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“I was just about to connect.”
Costanza settled into her seat as Francesco made the call.
“This is Pablo.”
“We need to talk.”
“I'm in my office. It's private.”
“What the hell happened?” Francesco asked.
“Everything was business as usual. I personally verified that we were on track to run the ship through the Baltic. Then, when we got to port check-in, we were advised that we no longer had permission. I reiterated the agreement as outlined by the contract, the same contract we've been utilizing for the past eighteen months. That contract is not slated to renew for another six months. And I reminded them of that, Mr. Conti. But they refused to allow our ship to unload.”
“And where are we now?” Sitting idle at sea. I tried to speak to a supervisor, and I did.”
“What did the supervisor say?” Celestina haughtily continued.
“We did not have permission or authority to unload and demanded we leave port.” Francesco bordered on frustration.
“Stand by. We'll be in touch,” Costanza indicated.
Francesco disconnected the line.
“I wonder if this fiasco has anything to do with the security breach?” Francesco pondered.
The conversation shifted to the other end of the disconnected line.
“I need you in the office now.” That was his father, Giordano, on the phone.
Massimo was already up and getting dressed, but now he had to move even faster than he had previously anticipated. Last night, after they were done, Isotta was really quiet, but Massimo was so preoccupied with concerns for work he barely noticed. When she crawled into bed, Massimo went back downstairs, had a drink or three, and contemplated. Now, he was on his way out of the house again. Before stepping out of the room, he leaned over and kissed his sleeping wife goodbye. But Isotta wasn't sleeping. She was still feeling something. Isotta wasn't sure what it was, but as she replayed the events of the night before, Isotta felt unsure.
She didn't know. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she pulled the covers up higher, shielding her face from the morning sun. Things were going okay at first. But then Massimo became much more forceful, much more angry, like she was just anybody he had paid to get his rocks off. And then, when he pushed her down on the floor, her ass raised in the air, taking no care of being loving, gentle, Isotta felt used. The choking made it so much worse. And when it was over, he just walked away. He didn't make sure she got in the bed, no ‘I love you,’ no kiss, nothing.
Isotta felt empty and a bit sad. There was a part of her that tried to reason, to be understanding, but she struggled.
Massimo walked into the suite where their offices were.
“Good morning, Mr. Ricci. They are waiting for you in the conference room.”
Massimo nodded and proceeded to meet up with his family. Giordano and Giuseppe were already at the conference room table, already working.
“No time for pleasantries,” Giordano fussed.
Massimo pulled up a seat next to Giuseppe as his father sat on the other side.
“Seppe was just explaining what his research into the breach of our system revealed.”
“Okay. So, initially, I thought they were just observing our system, peeking in to see what contracts we have in place, our security protocols, etc. So, after Dad insisted, I go through the system again, I did.”
“What did you find?” Massimo asked.
“That it was just as I thought. Whoever infiltrated our system was peeking but not doing anything but peeking.”
There was a gentle knock at the door. She waited to be waved in.
“Excuse me, but you have a call from Mr. Conti. He says it's urgent.”
“Fuck,” Giordano spat partially under his breath. “Put it through.”
