Page 25 of Angel's Whisper

“No, I don’t mind that at all,” Massimo replied. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing well enough to do what you need to do with the program.”

“Mr. Ricci,” Ricardo began. “I understand how important correcting the system is, but right now –“

Massimo cut him off. “Right now, you're still breathing because I allow it. Because you’re still breathing and have the use of your fingers, which I instructed my bodyguards not to break, you can still get done what I need for you to get done,” Massimo emphasized. “Now, you wouldn’t want your mother or grandmother to receive a surprise visit, would you?”

“No, no, please,” Ricardo begged. He could feel his pulse escalating. The racing thumps reawakened other pains he felt.

“Don’t beg,” Massimo quipped. “Be prepared to receive your laptop computer within the next twenty-four hours. I expect you to remediate this situation post haste. Understood?”

Ricardo shook his head. He could only imagine how impossible his task would be considering his condition, but he couldn’t very well object.

“Understood.”

“Excellent,” Massimo replied. “Try and get some rest. You’ll need it.”

Ricardo heard the buzz of the line after Mr. Ricci disconnected. He dropped the phone in his lap. How? How would he get it done in his condition? More than that, how would he be able to access proprietary information and servers in a public space without the risk of another breach?

Prior to the call, Ricardo’s thoughts had been rather ‘woo is me.’ He bemoaned his current situation and felt sorry for himself. He hadn’t signed up for the outcome, not at all. The beatdown he received from his employer was nothing compared to the threat he’d received from his original contractor. Sure, they paid him for services rendered, but there was an unspoken threat that was definitely implied. And the implication was more than he could stomach, especially now with his stomach and the rest of his body so raw. Still, after Mr. Ricci’s phone call, Ricardo had to give some serious thought to how he would comply or get killed.

Chapter Twelve

Massimo set out to make things right with his wife. He’d begun to get the matter of the breach worked out, so now Massimo could focus his full attention on correction. He knew he needed to keep her close, keep married to her, or everything he hoped for would crumble. He would not be able to be the CEO of the family’s company if his wife was forsaken. He had to get her back on his side. Massimo couldn’t afford to lose her.

Massimo called Isotta from his office. “Do you think you can have your bags packed by the time I arrive home?”

“Excuse me?” Isotta asked, unclear as to what Massimo was referencing.

“Do you think you can have your suitcases packed by the time I arrive home?”

“Suitcases? All my stuff?” Isotta asked. “Are you putting me out?”

He had to laugh. “No, dear,” Massimo chuckled. “I’m trying to whisk you away for the weekend.”

“Oh,” Isotta flushed. “I wasn’t sure where you were going with that question considering.”

“Where I’m going is to a place where we can relax, get better acquainted, refocus and recommit,” Massimo explained. “I want you to go with me. Will you?” He crooned.

She smiled and then covered her smile even though he couldn’t see her.

“Yes, Massimo. I will go with you.”

“Excellent,” Massimo replied, offering a little smile of his own. “I’ll be home in the next few hours, and then we’ll be on our way. Oh, and bring your swimsuit.”

“My swimsuit?” She asked, but Massimo had already disconnected the line. She hung up the phone as well. “My swimsuit?” The smile lingered on Isotta’s lips, and then she wondered why she was smiling. Massimo had been so awful to her that even his apology nearly fell on deaf ears. Isotta knew she had to make the marriage work for the sake of the family, yet she didn’t want to have to sacrifice her full self in order to accommodate someone else’s agenda. That just didn’t seem right to her, and in her own way, Isotta protested against the arrangement and fought back against what had been prescribed for her. Isotta resisted with everything she had.

Yet, his proposal made her smile. It made her reconsider her position, if only for the sake of them getting along and making the best out of a horrible situation. As Isotta lifted her frame from the lounge chair in his bedroom and made her way to the closet, she considered that maybe, just maybe, all those things Massimo suggested, the getting to know each other, the getting acquainted, the relaxing and taking things easy was worth a shot. She would never forget what he did to her, how Massimo made her feel, but she did forgive him. With forgiveness, maybe there was reconciliation. Maybe.

“Do you think this is the best time to be taking a vacation?” Giordano reasoned. They had just finished up another strategy meeting.

“I will have my phone on,” Massimo said. “Besides, we’re going to the beach house. There’s an office there. I will still be able to be plugged in and available if that becomes necessary.”

“We are in the middle of a crisis, Massimo, a crisis like we’ve never seen before,” Giordano continued. “Have you resolved the breach? Has the system been corrected?”

“I have determined who instituted the RAT technology that mimicked our system. He has been instructed to correct the situation within the next few days or lose his life.”

“And what if he can’t fix it?” Giordano pressed.

“Then, I will take care of him personally,” Massimo affirmed.

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