by Lily Zante
“Since you’ve convinced me to go to this place tomorrow, I don’t think I’ll bother going to Milan today. I’ll go to those places that Gina suggested instead.” She got out her sunglasses and slipped them onto her face.
“The arena is a good choice although it is better when they have operas on,” said Nico and he couldn’t help but notice the wedding band on her hand. “Have a good day Ava,” he said, opening the glass door.
“Ciao.”
They parted ways and Ava practically skipped off the steps and headed out of the hotel.
Nico watched her walking away out of sight and the adoring look on his face changed in an instant as he saw Silvia storming towards him with a look of pure hatred on her face.
“You forgot your calculator,” snapped Silvia blasting in through the double doors and heading straight for him. She threw the small silver device at him. The good feeling that Ava had just left him with, evaporated into the air.
“It’s only a calculator Silvia,” he said irritably. “Alessa was bored, I told her to play with it. I don’t even need it back.” But he knew the real reason for her coming here was not to return the calculator, she would have found another excuse if it wasn’t that. He hadn’t even seen or heard her car pull up but he didn’t need to guess. He knew that she had seen everything.
Silvia’s face turned into a tight smile. “Don’t worry darling, you know how much I like to see you,” she said, before she rushed back to her car.
As soon as she said that, he knew she had seen everything. With a face like thunder, Nico headed straight towards the reception desk only to find Gina hitting him with the words he least expected. “Nico, your father’s back.”
The day could not have gotten any worse. Nico placed his hand across his forehead and ran his fingers through his thick, black hair. His father was not going to be very happy with him. But he had to face him no matter what.
“Where is he?” he asked Gina wearily.
“In the office,” she replied, looking sideways at the small door just behind the hotel reception. “You’d better be quick. He has a meeting with the Luxuriant Group at two.”
“He wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow,” replied Nico, tensing the fingers of his hands.
“The Luxuriant group bought forward their meeting to today. They have an offer that interested your father greatly.”
Nico’s shoulders rose and fell sharply as his breathing grew deeper. He walked towards the door slowly. He didn’t like the sound of this. His father had given him two years and he was only halfway through.
What was all this about?
The Luxuriant Group were one of the larger groups that had their big, corporate eye on the Cazale hotels. Nico knew that if his father had curtailed his trip to Rome, then he would be seriously considering their offer to buy. He walked through the main office and opened another door at the side which led to Edmondo Cazale’s office.
Nico knocked before walking in anyway. He was the only one who ever did this. His father sat behind the large wooden desk and looked at Nico with his puffy, baggy eyes. Eyes that were once almost jet black in color, eyes which Nico now had. Now, with old age, Edmondo Cazale’s eyes were a gray-ish, dark brown. But he still had a handsome face and his almost silver hair gave him a distinguished look that commanded immediate respect.
“There you are son,” he said slowly, putting down his pen and clasping his hands together.
“Back so soon Papa?” asked Nico, looking at his father with a mixture of love and frustration. He already knew why his father had rushed back but he wanted to hear his father say it.
His father pinched the top of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, massaging it gently. He was getting headaches so often these days.
“Luxuriant have made me an offer. One that sounded too good to be true. And besides, I’d finished my meetings in Rome. I got back early this morning. Where have you been?”
“I had some things to take care of Papa. If I had known you were coming today, I would have picked you up myself.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m here now.” The older man clasped his wrinkled hands together once more and nodded towards the empty chair in front of him, beckoning Nico to sit down.
“What’s this about the Luxuriant offer? You told me I had two years to prove myself. I know you don’t think I’m capable of running your hotels, Papa, but you’re a man of your word. You always have been. Why the sudden interest in Luxuriant?”
“As I told you son, they have a good offer.”
Nico’s eyes flashed angrily. “Good enough for you to go back on your word to me. You told me I had two years. I’ve only had one so far and you admit that I’ve made good progress.”
The older man said nothing for a while, then “I see you’re already looking at changing all of our suppliers? People that we have used and trusted for so many years.”
How was he going to get himself out of that one? Nico fought to keep his mouth shut. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say and he certainly didn’t want to lie.
“Father, running a hotel business isn’t so much about efficiency, figures and profits and losses. It’s more about the personal touch and relationships now more than ever.”
“Here we go again,” said the older man. He had heard this before and couldn’t relate to what Nico was talking about. Had the world changed that much in forty years? Surely hotels were still places for people to enjoy themselves away from their current home? People wanted clean and comfortable beds, clean rooms, a nice enough décor, good food and a pleasing garden or other places of beauty nearby. This was what he believed and it had served him well. He should know, he had built up eight thriving hotels in the last forty years, after all. Though during the last decade, his share of the hotel business was slowly decreasing. He was getting squeezed out by the bigger chains who offered cheap deals and holiday packages and his hotel could no longer compete effectively.
