Page 41 of Shock Marriage for the Powerful Spaniard
The building was impressive because, Rafael told her, it was a redevelopment of an old government building, the outside of which had been kept true to its period, solid red brick with a certain prison-like appearance that belied the complete modernisation on the inside.
‘You’re right,’ she breathed, taking in the marble and the giant plants and the banks of lifts to one side. ‘Nothing like the average office block.’
‘Want me to show you around?’
‘You have things to do.’
‘I’ll get Paula to do the honours. David’s PA left when he retired and since then there have been a string of young girls. Paula is the latest in line. I have to stop a deal Freddy has been trying to consolidate before we kiss goodbye to yet more capital. I’ll meet you here in an hour and a half.’
She could see that his mind was already on what he had to do, but she didn’t have to wait long before Paula came to fetch her. She was five-foot-nothing and as pretty as a doll, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were friendly and cautious at the same time.
She was a good guide, yet there was a caginess there that Sofia couldn’t quite put her finger on, but she was too busy breathing in the place to pay much attention to that.
One entire section was devoted to the rise of her father’s boutique hotel business, with colourful photos of his first hotel all the way through to his last, with Argentina featuring somewhere in the middle. She was peering at an album, recognising one or two places, when she heard a voice behind her.
‘Wondered when you would make an appearance, my dear stepsister... Is that what you are? Hmm...difficult with your being off the scene for such a long time. Hard to knowwhatto call you. Somehow,sisfeels all wrong.’
Sofia turned round to find that Freddy had stolen into the room and shut the door behind him without her having heard him.
He was impeccably dressed and groomed to within an inch of his blond locks, but there was a cruelty in his eyes that she had clocked the very first time she had set eyes on him.
‘Freddy.’ She offered a stiff smile and remained where she was. Her nerves had kicked in and they went into overdrive as he moved towards her before pausing and then circling her, eyes roving up and down in the process.
‘So.’ He completed the circle and then stood in front of her. ‘David’s long-lost daughter. Touching. Can’t tell you how surprised we all were.’
‘We?’
‘Of course!’ His eyebrows shot up. ‘You didn’t think that you could make a grand entrance—fille prodigue, no less—without raising a few questions, did you? And no sooner are you here than the big, bad wolf, your newly acquired husband, is rushing along playing trouble shooter. Hmm...now, let me think...perhapsweis an overstatement. You’re not visible enough to raise any eyebrows. I have to admit that you’ve given award-winning performances whenever you’ve been out in the public domain. But, my dearsis, you don’t fool me.’ He sighed elaborately. ‘That story of love at first sight...whirlwind romance with Mr Eligible Bachelor dispatched to bring you back to your dear papa... Call me sceptical, but it doesn’t wash with me...’
‘I think I’ve seen all there is to see in this room,’ Sofia countered politely. ‘Paula’s waiting for me to carry on with the tour.’
‘Sadly, Paula has had to deal with other business. It’s just the two of us and, before that nosy, over-zealous so-called husband of yours begins wondering where you are, I should tell you that it’s not going to work.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Nosy? Over-zealous? Because he was trying to get a grip on this man’s destructive management?Rage boiled inside her but diplomacy won out over emotion.
‘He’s been running around checking up on some of my decisions and meddling. Probably trying to dig up dirt on me as well, not that he’s going to find anything. I’m as pure as the driven snow. And, just putting it out there, I wonder what tongues would start wagging if the rumour somehow started that the loved-up couple was all a fake...? I could spice things up a bit. Shares have a nasty habit of responding to rumours...up one minute, down the next...’
Sofia’s lip curled and then, before she knew it, he was so much closer to her, standing right in front of her, and the atmosphere shifted. He reached out and stroked her bare arm. For a few shocking seconds she couldn’t react, was catapulted back to a time when the unwanted attention of men had made her heart beat faster with apprehension, then she drew back sharply.
‘Feel free to pass the message along, my dearest prodigal stepsister.’ He moved away, back towards the door. ‘He’s wasting his time. I’m here to stay and I intend to get fully involved in running this show, whatever Mr High-and-Mighty may think on the subject. Sooner or later, he’ll get bored trying to figure me out, and then he can ride off into the sunset, back to his own company. In the meantime, good luck to him!’ He half-saluted, pulled open the door and was gone.
Sofia only realised how tense the interchange had made her when she released one long, indrawn breath on a shudder. Sure enough, when she got her legs moving and peered out of the room, Paula was no longer around. Sofia had left her outside on a phone call and, yes, she had been dispatched while Freddy had done what he had wanted to do.
Which was what? Warned her to warn Rafael? She shivered, because there had been more to that twenty-minute exchange than a simple case of intimidation.
She sped through the rest of the company simply because she happened to be on a tour, even if it was a tour without a guide, and because she refused to be cowed by Freddy.
She’d met types like him before. Maybe without the power but he was definitely atype.
The thoughts clarified in her head but she had already joined Rafael, left the building and was sitting in a small restaurant with him with a menu in front of her before she said, hesitantly, ‘You’ll never guess who I bumped into...’
Rafael carefully dropped his menu and relaxed back in the chair to look at her with brooding intensity.
‘I must be psychic because I could sense something was wrong within five seconds of meeting you in the foyer.’ He beckoned the waitress across while keeping his eyes pinned to Sofia’s face. It was a talent she had noticed he possessed. There was never any need for him to beckon for anyone’s attention when they were in a restaurant or a bar. He just seemed to emanate some kind of invisible aura that did the talking for him. Or maybe serving staff had special antennae for guys like him. At any rate, the waitress had tripped over before Sofia had time to launch into what she wanted to say.
‘Will I need anything stronger than a glass of wine to deal with what’s bugging you?’
