Chapter 49
SOFIA
Aia che tia – Bresh
She couldn’t believe they were all there. The full MoGoLoRo family, like Carlos loved to keep calling them, reunited with the addition of Ilias and the twins. It had been years since they had all been together like this, and the chaos they brought was, surprisingly, fun to deal with.
It was refreshing.
Even though her dad’s laugh would stop mid-sentence because of a coughing fit, or he’d tire quickly and need to sit down, or he’d look at them with that same nostalgic gaze he reserved for the sea, she was soaking it all in.
The twins had decided that Carlos and Ilias were going to be their personal servants, and shockingly, both had agreed without protest.
“He’s good with kids,” Gabriella noted, lying on the rocky beach, shifting the stones around her to make them more comfortable, as Ilias lifted Francesca into the air and tossed her into the calm Ligurian waters.
“Same maturity level,” Alejandra added from Sofia’s other side, eyes fixed on a fantasy book, probably one involving fae with tails and absurdly hot, unhinged sex scenes.
“Don’t be mean.” Sofia shot her a warning glance.
“I’m not. It’s just the truth,” Alejandra grinned, peeking at her over the book. “You know it was his idea, right? He told us about your dad, and then Carlos and I called our parents. He set everything in motion.”
Sofia turned her gaze to Ilias, laughing with the twins and Carlos, splashing around in the golden hour light.
“At least he’s proactive. Not like Roberto.”
Sofia lowered her sunglasses and fixed her sister with a pointed look. “So. About Roberto. What happened?”
Alejandra snapped her book shut and sat up fast, wincing as the rocks dug into her backside. “Rocky beaches are medieval torture.” Then she pressed, “What happened with Roberto?”
Gabriella sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. “Nothing. That’s the problem. Nothing happened. Everything is the same with him. He doesn’t want to do anything.”
Sofia’s frown deepened. She lowered her voice despite their parents being far off, chatting on another towel. “You said you didn’t want him to come… or he didn’t want to?”
Gabriella hesitated. “He didn’t.”
“What?” Sofia and Alejandra said in unison.
“He said I’m exaggerating. That dad’s not going to die. I don’t know if it’s just his coping mechanism—”
“Or if he’s just an asshole,” Sofia cut in.
“I’m falling out of love,” Gabriella admitted quietly. “And he’s not helping his cause. I hear what Ilias does for you, and I wonder why Roberto can’t do even a fraction of that.”
“We’re in very different stages of our relationships,” Sofia reminded her gently.
“Yeah, they’re still in the honeymoon, sickeningly-in-love phase.” Alejandra smirked. Then, more seriously she asked, “Do you think he’s cheating?”
Gabriella frowned. “No idea. But it wouldn’t surprise me. I lost a bit of myself since I had the twins. I cut my hair short just to make mornings easier, and now I look like a damn pencil.”
“No. It’s French,” Sofia teased.
“Loved the Fleabag reference,” Alejandra chimed.
Gabriella rolled her eyes. “I’m younger than both of you and I look like your grandma. That’s not okay. And I do understand why Roberto might not be attracted to me anymore.”
Sofia and Alejandra exchanged a glance. It stung to hear.
“You’re gorgeous, Gabri,” Sofia said at last. “But even if you feel like you’ve changed, that’s no excuse for him to treat you like crap.”
“I can’t spend my days at the beach or on a surfboard like you two,” Gabriella snapped. “Someone had to bring in the real money.”
Alejandra narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me? I just bought a beach house in Conil with the money I earned from spending days on the water.”
“And I landed a 200k business partnership and doubled my income,” Sofia added. “We’re not exactly broke.”
Gabriella exhaled slowly. “I just want him to see me again. Not as Francesca and Ginevra’s mom. But as me.”
“Then you should talk to him,” Sofia said gently. “Did you?”
“No.” She sighed. “But I will.” She paused, then looked at them with exaggerated annoyance. “I hate both of you, you know that? You broke the pact. We were supposed to have kids at the same time and be ugly and depressed together.”
“Huge pass for me,” Alejandra deadpanned.
“Rain check for me too, sis.”
They all laughed, descending into a bickering spiral about that pact they made years ago during a summer in Conil—right when Sofia’s phone started to ring.
Jamie.
She stood, wobbling slightly on the uneven rocks, and walked closer to the shore to answer.
“Hello, Jamie. How are you?”
“Sofia, nice to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well.”
My dad is dying, but otherwise fabulous.
“Yes. You?”
“Oh, great. Managing the shitshow caused by Ilias dropping the USL and you not going to Brazil.”
“I’m sorry about that, I—”
“We gave you 200k for a contract you’re not fulfilling. You two posted happy-couple pictures, but there were conferences, Sofia. Commitments. You’ve let down a lot of people.”
Is she shouting at me?
“Yet I haven’t let down the one person who actually matters to me,” Sofia replied, voice calm but venom in her words. “I don’t know if you’ve ever lost a family member—”
“But you haven’t. Your father is still alive. I’m losing money because of you.”
Sofia’s stomach twisted. Her voice rose. “Are you seriously comparing my father’s failing health to a sponsorship budget?”
“In business, you can’t have a soft heart.”
“Isn’t TerraVive all about mental wellness and supporting its athletes?” she snapped, putting the call on speaker as Ilias joined her, his brows furrowed.
“You had a contract. Both of you. Promote Ilias’ comeback. Attend the events we scheduled. In exchange for that money. And now Ilias dropped out of the tour with no explanation. His fans are angry.”
“We’ll explain everything online,” Ilias said, calm but firm. “We’ll be transparent. Maybe people will show more heart than you.”
“I overlooked a request from a major partner to drop you both,” Jamie went on, bitter. “I protected you. But now… you’ve made me look bad, too. Expect an email. Consider your contracts with TerraVive terminated.”
“Who asked to drop us?” Sofia asked, voice flat, not even surprised by the outcome of the conversation. Since she had picked up that call, Jamie had been utterly disgusting in her behavior. She’d rather lose money than be in debt with a company, with a manager that didn’t show a bit of humanity.
A pause. Then Jamie’s voice came through, cold as ice. “Your ex-boyfriend’s family has a lot of influence. Maybe you should’ve stayed with him.”
And then the call disconnected.
Sofia stared at the screen.
Ilias stared at her.
And together, without missing a beat, they both muttered under their breath: “Me cago en la puta.”