But Nico had enjoyed the trappings of his father’s hard earned riches for so long and now seemed to think that he could turn it all around. His son seemed to think that the hotel business was more than just a commodity. He believed that people wanted an experience, over and above the clean beds, nice food, nice rooms and good services. His son believed that the personal touch, little things such as giving the customer their own favorite blend of coffee, as opposed to having one type of coffee served throughout the hotel, was something small that the customer remembered, appreciated and came back for again and again. Even better, happy customers told their friends and family about the wonderful hotel they had stayed at, and so, accordingly to Nico, recommendations helped to spread the word better than any expensive advertisement could..
As if this was something that would give them repeat business. Edmondo Cazale scoffed at the idea. He wasn’t fully convinced. But he needed more from his son. He didn’t want to sell out. But he wasn’t going to give his business to his son on a plate either. His son would need to prove himself first. And lately he didn’t feel that Nico was taking his responsibility too well. Edmondo needed more evidence that his son could be responsible.
There were other things too. Rumors that persisted, and Edmondo had taken a back seat, patiently waiting for Nico to take charge. All these things flitted about in Edmondo Cazale’s head as he heard his son remonstrate with him and his decision to consider the Luxuriant Group’s offer.
“You can’t sell out Papa. You can’t.” Nico was resolute.
“I’m not selling out son. I want to retire and spend my twilight years tending to my garden, enjoying a glass of wine and a good book, seeing the sun set. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of your mother. But she is gone and I don’t have the will to carry on being this busy much longer.”
“But I can do this.”
“You can do this. But do you want to?” he asked softly.
“Yes!” Nico resented that his father always asked the same question over and over again. Why
could he not get it into his head that he was more than capable of running the business? He wanted to show the world that he was more than a playboy. He wished he could have shown it when his dear mother had been alive.
His father sat impassively. In a final bid Nico sat forward, spreading his arms out on the table.
“Tell me something, Papa. If you compare the visitor figures to last year, do you not see an increase, even if very small, is there not an increase nevertheless?”
Reluctantly, Edmondo Cazale nodded. The visitor uptake had been decreasing for the past seven years but it had started to slowly pick up again in the last two quarters.
It had all been down to Nico. The older Cazale cleared his throat. “There is another option,” he said reluctantly. But Nico could tell by his father’s body language that he was not keen on it.
“Vicenzo Azzarone is keen on doing a deal that will benefit both of us.”
Nico’s face blackened and he stood up and started to pace the room, trying to calm himself down. Mention of the Azzarone name turned Nico’s mood black. “Why would you even consider him? I want no part of anything to do with the Azzarones.”
“You used to be good friends years ago.”
“Yes, Papa, when we were five years old.”
“Her father sees you as a possible heir to both his and our fortunes.”
“Never! Apart from the fact that I have no feelings whatsoever for his daughter, he didn’t make his empire the hard way like you did Papa. His business is built on shifting sands. Any time soon, the puppet masters pulling his strings can change it all. You’re nothing like that Papa. It amazes me that you think we could lump our businesses together. Don’t tarnish the Cazale name needlessly.”
The older man relaxed a little. Perhaps Nico was growing a head for the business and doing business the proper way, just as he had done, working from the ground up. Unlike the Azzarone empire, most of which had been founded on dishonesty and by building new hotels by knocking down people’s homes. Silvia’s father, Vicenzo Azzarone had driven hundreds, if not thousands of families out of their homes decades ago. It was the type of business that Edmondo Cazale wanted to distance himself from.
“Say it Papa, what is it?”
“There are rumors. There have always been-” he drifted off, unable to finish the sentence.
Nico stood up, unable to contain his mounting anger. “Did Vicenzo Azzarone put you up to this? Because he’ll wish he hadn’t when I’m done with him. ” Nico clenched both of his hands together and leant over the table, looking his father straight in the eyes. He inhaled sharply, trying to still his voice.
“Don’t worry about Silvia Papa,” he said quietly.
“It’s not Silvia I’m worried about. Alessa is the one who gets caught up in everything.”
“I’m taking care of it Papa. You have to trust me.” The old man nodded and chose his words carefully.
“Alright Nico. Alright. I gave you two years. You’re halfway through. I’ll honor my end of it.”
Still bent over the table and watching his father carefully, Nico replied, “You know I can do this Papa. Deep down inside you know I can. You’ve seen the figures and you know they are changing because of the small things I have done. I’ll prove to you that you don’t need to sell out. You don’t need to see the Luxuriant Group. You don’t need anyone.” His eyes blazed into his father’s and his father stared back calmly.
“Then show me Nico. But I will have the meeting with the Luxuriant Group.”
Nico pushed off on his clenched fists, raising his body to his full height. He crossed his arms.
“So be it Father. You see them and let me carry on with my own plan.”
The older man nodded in agreement. There was nothing else to say. He watched Nico leave, slamming the door behind him.
He would meet with the Luxuriant Group, if only to keep his options open.
