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“I will call for you in a few days.”
Before Isotta could say anything more, the line disconnected.
She felt some type of way about that. Isotta decided to take it for what it was worth. At least she’d have a few more days to contemplate.
Chapter Twenty
Giuseppe still struggled with how to reach Valentina. He knew that was the key to his plan of familial dominance, especially if Isotta couldn’t reproduce. There was a part of Giuseppe that hoped that wasn’t the case, and there was a part of him that hoped Isotta was infertile. He knew how bad that sounded, but he struggled to truly care. Giuseppe wanted what he wanted. If things went well and he found Valentina, and she was on board with his plan, it didn’t matter how bad his thoughts sounded.
Maybe he could call her family home and see if she was there. Giuseppe contemplated the pros and cons. He thought against it because he figured naturally, they would say something to Isotta, who inevitably would say something to Massimo, which would be a problem. Giuseppe did not want that as an outcome, not in the least bit. It took Giuseppe a minute before he decided to call. He weighed the pros, cons, and possibilities again, but he decided to do it.
“May I please speak with Valentina?”
The person on the other end of the line seemed caught off guard by what he said.
“Hello? Did you hear me? I would like to speak with Valentina, please,” Giuseppe repeated.
“Hold on, please,” the maid said before putting him on hold as if he agreed. Nondescript music played in the background as Giuseppe waited. Even though it might not seem like it, Giuseppe was okay with the pause.
The maid went to Celestina and let her know what the caller asked. Celestina responded prickly and asked who the call had come from, but the maid didn’t know.
“I can find out for you, ma’am.” She realized the error of her ways.
“That would be good. Do that,” Celestina strongly suggested.
The maid returned to the closest phone and inquired who was calling.
Giuseppe hesitated because he didn’t want to give them any inclinations that would cause further inquiry.
“An old friend,” he began. “Seppe,” he offered to give his comment some context.”
“Hold once more, please,” the maid replied. She conveyed the message to Celestina. She was not pleased with the lack of information the maid provided. Celestina had too many questions, yet she didn’t want to alert the caller as to the questions she had.
“Tell whoever he is, she’s not here.”
The maid did as she was told. “Sorry, Mr. Seppe, she’s not here.”
“Can you ask her to give me a call when she returns?” Giuseppe asked.
“I will retrieve your number from the call log and give her the message.”
“Thanks,” he said and hung up the phone.
He was dissuaded by the response he got from the Conti house, and after a few days of not hearing from her, Giuseppe became more discouraged that he would not get any answers that way.
He couldn’t go the direct route to reach Valentina, so Giuseppe thought of a more indirect route. He had to be strategic with how he handled it, though. If he used familial resources, then his brother could get wind of it or his father, which could be just as bad.
Giuseppe decided it might be prudent at this juncture to completely hire out. He did some searching on the internet to find a private investigator. He didn’t pick the most obvious one, but he did run across one that he thought he could use.
“Barbieri Services. How may we be of assistance?” The receptionist greeted.
“May I speak with Mr. Barbieri,” Giuseppe said.
“And may I ask who is calling?” She continued.
“Is that important?” Giuseppe challenged.
“Yes, it is if you want to try and speak with Mr. or Ms. Barbieri.”
