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Massimo gently released her hand and reached over to the tray he’d brought into the bedroom. He lifted the black velvet box.
“This is a token of my apology to you. When you look at it, remember I’m sorry. When I look at it, I’ll remember not to cross that line with you again.”
Massimo lifted the box’s lid, revealing a ten-carat diamond tennis necklace. He lifted the necklace from the box and opened the latch. With his eyes, he asked permission to place it on her neck. Isotta was surprised by the gift, her mouth falling open slightly in response to the shock, the beauty of it. When he placed it on her neck, Isotta felt the coolness of the diamonds against her skin. Initially, she bristled when Massimo got really close to her to latch the necklace. She bristled even more when he traced the necklace on her with his fingers. He must have felt her bristling as he politely pulled away.
“It’s beautiful,” Isotta sighed. “Thank you.”
“Thanks for being understanding.”
Massimo lifted himself from the bed and reached over to the table, picking up the tray and placing it in her lap. He removed the stainless-steel covering, exposing the breakfast he had Rosa prepare for her.
“I’ve got to get ready for work, but I thought breakfast in bed was a nice touch. Enjoy,” he uttered, leaning over again and sweetly kissing her on the forehead. He didn’t dare try to kiss Isotta on the lips. He felt she wasn’t ready for that.
But soon, she would be.
Chapter Eleven
Attorney Liburn placed a call to his client. He studied the paperwork as he waited for his client to answer.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Conti, Alan here.”
“Do you understand it’s been more than twenty-four hours since we last spoke?”
“Yes, I understand,” Alan replied, “but it took all of this time to come to an understanding with the port.”
“And what was that understanding?” Francesco asked as he pushed his chair back from his desk.
“They put up a fight,” Alan began, “a real fight as though they had a vested interest in not receiving the merchandise. However, when I resent the contractual agreement and threatened to litigate them promptly, they relented.”
“So, the ship was able to dock and unload?” Francesco asked, clarifyingly.
“Yes,” Alan replied. “Even though it was nearly a full day later, the ship docked.”
“And the load? What was the condition?”
“We did suffer a ten percent loss refrigeration.”
Francesco blew out a long breath. “Thank you, Alan. I appreciate your work on this.”
“I just wish it would have happened sooner.”
“Well, better late than never,” Francesco replied. “Thanks again.”
Francesco pushed his way to standing and went about the mansion, trying to locate his mother. He searched for her in the communal spaces and found her sitting in the library.
“I’ve got some news about the shipment,” Francesco started.
“Please tell me it’s a positive result,” Costanza said. “It’s been a morning already.”
“The ship docked,” Francesco explained. “Liburn had to make some threats, but it finally docked.”
“What about the refrigerated items? Were they able to be spared?”
“Alan reports that there was a ten percent loss of refrigerated items, but all in all, that’s not an incredible loss.”
“Any loss is more loss than we can afford,” Costanza corrected. “I’m glad the matter was resolved, but I wonder what prompted the port to deny docking in the first place?”
