Chapter 57
Charlotte
“She wouldn’t need to tell you, I will,” a familiar voice said as one of the car doors opened. I turned in the direction of the sound and locked gazes with Thiago. He threw his hands in the air as he alighted the vehicle. “Hear me out. This is the first time I’ve followed you. If we can call it that.”
“I’m confused. How did you get out of the building before everyone else, and who are all these people?” I asked as Sonia quietly made her way into one of the cars.
I looked around to see that Thiago and I were the only ones standing. His entourage had seated themselves in the cars, giving us a sense of privacy, though I could tell they were watching through the tinted windows. He took two steps forward and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was then I realized he was wearing clean clothes. While I looked like I had been dragged from the cold hands of death, he had taken a bath and styled his hair.
“How did…” I muttered, but he interrupted me.
“I promise you, I can explain everything. Or most of it…” he trailed off, then shrugged. “Alright, just the parts I’m allowed to say. But it’s alright. Come with me.”
I gave him an incredulous look and scoffed, “Like hell, I will! I just walked away from what I will currently tag as another traumatic experience in my life, and you want me to wait a bit longer to get an explanation? No. Say it
now.”
He sighed in response. “I knew you’d say that,” he began as a look of understanding crossed his features. “I could
start from the beginning… Or give you an abridged version…”
“I want the full story,” I interjected, and he smiled wistfully.
“We’d need to sit for that, but what I can tell you is, this is a plot against my family. A… well, business partner who’s gotten ambitious is trying to run us into the ground,” he replied, and I held up my hand to stop him.
“You’re talking about the incident at the hotel,” I said as dots started to connect in my mind. “…someone is trying to ruin your family, and they don’t mind killing other people too?”
“I’m sure they chalked it up to the cost of doing business,” he answered, shrugging. “People will go to any lengths to
get what they want.”
“Oh, I know all about that,” I replied, trying to prevent myself from focusing on the memory that had sprung up in my mind. “If your hotel belongs to the family, then you are…”
My eyes widened in shock as he completed the sentence and confirmed my suspicions, “Thiago Mooze at your service, ma’am,” he said, giving a silly bow.
“How didn’t I know it was you?” I asked, surprised. I had done some research about the hotel before booking a reservation, but it didn’t go beyond ensuring the place was conducive.
07:21
Dancing into the Heart of Mr. Cod
37.1%
Chapter 57
But even I knew about the Mooze family. The unfortunate years I had spent with Rogerio might not have been the most romantic days of my life, but they had put me in rooms with the elites of society. I had even met Don Mooze at one point. Rogerio had gone home drunk that night, and things ended badly, so I had put the thought out of my mind. Until now.
“I try not to walk around tooting my horn; it’s dangerous anyway. And many people have Thiago as a first name. How’d you know?” he replied and smiled.
I relaxed a little, but I wasn’t done interrogating him. “Did you know they were coming?” I demanded, and he pouted.
We stood in silence for a few minutes, and I could tell he was contemplating telling a fib. He nodded in response and lowered his gaze. “I had my suspicions. I’m sure they’ve been planning these things for a while, but we always have a plan for everything.”
As he spoke, I realized he was a little different from when we had met on the plane. There, he was just another first–class passenger trying to get to his destination. Here, he was in his territory and element. I could see him for who he was, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to hang around longer or run in the opposite direction. Something about him made me feel warm and cold at the same time. It scared me.
“Did you recognize me on the plane?” I blurted out, and he looked taken aback. I wanted to know if he had seen me at any function or if Rogerio had mentioned me at any point. I doubted the possibility, but I was curious.
“Recognize you? I’m sorry, but I meet a lot of people every day. You, I’ve only met a few times. You’ve accused me of following you in all of them,” he replied, and I chuckled.
“Yeah, I… I was just thinking. If you’re part of the elites…” I started to say, and he groaned.
“Don’t say it like that,” he said, and I shrugged in response.
“You are… Not everyone can fly first class,” I answered, and he arched his eyebrow.
“If that’s the standard measure for people in the elite society, I can assume you’re on the list then,” he said, running his hand through his hair.
“Of course, flying first class is not the standard measure, and no, I’m a nobody. But that brings me to my point… I’m sorry, I just, um… I’ve been thinking. When I arrived at the hotel, there were no rooms left, and Sonia,” I pointed to the car she was sitting in, “was trying to get me to see reason and go to a different place. Then a call came in.”
“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “That was me. I recognized you when you alighted from the cab. When I realized the rooms were all booked, I asked for the suite to be given to you.”
“Why?” I asked, sensing something was missing in his answer.
“Why?” he repeated, “I thought it’d be great to do something good, don’t you think?”
I arched my eyebrows in response, and he sighed. “Alright, I saw your black card fall out of your purse. I’d recognize the craftsmanship anywhere; it’s property of the Thuthais. My family owes them a favor or three.”
