The Lawyer

10-Discoveries

Matt POV

My trip to England was a complete waste of time. Yeah England is small but it's still almost seventy million people. Even Nico with his connections couldn't find an address or an employer to trace her. So she's still out there somewhere thinking I'm a murderer but I'm innocent! (Of murder at least.)

My eyes are drawn up by the noises coming from outside the office, I see Mia through the open, door shredding post. I warned her to be quiet. I'm still nursing my hangover.

"What are you doing?" I growl.

"It's just junk mail" she says quickly, her head snapping up to look at me in surprise. She must not have noticed the door was open. "Can I get you anything?" She asks, swaying her hips as she makes her way to stand in the doorway. Unnecessarily tossing her hair over her shoulder, she places a hand on her hip. I take in her short fitted skirt and the low cut of her sheer blouse.

"Yeah, you can get me a secretary who does not come to work dressed like a whore!" I snap. "Go and get changed into something appropriate, or go and get a new job! I don't care which." Her face flushes red with embarrassment as she mumbles her apologies. "Shut the door behind you!" I call as she turns away.

Maybe I was too harsh on her but I am sick of women throwing themselves at me for attention, when the one person I want attention from is nowhere to be found. The days all seem to merge together each one bringing no news of Sophie.

I left Leo behind in London but he says nobody has been to her apartment for over a week, not even the guy. Nobody has seen her at home or work since November. She even gave her notice by mail. What I would give for a letter.

It's mid February now, two months she's been gone. The hollow ache I feel in my chest is a constant reminder, like she has taken a piece of me with her. I knew I liked her when she was here, but it wasn't until she was gone that I realised I needed her.

I need her like I need oxygen. I imagine the pain in my chest is the same as when she needed her puffer to breathe. I need Sophie to breathe. It's ridiculous that someone I knew for such a short amount of time has affected me this much. It's crazy to me that I once said she wasn't my type. She's more my type than anyone I ever met. My stubborn, smart, sexy Sophie.

I pour myself another drink, that's all I do to fill my time. I have refused to take on any work for Marc before I find her and explain. Knowing it's my own lies that caused this, that I was hoisted by my own petard.

I swirl the scotch in my glass, I know it won't help, that my temper is getting worse. I find myself snapping at everything. I even shouted at Lili yesterday for saying she was pissed at Sophie, I know it was wrong to take my frustration out on her but I can't help it.

Everything reminds me of her, It's like I see the ghost of her everywhere. I avoid Venice city altogether. I can't even sip my coffee without remembering her cute little satisfied coffee sigh, everywhere in my apartment is tainted with memories of her even sleep finds her haunting my dreams. But I wake with my arms empty.

My phone buzzes on my desk, Lili is calling. So I ignore it, I'm not in the mood to discuss yesterday. A minute later Mia knocks, I notice she has changed into pants and covered up with a jacket.

"You have a call from Liliana on line one, she says it's important." I give a nod as she excuses herself picking up the phone on my desk. Might as well get it over with. Then hopefully she will leave me alone, I am not at all surprised when Lili immediately starts to shout at me.

Like every man who has ever been shouted at by a woman, I zone her out, absentmindedly swirling my Scotch around in my glass. Watching the dark liquid create a vortex in the glass. My attention snaps back at the mention of Sophie. My nerves all on edge ready to defend her.

"Wait Sophie? What about her? Say it again?"

"Why didn't you tell me Sophie wrote to you? And she told you to say hi to me? You know how sad I was when she just upped and left. Now I hear first you didn't return her call, then you had a letter explaining everything and you didn't even bother telling me! Even though she asked you to say hi!" Lili repeats.

"Lili where are you getting this from? I haven't had a call or any letter from her!" I say defensively.

"Don't lie it's tacky. I just got off the phone with Maddie and she helped her overnight it, days ago!" She argues.

"Lili, I haven't had anything. I swear. Tell me exactly what Maddie said, and leave nothing out. Please" I add, desperate for any news of Sophie.

"Well, I called Maddie to arrange a girls holiday, because my brother is being a pig!" She starts pointedly "Anyway, Maddie said let's invite Sophie. I was like well I would, but she like totally ghosted me ya' know. So then Maddie was like umm no, she definitely said she told Matt to say hello in the letter she sent, Sophie wouldn't lie. Then I was like oh my god you saw Sophie? And she was like yeah! I'm with her now then she put me on speaker and Sophie said she lost everyone's numbers.."

"You spoke to Sophie? What did she say" I interrupt.

"I am literally telling you that now. So she said she left her job so she doesn't have that number, and you never called her back when she left a message for you at the office, but she wrote to explain. So me and Sophie are all good now. Then I was like let's all go to Palma in August! But obviously Sophie might not be able to fly when she's that far on. So that plan went out the window and we started planning the baby shower instead..."

"What? Wait, I missed a step, what baby shower?"

"For Sophie, or for Sophie's baby I guess, but I definitely think we should get Sophie something too right? We could put too for a present if you want? Matt? Matteo? Are you even listening?"

It's like time has frozen. I can hear Lili but I can't speak. There are too many questions bouncing inside my brain. Has Sophie written to me? Where is the letter? Sophie is having a baby? Was she going to tell me? Is that why she wrote? Where is the fuck is the letter? Is the baby mine? Where is Sophie?

Wait. Maddie helped her post the letter?

"Lili. Where is Maddie!" I suddenly demand.

"Still in Paris, but she's coming to visit for my birthday next month."

"Mia book a flight to Paris. I need to get there now!" I shout.

"Dude! Are you literally trying to burst my eardrum Godddd" Lili whines through the phone

"Lili send me Maddie's number." I order, hanging up and pulling out my cell to call Leo.

"She's in Paris. Meet me there." I say simply ending the call as my phone pings with the text containing Maddie's number.

I immediately call her.