Sofie's plan of rescuing Philip from Elandra went bust after learning he was engaged to Ms. Hunt. Her interest in him was now purely professional. Or so she liked to think. With that determination she headed straight for their table at one of London's hippest new restaurants.
But Sofie's nerves flared. Being flustered was part of her original plan: impersonate one of Ms. Hunt's employee and lure her away with an invented company drama. What wasn't part of it, was how little she had to pretend. Seeing Philip's hand intertwined with hers set her teeth on edge.
They clearly had a good time. Philip was laughing easily at something Ms. Hunt whispered in his ear and his eyes leisurely wandered the room. Until he spotted Sofie. His smile instantly dried up and his jaw clenched.
"Ms. Hunt," Sofie said in her most insecure and demure voice, ignoring Philip's furious expression. "I am so very sorry to interrupt your evening."
Ms Hunt wheeled in her chair to look at Sofie, like a bug to be crushed.
"Who are you?"
"I am …"
Sofie had hardly approached their table when the waiter grabbed her to drag her away. He was mumbling apologies about the inconveniences and his fingers dug into her flesh. Philip's fist clenched as Sofie tried to break free.
"I work for Mrs. Khan, ma'am," she shrieked. "In finance? But it was actually Mr. Ibuvio who sent me here to fetch you."
Sofie looked up the names of the chief financial officer and the head of public relations in the companies' annual report earlier today.
"You don't make any sense, girl," Ms Hunt snapped but waved the waiter away. "Why would they be sending you. And why are they both in?"
"Everyone is in, ma'am. They sent me to fetch you because they had to get started on… ahm..." Sofie glanced at Philip, pretending to search for the right word to use in front of an outsider, "...matter. They did not want to lose time because that matter requires your urgent attention."
"You can speak freely in front of him. He is my fiancé, now." Despite her mood Ms. Hunt could not hold back a smile. She liked having claimed him and wanted to let the world know.
"They said you would be with him." Sofie's eyes trailed over Philip before giving Ms. Hunt the satisfaction of staring at her engagement ring.
"Congratulations," she added dutifully. "But Mrs. Khan said not to go into specifics, not in public. Instead I am supposed to give you this."
Sofie handed over a folded paper. It was ripped out of the company's note block and had a hand scribbled message on it.
"I see," Ms Hunt grumbled and fished for her phone.
"No," Sofie gasped, " Mr. Ibuvio said you cannot call. Not with your phone."
Ms. Hunt studied Sofie more concerned now. "That serious? Ok. What's the plan then?"
"I don't know, Ms Hunt," Sofie spluttered, "I wouldn't know where to begin... It's so complicated... A nightmare really."
"Are you stupid, girl? I wouldn't ask you how to fix the issue." Philip placed a calming hand on her arm and Ms. Hunt took a deep breath. "I want to know how I get to the company?"
"Oh! Yes, of course, ma'am." Sofie scurried backwards and held out her arm. "There is a car waiting for you out the back. If you'd follow me."
"Jasmit, don't go," Philip interjected, looking at her intently. Was he trying to warn her?
"Phil, darling," Ms. Hunt chirred. "You know my company comes first. We'll celebrate properly tomorrow. I promise."
Sofie winced at how naturally he used her first name. To him, she wasn't Ms. Hunt anymore, or someone to be kept at bay. They were Jasmit and Phil, the newly-engaged who already knew how to bring out the best in each other.
Philip nodded and followed them through the busy kitchen to the back door where Sofie's car was waiting.
Ms. Hunt let her hand glide along Philip's abdomen and around his waist. He smiled at her and placed a chaste kiss on top of her head.
"Shame, I have to go," she whispered against his ear, "I had planned to be 'Sofie' for you again tonight."
Philip's eyes darted to the real Sofie. Was he embarrassed? He should be. But all Sofie could see was triumph. How on earth could he book this as a success?
"We will have plenty of time for that," he replied, focusing back on Ms. Hunt, "You've booked up my remaining time with Elandra. So, I am all yours."
"That you are, Phil." Ms Hunt grinned before climbing into the luxurious SUV and barking at Sofie "Are you coming?"
"No, ma'am. I'm to make sure the press does not realize you are gone," she glanced at Philip as if to say 'the company isn't trusting him'.
"Fine." Ms Hunt bit out. "But don't try anything, girl, I'll find out."
She slammed the door shut and the car rolled off.
