Chapter 3 Good Or Bad News

“No news is good news.” Ludovic Halevy Antonio’s POV I stepped off the private jet, the cool evening air hitting me. My gaze scanned the tarmac, my eyes locking onto Leo, one of my many men who is serving as my chauffeur. “Bentornato Capo,” (it means welcome back in Italian and capo means boss) he greeted in Italian while opening the door to the sleek black sedan. “Thanks, Leo,” I replied, settling into the leather seat. My mind shifted to the unfinished business awaiting me at the club. It is a deal I was supposed to close before traveling but the people involved were indecisive and I couldn’t let them hold me back. I had to travel for another business meeting but then I got a call from them last night that they are ready to seal the deal. I guess they finally came to their senses and it was a good thing that I already rounded up things where I was before their call came through. “How was your trip boss?” Leo asked from the driver’s seat. “Just the usual,” I replied in a sharp tone. I’m not really in the mood for any conversation. He seemed to get the memo and didn’t talk any more. “Have you seen my father around?” I asked. “No boss, I haven’t seen him since you left,” he replied and I gave a curt nod. I’m not surprised at the response, my father is probably in one of his many hotels with his new play thing. He didn’t even call since I left the country to attend to a business that would benefit him the most. The driving was swift, the city lights blurring outside my window. By the time we got to the club it was already dark outside. I stepped out of the sedan, my Italian leather shoes hitting the pavement with authority. The neon lights of ‘Rock Club’ shone brightly at the top of the building. This was my family's empire, my father's domain. My father would do anything to save this club if any situation warrants it. He once told me he would pick the club over me in one of our many heated arguments. I might be doing most of the work and sealing all the deals but my father is still the owner of this club and our other businesses and for some reasons he doesn’t want me to get full control even when he’s usually unavailable half the time. Well he will retire soon I know and everything will be mine soon enough. I took a deep breath, as I stepped into the club one of the security men at the door greeted me. “Welcome Capo,” he greeted. I only nodded at him. The club was in full motion by the time I got in, it’s night time already so I’m not so surprised to see a lot of people inside the club. I walked deeper and soon I climbed the stairs that led to my office. As soon as I got up, I met Emily, our manager. She seemed to have been waiting for me. “Welcome sir,” she greeted. “Emily,” I said, giving her a curt nod. “The clients have been waiting for you, I’ll lead you to where they are seated boss,” she said and I signaled her to proceed. We walked down the hallway that leads to another stairs which we climbed and finally we got to the door that states ‘only for authorized personnel.’ This room is only meant for our business associates, it’s strictly for business deals. As soon as I stepped into the room, Emily shut the door. She didn’t bother entering, her only goal was to take our clients to the room and make sure they are attended to by one of our waiters. My gaze swept across the room, locking onto the clients seated around the polished mahogany table. My eyes fell on my lawyer and consigliere Andrea who gave me a bow. “Good evening, gentlemen,” I said, my deep voice filling the room. Their nods and murmurs acknowledged my authority. “I see you have finally decided to do business with us, what changed your mind because I noticed you were skeptical at first.” I asked while taking a seat. “We just decided you’re the best to do business with,” one of the men said. I gave a smirk but didn’t give any response to what he said. “Let's discuss the terms,” I began in a more professional voice. Their lawyer, a nervous-looking man, fumbled with papers. He seemed to be scared by presence, it’s not like I’m going to kill him or anything, at least not until they give me reasons to. “I believe we've reached a mutually beneficial agreement.” I continued. The clients' eyes darted to mine, seeking reassurance but my expression remained neutral. Andrea slid a folder across the table. “The details are in there,” he explained to them. Silence hung in the air as they reviewed the documents. Finally, the lead client spoke. “We accept,” It’s not like they have a choice. A nod from me sealed the deal. “Welcome to partnership with Ferguson,” I said. Handshakes and forced smiles. I stood, signaling the meeting's end. “Andrea, see our new associates out,” I signaled to my right hand man. As they departed, I rested my back on the chair and closed my eyes. I need rest. I haven't slept properly in the past days and I’m slowly feeling worn out. But as I’m starting to drift off into sleep I hear a knock on the door. I wonder who’s here to disturb my peace. “Arrrgh, Come in.” I said, in a low voice and I heard the door open, I opened my eyes slowly to see who it was. It was Emily, I wonder what she wants. “Emily, I’m not really in the mood for anything right now, can you come back some other time?” I said, closing my eyes back expecting her to leave me alone. “No Antonio, you know I won’t leave you alone,” she said. I forgot to mention earlier that Emily is my cousin, my father's only brother’s daughter. Her father had died when she was younger so my father took her in and we grew up together which is why she knows about our business. “This isn’t a time to be stubborn, I’ve had a long day, I need my rest.” I said. “Just five minutes and I’ll be out of your way,” she insisted. “Fine, speak,” I said, sitting up properly. “So about the new waitress, someone finally applied,” she said. “Really, I thought we would never find a replacement since the last person resigned.” The thing is there has been a rumor about our club saying someone was killed in the club which has made it hard for us to get new staff. Yes an incident happened between some fools who were in business but it is sorted now. “Yes I’m surprised too, anyway the lady is still young and seems like she’ll be good for the job.” Emily continued. “You know we need more than that, do you think she’ll be able to keep her mouth shut, we don’t need a snitch.” “Yeah she seems okay, I already went through her file and we did a background check already so she’s good to go,” she said. “Okay, I trust your judgment. Give the job to her since you think she deserves it.” “Okay but won’t you like to check her resume or something,” she said, gesturing to the paper in her hand. “No it’s fine, just do the right thing.” I said. “Alright let me leave you to rest, but shouldn’t you go to your office or something?” She asked. “I should,” I said standing up. “Ermmm Antonio I have to tell you something,” Emily said as I stood to go to my office.