Chapter 14
Just after breakfast, Ava was ready and waiting for Nico in the hotel dining room. She was trying very hard not to make it look blatantly obvious that she was looking forward to seeing him again.
As she fidgeted with her bag, and then her cell and then her diary, two things came to mind. One was that she was already halfway through her stay in Verona; the time had flown so fast that it seemed like only yesterday that she had arrived here angry and tired. The second thing she realised was that despite making plans to visit Milan, Pisa and Florence, she hadn’t visited any of these places at all.
In fact, she hadn’t even left Verona.
“Ready?” asked Nico appearing out of her thoughts and standing in front of her. As he stood before her in a pale gray suit, a white shirt and a dark blue tie with silver embossed squares, she caught her breath and hoped she had made no sound. He looked stunning. And he literally took her breath away.
She managed to hold eye contact with him for a few seconds and looked away sharply before she gave away any of the thoughts that had suddenly taken over her mind. She managed a hint of a smile and immediately pulled her sunglasses down to shield her eyes. Even though they were still inside the hotel, she felt the need to hide her eyes and most especially her feelings for him, from him.
Was this the same sullen man she had met at the airport a few days ago?
He still wore a suit, as he did the other day, but something was different about him and she couldn’t place a finger on what it was. It was as if she was seeing him with a new pair of eyes.
“Are you ready Ava? I have to see some suppliers for a few things at eleven. Shall we get going?” The keys to his car jangled in his hands.
Ava followed him out of the dining room and they passed Gina who was busy on the phone. Ava waved to her as they walked past. Did she work all day and night long? Gina was always behind the desk no matter what time it was. There were a few hotel staff, discreet, friendly and unobtrusive but even for a small hotel of this size, with about twenty rooms, she had usually only ever seen Gina here.
Nico strode over to the passenger side and held the door open for Ava.
“You don’t have to do that,” said Ava as slipped past him and into the cool black interior.
“But we do,” replied Nico giving her one of his seldom seen but relaxed smiles before taking off his jacket and getting in at the driver’s side. He folded his jacket and placed it down on the seat next to him, not before Ava had seen a glimpse of the Armani label.
“You look different today,” she said finally, after having wondered for a few minutes what to say.
“You think so?” said Nico, gazing back at her reflection in the mirror. “There’s nothing different about me,” he said lightly, as a quiet hush filled the air and Ava felt as though the dynamics had changed. Nico didn’t seem to be the hotel driver any more, not someone that she could speak to as she had done the first time they had met.
Thinking about it now, she had this vague and intangible feeling that things just didn’t fit. His watch. His suit, his manner, his style, his meetings. None of it fit anymore. Now, the thought that he might be lying to her disturbed her. This was what had been rankling her thoughts lately.
He interrupted her thoughts, “I think you are far more relaxed now that you have spent a few days in our city. I think the air has done you good. No?” He smiled at her amicably in the rearview mirror, unaware of the disturbing thoughts going through Ava’s mind.
“I guess,” she replied listlessly.
“And your stay will be over soon?” he asked, eager to keep the conversation going.
She thought she detected a touch of wistulness in his tone, although she might have imagined it.
After a drive that took just under an hour, they were out in the middle of the countryside. It was a rural area with acres of green all around and then, appearing like a strip of gravel amidst the greenery was the industrial center known as Montova; long rows of factories and warehouses, with smaller shops and retail units here and there. The grayness of Montova grew larger the c
loser they got until eventually they drove through the large entrance gates and Nico parked up.
“This is Montova?” asked Ava, getting out of the car and looking all around her.
“Yes,” replied Nico enthusiastically.
“And you expect me to find new products here?” she asked dubiously.
Instead of replying, Nico raised his eyebrows and nodded his head. “Come,” he said, beckoning her with his hand as she caught sight of the huge watch on his wrist again. It was hard to miss, because it was so ridiculously big.
Her excitement at looking around Montova disappeared again as she looked at his watch. Once again she eyed him suspiciously.
“Come? Where?” Her tone had lost some of its earlier exuberance.
“To find products that your customers back in America are sure to love. Here in Montova are manufacturers and suppliers that produce some of the finest products. I am certain you will find things here to sell over in America in your store, that nobody sells over there.”
“If you insist,” said Ava, walking slowly by his side. Something was bothering her and she couldn’t keep it under wraps any longer.
“What are you here for Nico? What meeting could a hotel driver have to make on a trip forty minutes away from his hotel?” She could see that the question bothered him and watched his jaw twitch again. It was a sure sign that something was up. She carried on, “I mean, your boss must be a lenient man to allow you the luxury of travelling around all over the place and doing as you please.”
Nico’s eyes narrowed and his face lost a little of its former exuberance. “Is that what you think I’m doing – whatever I please?”
“Aren’t you?” replied Ava, then wished she hadn’t started this conversation. She was beginning to feel foolish. Here he was being kind and doing things that might benefit her and here she was, questioning his every motive. Had she been like this with Connor?