"That was quite the performance, Miss Carter," Philip said, glancing at Sofie sideways. "I suppose your plan does not end here," he added, not giving away how he felt about having his engagement celebration broken up.
"Indeed, it doesn't, Philip. But first..." She pulled out a metal security detector. "...I need to search you for any wires."
He sighed but held up his arms and spread his legs.
"What was written on the paper?" he asked while Sofie swiped the detector along his body.
"They found the skeletons." Sofie looked up at him through her lashes. "It's what she said when you..."
"...when you spied on us. I remember. And the company paper? Where did you get that from?"
"Her receptionist gave it to me this morning. The other half contained their coffee orders, which I was supposed to fetch."
Philip bit back a chuckle. Even he had to admit how cunning her plan was.
Sofie straightened and stowed the detector back in her bag. He wasn't wearing any wires. Not surprising, this was a private celebration, or at least should have been. But you can never be too careful.
"We have about three hours before Ms. Hunt is in a position to raise the alarm."
Philip turned to look at her with alarm in his eyes.
"Relax, she is perfectly safe."
Despite her calm exterior, Sofie reeled from this punch to her core: he cared for Ms. Hunt. This was a real engagement and not just for show.
"I need a little more assurance than that," he demanded.
"For starters, the car blocks her mobile signal. So, she will have to use the board phone. But all calls from there are redirected to actors who'll keep her distracted. She won't realize that they are driving in the opposite direction of the headquarter."
Sofie instructed the driver to head to a part of London where Ms. Hunt would not dare to leave the car, but Philip did not need to know that.
"And when she finally arrives at her company", Sofie continued, "and realizes that there is no one, we will be long done."
"Done with what exactly?"
"Talking, Philip. I am going to tell you exactly why I need that YubiKey. So you can make up your own mind. Decide where your loyalties lie."
"Why now? You could have come to Elandra to tell me this earlier?" There was suddenly an edge in his voice that cut through Sofie's heart and left it bleeding. "You should have talked to me yesterday."
There was no answer to that, at least none that kept her dignity intact. After seeing them together today, she wouldn't dream of confessing that she too wanted to take him away from Elandra. Give him a way out like Ms. Hunt had done.
Instead she said, "For all I know, your room is under surveillance. I cannot talk about MP Kerry's crimes there. I can only speak freely out here."
"Go on then. Tell me." He sounded frustrated. MP Kerry, wasn't what he wanted to talk to her about.
"Not right here." They were standing in the back alley of the restaurant, surrounded by dumpsters and empty cardboard boxes. "There is a cuban bar just a block from here." She paused to add, "We should celebrate, I hear you got engaged."
"That is a low blow, Miss Carter."
He was right but the bitterness in her heart needed venting.
She gave him an apologetic smile that smoothed the sour crease at the corner of his mouth.
"Fine, let's get that drink," he sighed.
The bar was small with round candle-lit tables and a live band in the corner. The low vibration from the bass resonated in Sofie's belly and the guitar and saxophone created the latin rhythms that made it hard to stay still. The scent of exotically spiced cocktails wrapped around them as they took a seat in the cobblestone-clad backyard.
"This feels rather like a date, Miss Carter," Philip smirked, having found his humor again.
"But it isn't." She wasn't going to admit that that's exactly how it was meant to feel like. A date, to remind him what freedom tastes like. To convince him to come with her. To leave Elandra for her. But that was before. Now he left Elandra for Ms Hunt. And that was that. "It isn't a date, so let's get straight to it."
He took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. In an instant he had transformed from Ms Hunt's future trophy husband to the casual Philip, who snuck out to meet Sofie in the meadow. Her heart skipped a beat and she resented the command he had over her body.
"I am a journalist, Philip," she said, returning her focus to the task at hand, "I investigate serious crimes, political corruption, and corporate wrongdoing. The fallout from my pieces are substantial. So much so, that I have to leave the country afterwards and create a whole new identity for myself elsewhere."
"So your name isn't Sofie Carter."
She looked at him stunned. That's what came to mind first?
"No, it isn't the name I write under or by birth name. But it is my legal name for now..."
"Until you leave and become someone else again..."
"Yes."
She didn't like where this conversation was going. He of all people should not be puzzled by an unusual lifestyle. To get it back on track she added "I am currently investigating MP Kerry. And I have evidence that she had the leader of the opposition murdered for her own gain."
Sofie paused to search for any emotion in Philip's face. Surprise, shock, outrage, denial.
But there was nothing.
He knew this already.
Why?