You’re just back-office support, Clara, so you’ll stay in Chicago while the executive team flies to Rome, my boss, Julian Kincaid, told me before leaving for his sister's $1.4 million villa wedding.
The subtle tension in the villa escalated into overt concern. Marcus Brody’s cold demeanor hardened. He didn’t waste time.
“Mr. Kincaid, Ms. Kincaid, Signor Benetti,” Brody stated, his voice carrying an institutional weight that cut through the polite chatter. “An emergency side-meeting in the library. Now.”
Julian, his face pale with barely suppressed rage, followed. Evelyn, looking utterly bewildered, trailed behind them. Signor Paolo Benetti, the Italian notary, joined them, his expression utterly neutral.
I watched them disappear into the hushed confines of the villa’s library. The ornate wooden doors closed, muffling their voices.
Minutes later, a waiter approached me with a note: “Ms. Delaney, your presence is requested.”
Inside the library, the mood was glacial. Julian stood before the marble fireplace, trying to project an air of command, but his eyes darted nervously. Evelyn sat stiffly on a velvet armchair.
“Mr. Kincaid,” Marcus Brody began, standing by a large globe, his voice devoid of emotion. “Without valid risk officer validation, and fully verified collateral for the Delaney family trust, this loan cannot proceed to final release.”
Julian puffed out his chest. “That’s simply not true, Mr. Brody. Clara’s trust guarantee was legally pre-approved under our 2018 corporate reorganization documents. Everything is in order.”
He pulled out his laptop and quickly brought up a digital file. “Here. A scanned copy of the corporate resolution, signed and sealed. Proof of the re-hypothecation approval.”
He slid the laptop across the polished table towards Signor Benetti, who donned a pair of half-moon spectacles and began to examine the digital document with meticulous attention. Evelyn nodded vigorously, relieved.
Julian shot me a triumphant, if weary, glare. He believed he had found a loophole, a way to bypass my refusal. He genuinely thought his digital document, four years newer than the original merger, would override any concerns.
He was counting on speed, on bureaucracy, on the assumption that older documents wouldn’t be readily available, especially not here in Rome.
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