Twenty
Sophie
Sophie’s sweet tooth perked up the moment Philip mentioned the churrería Downtown.
“Best hangover cure I know in this city.” He put in their order on his phone and nudged James’s ankle. “Hey, cabrón, you go pick it up.”
“What? Why not you?”
Philip leaned into Lina. “I want to spend time with my little sister. And Sophie can’t go because she’s hungover.”
Lina squirmed, elbowing her brother in his gut. “Why are you—get off.”
Sophie frowned. “What? I’m not hun—”
Philip nudged Sophie’s ankle.
“I’m hungover,” she corrected.
Rolling his eyes, James boosted himself off the couch and waved, heading for the elevator.
“Are you sure your friends don’t want any?” Philip asked. “I can still order more for you to take back later. These churros are really good.”
Sophie shrugged. “Yeah, it’s fine. Ol prefers savory hangover cures, anyway. Excuse me a minute.”
She checked her phone as she darted into the bathroom.
Taylor had sent a photo of Oliver devouring a bowl of Hangover Soup.
Number three. I think this restaurant is about to give us an award or something
She snorted. At least he’s got an appetite.
Emerging a few moments later, she shook water from her hands as she re-entered an empty living room, and quiet bickering led her to the guest room.
Philip and Lina’s hushed voices snaked out, arguing in rapid-fire Spanish.
Sophie tilted her head but turned around. This was clearly a private conversation.
But in her haste, her ankle rolled and she tripped forward, grabbing the doorframe for balance.
The siblings’ voices hushed, and their attention flew to her, both blinking with the same startled expression. Lina jumped to her feet.
“Um. What’s going on?” Sophie asked.
The siblings exchanged looks and Lina lifted her shoulders. “Nothing. Do not worry about it, querida.”
Sophie chewed on her lip but nodded, crossing her arms.
Even though the women had become close in such a short time, if Lina was hiding the fact that something was wrong, Sophie didn’t have the right to ask.
“No.” Something flickered in Philip’s eyes. “She should know if she is seeing James.”
Lina’s lips pressed together. “Vale.”
She threw one last frown at Philip before walking out.
“Philip?” Sophie asked.
“My sister has never been the best liar.” His tone tightened, and his words flared with more of an accent than ever. “Or so I thought. Maybe that is why she has been doing such a good job with the family business.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he continued, “Did James ever tell you why it went to her instead of me?”
Sophie shook her head.
If she was correct, Philip was angry at his parents, and they were angry with him. Or had been, at one point. Enough so that he used an Anglicized version of his name and went to a different country.
“Just that you guys used to spend summers together, although he didn’t say why it stopped,” she said.
Philip’s jaw was set, and a haunted expression hung in his eyes. “Lina said my parents would welcome me with open arms, but they will not.”
He sat down in the armchair and twisted to face Sophie. “Pride has always been a big thing in my family. Lina gave my parents pride.”
“But you didn’t,” Sophie finished. She leaned against the closet. “Why?”
“This kind of explains things.” He tapped on his phone, and a moment later, showed her the screen.
An article from a Spanish tabloid dominated the screen.
“I can’t read that,” she said. “My Spanish isn’t that good.”
“Son of the CEO of Dawn Bank arrested by police.” Philip translated without looking at the screen.
She frowned. “I recognize this tabloid. It isn’t the most credible source.”
He shook his head, pocketing the device. “I know, but at that point, it did not matter.”
“What?”
“Papá … he did not like that I did not want to take over the family business. One night, we had a fight. I went to a bar and I was about to leave when I overheard this sicko making comments about my sister. My sixteen year old sister.” Disgust washed over Philip’s face.
“I lost it and left the bastard with a broken nose and a bruised up face, and I know I would have kept going if people had not pulled us apart. Of course, he pressed charges and my arrest making headlines was the last straw.”
Sophie frowned. “But … the only reason you got arrested was for defending his daughter. Did he not understand that?”
“He understood it, but he also understood that getting arrested so publicly like that was unacceptable.” Pursing his lips, Philip sat on the bed and rubbed his neck.
“Papá used his name to bury the shame deep, so much so that a Google search would not bring up my past. Then he wrote me a check and told me to get out. Since I wanted to leave the family so badly, I might as well do it now. He forbade anyone from helping me, and they listened to him.”
