Chapter 34- Valentini Problems
Lucia The first warning came ni dawn.
I stood at the door–to–ceiling windows of my foundation office, watching an unsettling scene unfold at the Valentini shipping terminal below. Chisters of dock workers gathered in tight groups, their usual efficient movements replaced by tense discussion. Even from fifteen stories up, I could feel the ruless energy building.
My phone buzzed – Marco’s third call in an hour.
“They’re organizing my eldest brother said without preamble. “Someone’s been meeting with the crew leaders, making promises Better wages, better condicions_
“We already pay abone market rate, 1 pointed our though unease curled in my stomach. The Valentin family had always taken care of our people. That loyalty was the foundation of our empire.
“Triple their current wages, Marco’s voice was grim “Plus guaranteed positions for their families. The kind of offer the makes generations of loyalty look cheap.
Before I could respond movement caught my eye. A ripple went through the crowd below as the morning shift arrived. Instead of starting work. they joined the growing clusters of workers. Within minutes, the entire dock had gone still
“How many terminals?” kel, already knowing the answer would be bad.
“All of them Every crew, e
‚ every shift.” Papers rusled as Marco consulted reports. “And it’s not just the docks. The warehouse crews are getting restless. The tracking unions are making noise. Someone’s orchestrating a complete shundown of our shipping operations.”
The formed in my stomach as I pressed the implications. The Valentini empire might have diversified over the years, but shipping was still our lifeblood. Without those operationLL
“Who has that kind of reach” I moved to my desk, pulling up financial projections. “The Chens are still recovering from their casine losses. The Russian woukh’i dare move agauur us withou-
“Lucia” Amondo’s voice cut through as Marco patched him in. “You need to come to the sin office. Now
Something in his tone made my pulse jump. “What happened!”
Jus come
The Valentin corporate headquarters occupied a historic building downtown, all marble and malingarry and old–world power. Usually, the lobby buzzed with betivity–associates nodding between meetings, security tram monitoring operations, the controlled clues of empire management Today, an cericence filled the spore
I found my brothers in Pique office the heart of our family’s power. Marco paced by the windows, phone pressed to his ear as he barked orders in rapid Italian. Antonio lounged against Papa’s desk with deceptive casualness, but his fingers kept brushing the gan I knew he carried under his designer jacke
Papast in his massive leather chair. The Koreas deal fell through,” he said without preamble. Three years of negotiations, metions in development costs. gour.”
“What?” I moved closer, noting the guy cast to his skin. “How”
were playing both sides. Working with their
“Someone leaked documents,” Antonio’s casual pose belied the fury in his voice. “Made it look like we were p competiton”
“Impossible 1 every detail of that deal. Had helped structure the partnerships myself. “All communications were encrypted. The only people
with access-
“Were traced associates” Marco ended has call running a hand through his usually perfect hair. The same ones who started jumping ship last week. Taking diem lists, contra details..”
“Targeted ariseks,” Papa’s voice was too quiet. “First our people. Then our reputation. They’re dismantling everything we’ve huil, piece by piece I studied his for, not liking the shadows under his eyes or the way his hands trembled slightly. The great Vincent Valentini, who’d built an empire from nothing after immigrating with nothing but determination and dreams, looked… old
“The Roman barber development,” I started Orefully
“No.” Papa’s voice regained some strength. “We don’t need their help”
Papa stood from his desk, that familiar prod set to his shoulders despite the strain evident in his face. His left hand twitched, then moved to his ches in a gesture that seemed almost caveal unit I noticed his kles whitening against has silk shirt
“Papa” The word came out small, young, like I was seven years old again and seeing hun vulnerable for the first time after Mana died.
I don’t.” he started, but the words choked off. His face coninted with pain he couldn’t hide anymore.
Marro moved first, his tactical training taking over a Papa swayed. But everything seemed to happen in slow motion, like watching a car crash you can see couning but can’t prevent.
Papa’s knees buckled. The file slipped from his fingers, papers floating down like fallen leaves as he started to collapse. Marco lunged forward, maging to catch him before he hit the ground, but Papa’s weight took them both down. They landed hard, Marco cradling our father’s head before
THE
Chapter 34- Valentina Problems
in could strike the marble door.
“Candiac event,” Marco barked, his fingers finding Papa’s pulse with practiced precision. “Antonio, ambulance, NOW! Stay with us. Papa.” Marco’s
cracked slightly as he loosened our father’s tie, checked his airway. “Help’s coming Just stay with us.”
The sound that escaped Papa’s throat, weak pained. “Shh I pressed his hand to my check, feeling the cold sweat on his skin. “Well handle everything. Just breathe. Please, Pipa, jou breathe.”
Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed. Antonio paced by the door, half–shouting directions to the ambulance crew between urgent calls to our serity teams
But all I could focus on was Papa’s hand in mine, his pulse fluttering beneath my fingers like a trapped bird, his eyes locked on my face with an expression I’d never seen before–a father’s love mixed with something that looked terrifyingly like goodbye.
“Not like this,” I chispered fiercely in Italian, the language of our hearts. “Not you too. We can’t lose you too.”
His fingers tightened on mine briefly before going slack as unconsciousness finally took him.
The next hours passed in a blur of hospital corridors and medical jargon. Words like “mild cardiac event” and “stress–induced flowed around us 25 machines monored the hean dut had always seemed to strong to fail.
I sat by Papa’s hed, watching his chest rise and fall with artificial steadiness, while my brothers coordinated damage control from the hallway. Their voices carried through the thick door–updates about more workers walking off, more contracts being canceled, more pieces of our empire being systematically stripped away.
“Miss Valentim!”
Chapter 33- His Gemin
