Chapter 4 - Sofia’s Fear
Sofia Moretti had been many things.
Elegant.
Funny.
Impatient.
Smarter than anyone enjoyed admitting.
She hated the social circle surrounding my family.
Not everyone.
The ecosystem.
Power attracts helpful people.
It also attracts people who become helpful because proximity itself has value.
Sofia once said:
“The dangerous ones aren’t the people who ask you for something. They’re the ones who make you feel rude for asking why they’re here.”
I laughed at the time.
She did not.
When Ellie was four, Sofia became seriously ill.
She knew there was a chance she would not recover.
That was when she hired Halloran Risk & Ethics.
Not one of my security firms.
Not lawyers I knew.
An independent consultancy in Washington that evaluated governance, family-office vulnerabilities, coercive relationships, and reputational risk.
Why secretly?
Because she did not want my influence shaping the outcome.
Margaret explained:
“She wanted to know who might move toward Ellie after she was gone.”
I felt insulted.
May you like
Then ashamed for feeling insulted.
Because Sofia had been right to think about it.
