“It’s beautiful there. How’d you end up opening a business in Ericeira?” Leif asked. His Nordic lilt, Swedish? Norwegian? She wasn’t sure, curled subtly around each word.
“It’s ideal. Whale migrations, dolphin sightings, excellent dive spots, and a lot of people and tourists in our target audience. Elvira, my co-founder, already lived here, and I fell in love with the place. It kind of reminds me of Conil, my Mom’s hometown in Spain. Loosely, anyway.”
She didn’t bother opening the menu. She always ordered the same thing: margherita with fries on top, an Italian millennial guilty pleasure.
“Definitely better than London,” Asma joked.
Sofia smiled politely. Then her gaze sharpened. Time to get to the point.
“So,” she said, folding her hands together. “Want to explain what exactly you want to know from me about Neptune?”
Leif’s eyes narrowed with quiet intent. “As we mentioned, the European Commission has flagged recent grants to Neptune. They’re… not sure the funds were used appropriately.”
“And,” Asma added, “you were almost president, until Doctor Thomas Whitmore was appointed instead. So, we figured you might have insight.”
“And maybe a reason for leaving so suddenly,” Callum added, his blue eyes assessing her like she was an asset under review.
Sofia met his gaze head-on. “I had nothing to do with Neptune’s finances. Thomas managed all of that. His family is one of the largest investors. Apparently, I got the job through nepotism.”
She let the silence stretch.
“That was part of why I left,” she added, voice level but sharp.
The three exchanged glances.
“What were the other reasons?” Asma asked.
Sofia didn’t blink. Maybe in another situation, maybe before Ilias and Sydney, that topic would have still hurt her, but now, she felt strong enough to talk about it with no shame or regret. “Thomas manipulated the board to win the chair position. We were together for eight years. He lied to me. And I realized I wanted nothing to do with the Whitmore clan or their dirty money.”
“I see,” Asma murmured, thoughtful.
Gianpaolo took their drink and pizza orders, then disappeared again.
“So, you have no insight on the EU funding?” Leif asked.
“None,” Sofia said bluntly. “And just so you know how out of the loop I was, I signed a contract that gave Neptune full rights to all my research. Even though my name’s still on it, I have zero intellectual property. It was a stupid move. I know.”
“Should’ve had a lawyer,” Asma said lightly.
“Yeah, no shit.” Sofia scoffed. “My sister’s a lawyer now, just started at a firm in Milan, but at the time? I had no idea what I was doing.”
“I’m sorry,” Leif said gently. “That kind of theft hurts.”
“That’s exactly why Lamina exists,” Callum added, his accent still testing the limits of her comprehension. “To call out that kind of exploitation. Greenwashing, funding abuse, falsified data, we expose it.”
“Do you think Neptune is corrupt?” Sofia asked.
“Do you think so?” Asma countered, her eyes gleaming with practiced poise.
Sofia tilted her head. “It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“We’re starting a formal investigation next month,” Callum said. “Full audit. Is there anything we should be aware of? Anything you did that might fall in a gray area?”
Sofia arched an eyebrow. “Besides trusting a rich boy? No. I could never steal anything. And once I found out how I was hired, I couldn’t stay.”
“How’s your relationship with Thomas now?” Leif asked.
“Hostile. I ignore him. He tries to undermine me, my business and my relationship every chance he gets. If you want me to speak with him again? Forget it. I’d rather eat horse shit.”
