“Spying, Leonard? You don’t necessarily hide yourself. Besides, you’re a well-known lawyer. Your summations gather quite a crowd at court. And, well,” she grinned again, “I have taken my best students twice this year to make a study of your cases.”

“I’m flattered,” Leonard answered.

“Oh, no,” Ethan said sardonically, “a lawyer and a lecturer. Not possible, you don’t look older than… Hmm, nineteen.”

She merely smiled.

“Oh, come on. It’s not polite to ask a woman her age, but how old are you?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Still very young. Where do you lecture?”

“Cambridge University.”

The men were flabbergasted.

“At Cambridge…” Leonard muttered. “What do you lecture?”

“I’m just a temporary lecturer in criminal law,” she dismissed her accomplishment. “When I took my master’s courses at Cambridge, I did pro bono work for women in Brazil and I’m also involved in it here.” She got excited, “You see, I was involved with the creation of a law to protect women from domestic violence perpetrated by their companions. I really loved the experience. After that, I dedicated myself to work with disadvantaged women who couldn’t defend themselves in court, not only in cases related to domestic violence. I think women still have a very hard time living with so many expectations. They dug a very deep hole for themselves and now they’re trying to sort things out…” she trailed off. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bore you.”

“No,” interjected Leonard, “not at all. It is a very interesting subject.”

“When you speak of women you don’t include yourself,” Ethan remarked. “Why?”

“I’m privileged. I really don’t have any major problems,” she smiled and waved her long, elegant hand minimizing her difficulties. As if… “But pro bono doesn’t pay the bills, does it, Leonard?”

He laughed, “No. What is your specialty?”

“My specialty is oil; mergers and acquisitions, finance, corporate governance, you know…” she grinned. “This pays the bills. But I can’t let go of the pro bono work. It’s an obsession. So I volunteered as a helper.” Okay, it’s not entirely a lie. My foundation is kind of pro bono.

“And you do pro bono in family law, too?” Leonard asked.

“No. I abhor family law.”

“Don’t you like it? Why not?”

Her face hardened and her voice turned icy, “As a rule, people tend to forget the most important things in life when money, power and, lust are involved.”

Leonard tilted his head, “What do you consider the most important things in life?”

“Love, friendship, and family,” she narrowed her eyes to slits. “Wait! I’m missing one. Respect.”

“Beautiful words,” Leonard murmured.

“People with morals and principles don’t fight over peanuts and use children as cannon fodder. What I’ve seen at these kinds of proceedings makes me want to vomit,” she inhaled and exhaled slowly. “That is why I don’t do it.”

“You’re a dreamer, Sophia,” Ethan said cynically. “This is real life. Few have those scruples.”

“Have you been married or have children?”

“No. I don’t need to. I know what life and people are made of.”

“Well, it seems that I have been luckier than you,” she sneered. “My marriage was very, very happy - as were the marriages of my grandparents, my parents, my brother, and some friends. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about. Real life.”

“You must have married very young,” Ethan murmured. “Maybe you had luck.”

“Possibly,” she examined her manicured long dark blood-red nails. “Maybe I had luck; maybe I’m a dreamer.” She smiled brightly at the men. “But if one stops believing in dreams, life loses its meaning, loses its colors.”

Ethan appraised Sophia, discreetly. She wore a turquoise and white Chanel suit. Underneath, the light-green silk shirt opened to show enticing cleavage. Her high-heel boots were marine leather.

He wanted her.

She’ll be mine. “Where are you staying in Geneva?”

“At a hotel,” she licked her lips.

And Ethan shifted in his seat. He cleared his throat, “And this hotel has a name?”

“You’re very curious, aren’t you, Ethan?” she chuckled.

Not normally. “Quite. Does it have a name or not?”

“Oui, bien sur, c’est le Domaine de Châteauvieux, un très petite hôtel au coeur de la campagne-” She thinned her lips and shook her head, her big white-gold diamond hoops swinging. “I’m, sorry, it’s…”

“I speak French perfectly. I understood you.” Such a beautiful accent, Sophia.

Sophia heard Leonard’s low chuckle and smiled too, “I bet. But I hate when I mix languages.”

“It happens,” Ethan set aside her fault.

“Not to me,” she grimaced. “Hasn’t it happened to you? Having to speak with two, three people of different nationalities at the same time?”