“Even Lina?” Sophie asked quietly.
“Even her and Mamá. We had one rule when Lina and I were growing up. You didn’t interfere with business, and with this … everyone was too scared of Papá and what he could do. So, I came to America.” Philip’s lips twitched upward. “I found out the hard way that Papá froze all my accounts.”
Sophie sat beside him. “But so much time has passed, it must not matter to them anymore, right? And Lina took the company to such new heights—”
Philip laughed. “You would think, but my parents did not talk to me at the engagement party. I think Mamá wanted to. But Papá …”
Sophie’s heart tore right down the middle and nausea filled the cracks. Being in that position, especially at such a young age … she shifted to hug him. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged, getting up and smiling ruefully down at her. “It is fine, it is not your fault. If anything, the party was even more proof that I should not go home. Like you said, Lina really made our family company thrive, so maybe it was the universe telling me to go.”
Sophie made a face. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know what you meant.” He shrugged again, trying to pass a grimace off as a smile. “Anyway, come on. James should be back soon with the food, and I am telling you, you have not lived until you have tried these churros.”
She fought to keep her jaw up. How does Philip do that? How does he just pretend so suddenly that everything’s okay? And now, the chance for him to fix everything has practically seized him by the collar, and he’s running away?
She scoffed. “No.”
He stopped in the doorway. “What?”
Shooting to her feet, she shook her head.
“Seriously, what is wrong with you and James?” she demanded.
“No wonder you’re best friends! You both have a problem with dropping something huge and thinking it’s okay to move on with your day.
Look, listen to Lina. Go home to visit, at least. You’re going to Spain for the wedding, right? So do it then.”
“Sophie—”
“No, you’re being stupid,” she said. “And stubborn beyond belief. If I was in your shoes, I’d be jumping at the chance to make amends. But you’re going to hide because you're scared things might not go the way you want?”
It was ridiculous.
How many times had she told herself the same thing? Except she didn’t have the luxury of hiding.
He fell silent, jaw clenching and Adam’s Apple bobbing. His gaze remained steadily on her, though it flickered with indecision.
“Philip. Please,” she pleaded.
“I—” he began. “What if it is a repeat of the party, except this time, they refuse to see me? Do you know how stupid that would look to have your own parents turn you away on your own doorstep?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t know. Maybe the worst will happen, but then you walk away with your head high because that’s all you can do. But what if it doesn’t?”
He cracked a wry smile. “Hit me harder, why don’t you?”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t let you throw this chance to get your family back out the window.” Her lips twisted. “Look, I’m not saying you need to make a choice right now. But just … make the right one.”
Darkness collected in pools of ink on the ceiling of her room that night, cut through only with beams of light thrown by passing cars outside.
The high she carried with her since the gala flickered out last night with overhearing James’s phone call.
She hadn’t had time to stop and mull it over before, but it served as a harrowing reminder that he was a client, and she might as well be the one representing him.
Tightness burrowed into her chest, and she rolled over, clutching her blankets.
‘Make the right one,’ she’d told Philip. But that was rich when she was sure she wasn’t doing the same.
Pushing away the thought, she sat straight up and blew strands of her hair from her mouth. Grabbing her phone from her nightstand, the bright screen blinded her, and she squinted at the time.
James took off from the private airport soon and she shot him a text.
Hey. Did you board yet? Probably, right?
His reply came through instantly.
Sitting on the tarmac rn. What are you doing up?
Insomnia. Anyway have a safe flight and text me when you land
Of course
She loved the message, then clicked her phone off, letting it drop next to her. Sighing, she lay back, and—
Her door swung open and she jumped, bumping her head against her headboard.
“Holy—Chlo?”
Chloe rushed over to the bed and brandished her phone. Her cane, which she’d been leaning heavily against, clattered to the floor. “Have you seen these?”
Sophie took the device from her friend’s shaking hand and scrolled down the screen.
There were only two pages of links available, but every single one bore a similar heading.
‘Lotus CEO Uses Connections With PR Company To Set Up Biases’
Sophie’s blood froze over. It was like she was in a car swerving clean through the barrier of a bridge and plunging straight toward the water below.
“The oldest are from last week,” Chloe explained. “But everything after the first five are dated last night.”
Sophie shook her head. “Chlo, what is this?”