“Yes, of course,” Antonio stuttered. He took a deep breath and tried his best to compose himself. “Did you need legal advice?”
“Well, that’s the thing,caro mio.A little birdie told me thatyouare the best lawyer around! So, could you be an angel and squeeze me in for a chat in about twenty minutes or so?”
Antonio checked his diary, desperately hoping that he’d have a meeting, but he didn’t have any clients due in until later that afternoon. He gritted his teeth and forced some fake cheer into his tone.
“Yes, I can squeeze you in today.” he said reluctantly, before making a note on some paper. “I’m guessing you know where the office is?”
“Of course I do! Blackwood and Anderson, next to the coffee shop over on Fourth Street.Verysmart placement, if you ask me.”
“I’ll be sure to let Mr Anderson know.” Antonio said, before hanging up the phone and blowing out a sigh of anxiety.
A few minutes later, he stood up and went to see if Janice was outside. She wasn’t, but he managed to find Douglas, and told him that Maria was on her way over. Douglas didn’t say anything about it, preferring to raise a single eyebrow at the news, and he shook his head.
“I’m not happy about it either.” His tone was hopeless. “She is my aunt, though, and she apparently wants some legal advice, so I can’t really refuse her. Just … do me a favour, OK?”
“What’s that?” Douglas sounded grumpier than usual, but there was no time to ask him about it.
“Would you set up some covert cameras or recording devices in my office? I just … I get the feeling I’m going to want to record this.”
“You got it, boss. Just make sure you tell Mr Anderson, or we’ll all lose our jobs.” Douglas nodded, before lifting the phone to his ear and making a call. Antonio, meanwhile, headed to the elevators, where he pushed the button to the top floor, dreading the news he was about to give his boss.
William, however, was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Sarah. The only person upstairs was Nancy, their secretary, so he left a message for William, asking him to call him as soon as he got into his office. Message received, he headed back down to his own office and started preparing for his aunt’s arrival.
Five minutes later, Douglas came into the office and set up the covert cameras, making sure that their presence wouldn’t be detected. Douglas even put some under the chairs for good measure, so that even if the others were discovered, there was still a chance of capturing anything out of the ordinary.
“I’m going to record it on my phone as well.” Antonio said to Janice, who nodded her agreement. “Please hold all calls to my office phone until she’s gone.”
“Absolutely.” Janice replied, before heading back to her desk. Douglas looked at him, worry creeping over his face. They both knew that Maria would be forceful at best, and entirely insane at worst. All they could do was hope that she managed to keep herself sane untilafterthe meeting was over.
“Don’t go too far.” Antonio cautioned Douglas. “I have a bad feeling about this meeting, and I might need your help.”
“I’ll be outside with Janice. Perks of dressing like a security guard; no-one notices you.” He hesitated, then added. “Try not to worry. I’ve got your back.”
“I know you do. Thank you. Is Mr Anderson here?”
“Not yet. I’ll keep an ear out in case he calls down.”
With that, everyone took their places, and the scene was set for Maria’s arrival. The silence was fraught with unasked questions, and although everyone tried to go about their business like it was another ordinary day, it was easy to see that this day was anything but ordinary.
Maria’s entrance did not disappoint, as she swept into the offices in a cloud of sickly sweet perfume that did nothing to mask the smell of cigarettes and tequila. She had thick makeup on, with bright blue eyeshadow and an even brighter red lipstick that made her look like a very cheapversion of Madonna from the 1980s. As always, she was dressed entirely in black, and her hair had been dragged into something resembling an updo, although strands of it were escaping everywhere.
“Antonio,darling.” She smiled, walking towards him with her arms outstretched. Antonio forced a smile onto his face as he stood up, kissing her on both cheeks and feeling the strength in her arms. For all that she was ageing, his aunt was still a physically strong woman, with no signs of slowing down.
“ZiaMaria?” he said, trying his best to sound affectionate. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Neither have you,caro mio. You look just the same as you did when I last saw you, although you’ve got a bit skinnier! Is that wife of yours not feeding you enough? I’ll send you the name of my chef, darling, he’s adiamond. I flew him over from Italy six years ago, and he’s still here to this day!”
“You, on the other hand, haven’t aged a day!” he lied through gritted teeth, praying that she’d let him go. She did, looking him up and down, and then swept into his office with a flourish. He rolled his eyes at Janice as he walked past, and saw her stifling a laugh.
“Would you like a drink,Zia?” he asked, expecting her to ask for tequila, as was her wont, but she shook her head, sweeping into a chair in a cloud of perfume. It was disturbingly familiar, and he tried to place it in his memory.
“No,grazie. Time is of the essence, so we will have to have coffee another time.” Maria continued, her smile more unnerving than endearing.
“Of course.” he said, taking his seat behind his desk. He tapped his phone, making sure that it was recording, and then looked his aunt squarely in the face.
“So,Zia, what brings you to my office?”
10
