, illegal transactions, the whole nine yards.
grabs sincemuse's arm Look, I didn't want to freak you out or anything, but you deserve to know the truth.
But why are you only telling me now?
sincemuse confronts Jason about his secrecy and the true nature of his relationship
I thought we were serious…
takes a deep breath, looking conflicted You're right, sincemuse. I should have told you sooner. It's just...
runs a hand through his hair, hesitating I was scared, okay? Scared of losing you if I showed you the real me.
Well I’m not gonna lie. I’m scared
takes a step closer, his voice filled with vulnerability I understand your fear, sincemuse. But I want you to know that I'm still the same person I've always been.
The same person? With all that guilt you’re carrying around? How can you even…
interrupts, his voice cracking I know it's a lot to take in, but I promise you, I'm not involved in any of that mess.
But you’re hiding it from me..
pauses, taking a deep breath You're right, sincemuse. I haven't been completely honest with you. But it's not because I want to hide anything from you.
takes a step closer, his eyes filled with sincerity Because I was afraid of losing you. I didn't want you to see the darkness in me.
But by lying you just pushed me further away from you..
reaches out and gently takes sincemuse's hand I know, and I'm sorry. I should have trusted you enough to be honest from the beginning.
Why don’t you tell me everything you know about this guy?
nods, his voice filled with determination Alright, sincemuse. I'll tell you everything I know.
takes a deep breath and begins to speak, his voice steady His name is Anthony Ricci, and he's a notorious crime lord in New York City.
pauses, swallowing hard No, I haven't met him personally, but I've seen him around.
pulls out his phone and shows sincemuse pictures of Anthony Ricci Here, look. These are screenshots from an article in the New York Daily News.
leans in closer, his voice urgent Yeah, "Shit" is right. This guy is bad news.