“Wait.” He turned on his heel and walked quickly back to the table, where Sofia sat with Alejandra, Carlos, and the now-returned Gabriella. José and Marina had left for their room.
“Sofia. What’s Thomas’s last name?”
“Whitmore. Why?”
His pulse thundered. “Just wait.”
He turned back to the phone. “Ghita, yes. I know them. I’ll take it from here, okay? Whatever you do, don’t engage. Don’t go near this man or that group. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, but Ilias, who are these people?”
“Someone who doesn’t have a fucking life.”
He ended the call and stalked back to the table, jaw tight, fury simmering under his skin.
“What happened?” Sofia asked.
“I’m going to kill him,” Ilias said, seething. “Thomas is behind the hotel group that’s trying to take over Imsouane. I’ve been wondering how he knew about my father’s business in Sydney. Now I know. This guy is on a personal mission to ruin our lives.”
Sofia groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I can’t believe this man.”
“You could file a restraining order,” Gabriella said. “And if we gather everything he’s done, we could bring it to a judge.”
“But we don’t have proof,” Sofia pointed out. “Jamie would never give us anything. And building a hotel near Azul doesn’t count as harassment.”
“Unfortunately, you’re right,” Gabriella muttered, frustrated.
“This man needs to be stopped,” Ilias said darkly.
Sofia sat up straighter. A spark flickered in her eyes. “I think I know how.”
“How?” Alejandra asked, wary.
“I’ve got a trio of nerds working on uncovering shit about Neptune and Thomas for the European Union. The ones that ambushed me out of Salacia in Ericeira a week ago. I think I can feed them more proof.”
“How?” Ilias repeated. “You already talked to them, didn’t you?”
“I’ve got a friend at Neptune. She was actually at the conference in Sydney,” Sofia said, lips curving slightly. “She’sbrilliant. I can reach out, ask questions, maybe learn more about these European funds he’s been using.”
“You think she’ll help?” Carlos asked.
Sofia shrugged. “I hope so.”
But in her voice, there was something else—a quiet, burning resolve. If they were going to go down, they wouldn’t go down quietly. That man was trying to destroy two of the things he loved the most: his relationship with Sofia and Ghita’s dream to turn Azul into something more than a surf school. As much as he had mixed feelings about his father’s business, he didn’t want his cousin to fail just because they let him win without trying.
51
SOFIA
Adore You – Miley Cyrus
She had been tossingand turning all night. So, at first light, when the sky over the Ligurian coast had barely begun to blush pink, she slipped out of bed and pulled a groggy and grumbling Ilias from his dreams. She checked the forecast, prepped the paddlesurf, and ran to the nearby panificio for two fresh focaccias, while he was still snoring in bed. After a couple of kisses and a little convincing, he had woken up.
“You know this is kind of an insult to surfers, right?” he muttered, his voice thick with sleep, as she poured hot coffee into travel mugs and packed breakfast into a waterproof bag.
“What? Having breakfast with your girlfriend in the middle of the Mar Ligure?” she deadpanned without even glancing up.
“Paddlesurfing.”
