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“None for me,” Giordano replied.
Massimo shook his head, but Giuseppe was much more amenable to the idea.
“I’ll just get a little something,” he replied, getting up from his seat and meandering over to the hors d'oeuvres display. “You all can go ahead and get started,” Giuseppe offered, feeling all eyes on him. He didn’t have as big of a stake vested in this meeting or any other, for that matter. He was second in line. He would never be first. That was his plight, and he was okay with it. Giuseppe really didn’t have any choice. The only way he could ascend to the chosen son was if something deadly happened to his older brother. Giuseppe didn’t want that to happen. He loved Massimo as a brother ought.
“We’ll wait,” Francesco replied. He wanted everyone’s full attention when business began.
Giuseppe’s eyes caught his father’s gaze. He saw how disenchanted his father was with his delay. Giuseppe hurried up, putting a warm bun in his mouth as he returned to the table.
“Now that everyone is seated, Giordano, if you would please begin,” Francesco said, slightly irritated with the younger Ricci’s delay.
“Thank you, Francesco,” Giordano began, sitting forward in his seat. “As I explained before, we did encounter a breach to our system which, had it not been corrected, would have placed your investment and connection with our company at risk. Fortunately, due to the diligence of both of my sons, the breach has been corrected. The system is secure once again.”
Francesco leaned forward even further in his seat, steepling his hands in front of him.
“It is my hope that with this correction, you all are reassured that once again, our bond is secured, and we can move forward together as a collective united from here.”
“Your sentiment is noted, but there are implications,” Costanza began.
Just as she was prepared to say more, Francesco gained her eyes. Costanza saw the fire in his and settled back against the chair, willing to acquiesce the floor to her son.
“There’s a problem with your proposition for peace and tranquility,” Francesco replied, still resting his back on his chair.
Massimo’s ears piqued. He hesitated in leaning forward, but only slightly.
“And what problem would that be?” Francesco asked, still trying to sound cheery and calm even though he felt his heart lurch in his chest.
“The problem, as we stated before, is that your reassurances don’t really reassure us anymore.”
“Everything has been corrected. It’s all been fixed,” Massimo interjected.
Francesco barely gave the interjection any notice.
“Like I said,” Francesco finally cut his eyes at the younger Ricci. “Your reassurances are just words.”
“Then what can we do to reassure you?” Massimo interjected again, quite to his father’s dismay. Giordano tried to retake the conversation, but Massimo had already started down a path Francesco wouldn’t let him soon get away from.
“Since you want to step up, young man, fine,” Francesco smiled. “I’ll have the conversation with you, but your father better be paying attention. It’s his business on the line.”
Massimo nodded, his thick brow slightly pitched.
“We need more than assurances that some unknown character was able to rig your system all without you all having the foggiest idea.”
“But the character is not unknown,” Massimo replied.
“Oh really?” Francesco asked. “Are you suggesting that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt who sabotaged your system?”
“We do,” Massimo answered. “And with your help, we, collectively, can shut them down and make sure they never breach another system again.”
“And who pray tell should we be joining forces against?” Francesco asked, much more interested in what the younger Ricci had to say.
“It was the Esposito's,” Massimo iterated. “Unfortunately, they targeted our company as a way to get back at both our families for the failings of the promised marriage to your oldest daughter.”
Costanza tried not to let her face show what she felt. She was shocked and shaken by the disclosure. That there would be retribution exacted on their combined companies was disconcerting. She knew that, ultimately, the Esposito’s were out to get her family. Costanza knew that without the least bit of doubt. Francesco had a similar reaction to hearing that his daughter’s affront caused this kind of action from the jilted groom. Sure, the son who was left abandoned had his feelings hurt, but they never expected the Esposito’s to act with such vengeance.
“And you’re sure it was them? What if your informant told you that while, in fact, there are other culprits with the goal of destroying your company? As you said, our finances were not at risk. Maybe this is all about getting you, not getting us,” Francesco offered.
“That is a possibility, true enough that someone may be out to get us,” Giordano replied.
