Chapter 6.1 - Valentina
1457 Words
I go down to the eleventh floor, room 8.
To my horror, people are already inside, gathered around a table for eight.
"Sorry for being late."
The man at the end of the table seems to be the leader, because everyone looks over to him.
I take the only empty seat left at the other end of the table, facing him.
Being the only woman in this room is weird
"That's alright."
He has an Italian accent, and he seems familiar.
"You're not Viktor." The man to his right states.
"I'm his assistant."
The two of them exchange looks. Another one opens his mouth.
"What is an assistant doing at one of these meetings?"
The leader raises his hand, as if to ask him to calm down.
"Who are you?"
"Valentina, who are you?"
He looks surprised.
"You didn't get our folder?" the man to his right chimes in again.
He's calmer than the other one. And he also somehow feels familiar.
"I did, but your names weren't on there. Just your business details."
"I'm Lorenzo, and this is my team at GDC Corporation. This is Franco, our compliance officer."
"Okay. This is my first meeting alone ever, so you'll have to let me know what it's about."
"Shouldn't we wait for someone more...equipped for this type of business?" another one asks, and they start a discussion in Italian that I can't understand.
"Excuse me." I say, but no one is even paying attention to me. "EXCUSE ME?!" I try again, this time raising my voice.
It makes them turn to me and shut up.
"I am here now, and I am Viktor's assistant. My job is to hear you out. Do you want something or are you going home? It's not that hard."
They all look stunned by my direct approach.
Lorenzo grins. "Aright." He looks at Franco.
Franco slides some papers over to me. They contain pie chart and photos of random, beat-up buildings somewhere in Manhattan.
"These three buildings are townhouses owned by your company for more than two decades. You haven't done anything with them." Franco stops to look at his boss before continuing. "You haven't used them nor flipped them in such a long time, and you're losing money paying the mortgage taxes. We want to take them off your hands and turn them into clubs."
I look through the papers, trying to see if I'd missed the offer.
"Where's the offer?"
Lorenzo takes out a folded paper from his breast pocket and stands up. Everyone watches him circle the table and come up to my right.
He crouches down so his elbows rest on the table, and it feels like he's patronizing me.
I take the paper from his hand.
$10.000.000
"Thanks for the offer. We'll need some time to consider it."
"Why wouldn't you accept it?" Franco asks me.
"These buildings are all in Manhattan and they're all around 500 square-meters, correct?"
Franco hesitates. "Yes."
"How much does a square meter cost in Manhattan?" Before they even begin to answer, I google it on my phone. "Fifteen thousand. One house is almost worth as much as the entire offer. It's way too low."
"Double it, then."
"That's still not enough. One house is worth that much. Why would we accept anything less than the fair price?"
Lorenzo c***s his head. "Now you're changing your policies?"
"I have no idea what policies you're talking about, because the ones we have clearly state that we'll be selling real estate at fair market price, unless agreed otherwise."
He walks back to his chair and straightens his jacket. Everyone on his team is looking at him.
"Alright." He finally speaks. "We'll be back next week."
He stands up first and the rest follow.
"What's your name?"
"Valentina."
"What's your full name?"
"Valentina Levin."
***
I tell Viktor about everything that happened as soon as I see him come into the office.
"You said they were new, but they asked for you by name. Did you send me in there on purpose?"
"I wanted to see if you could hold your own in a meeting."
"Why?"
"That's how you learn, Valentina." He drops down in his chair. "What did they say?"
I walk over to him. The space is way too big to have a two-person conversation from opposite sides of the room.
"I told them I'd get back to them, and they're coming back next week. Also, why can't this be done over the phone?"
"Everybody wants to get out of the house. And some things can't be settled over the phone."
Yes, illegal things.
"Why were they so sure that I would accept so little money? The guy said that we're changing our policies?"
"That's what he said?"
"Yes."
He looks worried. "And they asked for me by name?"
"Yes."
"Okay. No problem. I'll be there next time. Schedule the meeting for this Friday."
***
New York, United States – November 18th, 2020
I come out of the bathroom and lay down on my bed. The face mask I put on after I showered is making my skin itch, and I feel exhausted.
Viktor made me run around all day to collect spreadsheets about last month's financial situation from all departments in the building.
I take my phone out and take turns scrolling to all my social media, stopping when I see that Matteo has posted a photo.
It's one where his arm is around Ariana's shoulder, and they're both smiling at the camera with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
My finger hovers above the screen before I double tap to like it.
Matteo: are you in the corporate social responsibility class?
Valentina: yea
Matteo: okay
Nothing comes after that, so I decide to go take a bath and start a new book. It feels like it's been ages since I've had the time to just exist and do something purely out of joy. Or maybe I've never felt able to relax since Romeo got shot in front of me.
But right now, things are finally starting to settle down. I almost feel at home and safe in my new apartment.
Almost.
***
New York, United States – November 20th, 2020
Viktor and I are already sitting at the table when Lorenzo and Franco walk into the room, this time followed by only two men I don't recognize.
They all look more relaxed than they did last time, but the two men remain standing against a wall.
Franco and Lorenzo sit down across from us.
"Is it just the two of you?" Lorenzo asks.
I nod.
He pushes another piece of paper over the table towards me. A tattoo peeks out from under his suit. There's a scale on his wrist, exactly like the one Matteo has.
I take the paper, wondering why he didn't just pass it over to Viktor.
$15.000.000
"It's still not even close to market price. We can sell-"
"We're not selling at all." Viktor butts over me.
I look at him surprised. "But these houses lose the company money. What's the point?"
"We're not selling." Viktor repeats.
"Did you talk to dad?"
It slips out before I've had time to think. There's no logical explanation for why we shouldn't sell those houses.
"Yes, I did. We're not selling, and our decision is final. Thank you for taking the time."
Viktor stands up and I follow him out the room, confused.
"Why don't you want to negotiate? Isn't the whole point to make a profit?"
"That doesn't matter if the people you go into business with are a risk."
"So you know them? Who are they?"
"They're an Italian organization who is trying to spread out through New York. One of them was the CEO, and the other one is his cons-compliance officer."
"So, like you and dad."
He fidgets in his seat. "Exactly."
"Lorenzo is the boss, right?"
"Yes. GDC stands for his last name; Giudice."
I feel a tightening in my chest when the name comes out of his mouth.
"Lorenzo Giudice?"
"Yes. You've heard of him?"
I don't even know anymore.
"Who's the other one?" I ask instead of answering.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him before."
"Wait. How long have you been working here?"
"I replaced Mr. Volkov when he died."
"What did Mr. Volkov do?"
"He was your father's consultant."
"Did you know him well?
His eyes turn sad. "Yes."
I awkwardly look around the room, trying to find a way to change the subject. Luckily, he composes himself.
"So, there's no wiggle room on the deal?"
"No, we're not working with Italians."
His secretary walks into the room before I can fully process the depth of his words.
- Writer
