The steel doors in front of me slid open, but I wasn’t worried about losing cell reception. Technology worked everywhere in this city. The workaholic in me fucking loved it.
“You realize that if I’m her little bambino, then so are you, right?” I stepped onto the thick carpet covering the floor of the car and pressed the button for the very top floor of the sixty-story building.
Aldo clucked his tongue at me. “I have no problem being Mama’s little bambino. It’s you who thinks he’s above it now that you’ve made your several billion.”
He emphasized the last two words to let me know he was mocking my remark from earlier. I lifted my eyes to the mirrored ceiling and wondered how much I would miss my twin if I killed him.
“I’m just busy. I’m not above anything. We’ve been through this.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us you were leaving?” he asked, his tone still cheerful and light despite the bite in mine. “Better yet, why don’t you share your work calendar with her? That way, she’ll always know where you are.”
I brought one hand up to cover my face and shook my head at the same time. “That’s a terrible idea. She’d have caught a flight to China by now.”
“You’re in China?” I could practically hear him gaping. “What the fuck are you doing over there?”
“Expanding hopefully. With any luck, Ricci Logistics will own the Red Shipping Line by this afternoon.”
He whistled between his teeth. “Unless I’m very much mistaken, acquiring them would make yours one of the largest transport companies in the world.”
“Look who doesn’t give himself enough credit,” I joked, deciding that I might just let him live after all. “It turns out you do have brains. You’re not just all brawn.”
“Just so you know, I’m flipping you off right now.”
“Go for it. I can take it.” I shook my arm out and checked the watch on my wrist. “I’m going to have to go soon. Was there a reason for your call or did you just miss me?”
“Just checking in so I can assure Mama that you are, in fact, alive. When are you coming home?”
“I’m flying out tonight. I’ll be back in Florence by tomorrow. As much as I want this company, I’m not putting up with the runaround they’ve been giving my lawyer all week. If we don’t close the deal today, I’m out.”
I sighed as the doors slid open soundlessly, then paused just after climbing out of the elevator.
The corridor in front of me was long and pristine, with polished white tiles on the floors. One wall was painted white while the other was windows from floor to ceiling.
On the wall, there were framed pictures of the shipping magnates who had run this company before the man who owned it today. There wasn’t a speck of dust on any of them.
A single metal desk with clean lines awaited me in the reception area. Behind it sat a well-dressed Chinese woman who rose gracefully when she saw me stepping off the elevator.
This wasn’t the time or place to keep fucking around with my brother. I appreciated him checking in and knew he would calm our mother down now that he’d spoken to me, but it was time for me to get back to business.
Whether or not my mother saw me as her little bambino, there was no space for that guy here. It was time to become the feared and revered Marco Ricci, the man who had single-handedly built one of the world’s largest and most successful logistics companies.
It wasn’t immodesty making me think of myself as being “feared and revered.” That was literally the headline of an article that had appeared in one of our local Italian papers this morning. My assistant had forwarded it to me for comment. I hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet, but I figured my brother would get a kick out of it.
“I have to go,” I said into the phone, lowering the volume of my voice so it wouldn’t echo in the quiet office. “I’m emailing you something. Read it and weep. Talk to you later.”
I forwarded the article to him and pocketed my phone, taking in a deep breath before I approached the receptionist. “I’m Marco Ricci. They’re expecting me.”
Sharp, intelligent eyes quickly surveyed me before she inclined her head and gave me a polite smile. “Of course, Mr. Ricci. Go right ahead. They’re in the conference room at the end of the hall.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t return her smile as I followed her down the corridor.
The receptionist escorted me all the way to the room where the meeting was taking place, even though she’d already told me where it was. She gave one soft knock, then swung it open and motioned for me to go inside.
As I walked in, she closed the door behind me and the men around the table stood up. At the head of the large mahogany conference table stood my longtime friend and lawyer, Gianluca Rossi.
He didn’t look happy, but neither did anyone else. Their expressions were grim, their mouths turned down at the corners, and their movements rigid.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” I said as I moved farther into the room. I pressed my hands together and dipped into a shallow bow to give them the traditional greeting. “I take it things aren’t progressing as we’d all hoped they would.”
“Marco,” Gianluca said curtly, his dark eyes narrowing as they met mine. “May I have a quick word?”
“Sure.” I flashed the others in the room an apologetic smile. “Please give us just one minute. We’ll be back.”
Gianluca closed the distance between us in two long strides and closed the door again after we stepped outside. Once we were alone, he arched an eyebrow at me. “What are you doing here?”
“Seeing if I can help you close the deal.” I crossed my arms and met his glare with one of my own. “We need to get this done today