“Not that I’ve noticed.” Ethan frowned, “Maybe it has, yes.”

“How many languages do you speak?” Leonard asked.

“A few,” she dismissed it with a flick of her hand and crossed her long legs.

Ethan’s eyes followed the movement. “How many? Humor me,” he insisted.

“I’m fluent in six. You see, I’ve always had an aptness for languages, so it was quite easy to learn them. Besides, I studied at the British school and had a French governess. So Portuguese, English, and French are my native languages. The rest came easy. Italian and Spanish are very similar to Portuguese. German was a passion,” she shrugged, modestly. “How many do you speak?”

“You have me there. I only speak four: English, French, Italian, and Greek. I can understand and speak a little bit of Spanish, but I’m not fluent in it,” Ethan replied.

Sophia looked at Leonard waiting for his reply.

“Five: Italian, French, German, English, and Spanish. My mother’s Spanish; my father was English. You’re a great asset,” he raised an eyebrow, “interested in a partnership?”

“Your offer is an honor, but I already work with a lawyer,” she winked at Leonard.

“Where do you work?”

“I work with Professor Holbrook.” Yeah, he is my supervisor at Cambridge.

“From Holbrook and Barton?”

“Ah… Yes.” Sophia, be careful.

“Where did Holbrook find you?” Leonard asked. “He’s a friend. We have a kind of partnership. How long have you been working there?”

“Let’s say I found him,” she answered cryptically. Try to keep lies as truthful as possible.

“You came to see a client in Geneva?” Ethan asked.

“No.”

“Are you here on business?” he insisted.

“Yes. But I don’t usually talk about business except with the client, Ethan,” Sophia replied, her expression serious.

“Can’t or won’t?” Ethan insisted.

“Neither. I don’t, period,” she kept staring at him, lips thinning.

“Ashford, you know we must follow some rules,” Leonard intervened.

“Oh, Allenthorp, sometimes you’re too boring,” Ethan huffed. “You like to keep things in the dark, don’t you, Sophia?”

Sophia took her time to answer. She drank her water, licked her lips, and bit the lower one, totally unaware of the effect this had on the man in front of her.

Ethan felt the blood run hotter in his veins and he gripped the arm of his seat harder.

She played with a lock of her hair, twisting it around her finger and curled up her lips slightly, “Things are more exciting when one unveils them bit by bit. One loses interest fast when they’re too easy.”


They landed at Geneva International Airport fifty minutes after takeoff. The flight hadn’t been as bad as they expected as the snowstorm waited for their arrival to hit.

They hurried inside the building, laughing, all composure lost in the frosty air. The temperature had dropped to below zero and the snow was already falling heavily.

“So, can I give you a ride back to London? I’m leaving tomorrow at three o’clock, possibly four, if that’s okay for you.”

“No, thank you, don’t worry,” she smiled at him, her cheeks rosy from the cold.

“You didn’t like my company,” he teased.

“I didn’t say that, Ethan,” she grinned at him, “I’m not flying back tomorrow. I have many important things to do. They’ll take time.”

“Are you going to spend the weekend here? When are you returning? I can wait for you.”

“No, thanks,” she said firmly but with a charming smile, “I don’t want to be a burden.” She pushed the sleeve of her suit to look at her Santos 100 Skeleton watch. “I have to go.”

Ethan’s hand shot forward and gently held her left wrist. “I like your watch. It’s quite a masterpiece.” He turned her arm from right to left. “It’s not common to see a woman using this kind of watch.”

“This kind of watch?” she parroted, intrigued.

“Indeed. It’s a very masculine watch. The watch is too large for your delicate wrist.”

“Well, I normally wear masculine watches. I think they complement my wrist. You see, they’re perfect opposites. My wrist is fragile and small, breakable; the watch is sturdy, large, and made to last,” she smiled and extricated her wrist from his grip.

“You’re a bold woman, aren’t you?” his eyes sparkled.

Sophia didn’t answer, smiling and saying, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ethan. Thank you very much for the pleasant flight.” She took a card out of her wallet, but put it back and searched for a different one.

Leonard exchanged looks with Ethan and he chuckled. She was dismissing Ethan.

“Here,” she handed a card to each man and tucked the men’s into her wallet. “Leonard, it was an honor. Call me next week to collect your lunch. I pick the place. Take care.”