The Slave of Pleasure

Vincenzo

I was in my company's office, furious. The chaos that had taken hold around me was unbearable. My assistants, huddled in front of me, seemed more incompetent than ever. I paced back and forth, feeling my blood boil in my veins. Stress was consuming me, and at that moment, I had no patience for mistakes.

"How is it possible that you haven't resolved this situation yet?" I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls of the office. "I pay all of you to think and act quickly, not to make mistakes that could ruin the company's reputation! Incompetent, all of you!"

The assistants remained silent, exchanging glances with each other, while I continued to pace back and forth. My fists were clenched, and I could feel the tension running through every part of my body. I knew the situation was delicate. One slip-up, and the media could turn a small problem into a scandal of gigantic proportions.

"Do you have any idea what could happen if this gets out?" I continued, my tone grave. "If the press finds out, our days are numbered. Moretti Enterprises' reputation will be tarnished, and all the business we've built over the years will crumble like a house of cards!" Anger boiled inside me. It was inconceivable that, with all the structure and resources we had, something like this could happen. I didn't tolerate failure, especially not at such crucial moments as this. I walked over to the desk and slammed my hand down on it, causing one of my assistants to take a step back, clearly startled. "This needs to be resolved immediately," I stated coldly. "I don't want excuses, I want results. If necessary, hire whoever you need, but get this done!" Just then, the door opened and an employee hurried in, looking hesitant, as if he knew he was about to escalate the tense atmosphere in the room. All eyes turned to him, including mine, and I saw him swallow hard before speaking.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

"Mr. Moretti," he said, maintaining his composure, although he was clearly nervous, "the CEO is on her way. Your grandmother will be here in a few minutes."

My stomach knotted at that. It wasn't just the company's problem that was bothering me now. I knew that my grandmother's arrival meant that she was worried. And when my grandmother, the matriarch of the family and CEO of Moretti Enterprises, was worried, it was never a good sign.

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. This was not the time to show weakness, not in front of my assistants and much less in front of my grandmother. "Very well," I replied in a more controlled tone. "Get everything ready for her arrival."

I looked at the assistants and employees who were still standing there, as if waiting for me to say something else. "Now, go out and get to work. I don't want to see anyone idle until this problem is resolved."

They moved quickly, leaving the office in a heavy silence. I sat behind my desk, trying to gather my thoughts. My grandmother was coming, and I would need to be at my best to deal with her. Time was running out, and the last thing I wanted was for her to find out how chaotic the situation really was.

***

I sat alone in the conference room, tension hanging in the air. The anger and frustration I felt had not yet completely dissipated, and I knew that the arrival of my grandmother, the CEO of Moretti Enterprises, was inevitable. The door opened with a sharp click, and before I could prepare myself, she walked in, her face as stern as I had expected.

She didn't bother to greet me. Her gaze was fixed on me, filled with a fury I knew well. She had never been a woman to mince words or to be patient with mistakes. Grandma threw a newspaper onto the table with a force that sent the paper scattering. It disintegrated in an explosion of pages and noise.

"Look at this!" she exclaimed, pointing to the front page of the newspaper that featured a photo of me with a woman at my side. The image was emblazoned in bold letters: "Yet another scandal involving Vincenzo Moretti!"

The anger and frustration in her eyes were palpable. I could feel the weight of her disapproval pressing down on me. I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Nona, I can explain," I began, trying to choose my words carefully. She interrupted me with an impatient gesture. "Explain? Do you think there is anything that can be said to fix this? Do you know what this could mean for our company? For our family?"

She was furious, and it was clear that she was not interested in hearing an explanation. I could feel the weight of her disapproval, and I knew that every word I said would have to be carefully chosen so as not to escalate the situation. "Nona, I can really explain what happened. The situation got out of hand, and I was trying to deal with it.

"It was an internal problem that ended up leaking to the media," I tried to explain, but the tone of my voice didn't seem to calm her.

She gave me a look of contempt, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "You are irresponsible! I can't believe that you, of all the family members, are bringing such shame to us. And the worst part is that this isn't the first time. Every time you make a bad choice, you don't think about the consequences for the company, for our reputation."

I felt frustration building inside me. I knew I had made mistakes, but I was trying to fix things the best way I could. However, my grandmother was so relentless that it seemed like nothing I said would make a difference.

"Nona, please," I said, trying to keep my tone respectful despite the growing pressure. "I really am doing my best to fix the situation. I understand that you are angry, but this is not the best time to be so harsh."

She looked at me with a disdainful expression. "The best thing you can do now is resolve this immediately. I don't want to see this kind of news in the media anymore. And from now on, you're going to have to prove that you're worthy of leading this company. I can no longer trust you to make responsible decisions."

The harshness of her words hit me like a punch in the gut. I knew I had to deal with the crisis, but her disapproval and the tone of her voice made the task even harder. I had to find a way to resolve the problem quickly and, above all, regain the trust of my grandmother and our family.

She turned, giving me her back and leaving the room with the same determination she had entered. I was left alone, the weight of her words still hanging in the air. I knew I had a long way to go to right the wrongs and restore the trust I had lost. The pressure was on me, and I had to find a solution before it was too late.