(Present time)
"Baka! (Idiot!)" I scream. My body is shaking with anger.
The startled gaze of the man, fearfully fidgeting in front of me in his expensive suit, only makes me hotter under the collar. I am ready to punch him straight in the face, but only fling the thick document folder he dared to shove in my hands at his feet instead. It tears open. The strong sea breeze immediately picks up the numerous sheets of paper, scattering them all over the deck.
"Mr. Takayama," the moron dares to address me sternly. "You are abusing your authority. There are clear regulations and standards which have been strictly observed. On what grounds do you refuse to sign the report? I am the legal advisor of this company and this insolence will not be left without consequences. I will contact the headquarters and you..."
"Shinjimae, konoyarou! (Go to hell, you arsehole!)" I hiss and step towards him menacingly. He better stop getting on my nerves. "I am fed up with corporate sharks like you, thinking only about money and never about human life. You can call the Pope, if you like. It will make absolutely no difference. This ship will not be certified and thus insured before you make all the recommended repairs and follow all the instructions, given to you during the previous inspection. We are an independent Classification Society, representing the insurer which happens to be the biggest one in Europe. Do I have to remind you that no one will agree to work with you if they refuse to issue a policy. So, you can shove your threats and your arrogant attitude right up your ass."
"Ryo," my partner mumbles warningly, putting a soothing hand on my shoulder. "Let's take a business approach to this. No need of crossing swords. I understand your frustration, but it is of mutual interest, if we..."
"Damare, Luca (Shut up, Luca)," I glare at him. "You called me at six in the morning, made me run to the airport, catch the first flight to Genoa, sit on the plane for three hours and drive one more to the port to be here at twelve sharp for what? To see that they've done nothing? Chikushō! (Damn it!) This cruise ship carries three thousand people, passengers and crew. Do you want to take the risk? Would you sign the report and let the bastards play with all those lives? Go ahead then!"
"I'm not saying you're not right," he starts patting my back conciliatory. "I am just asking you to calm down and be open for a discussion. We need to figure out how to solve the problem. I also just arrived. I wouldn't have called, if I knew the situation. Mr. Bartalotti here assured me all was done."
"The company has complied with all reasonable requirements," the lawyer gains courage again. He approaches, staring pleadingly at Luca. "Mr. De Angelis can confirm that we have postponed only those which were too time consuming and exceeded even the international standards. There is no way to finish with them before the cruise line start date. Do you have any idea how much money we are talking about?"
"I don't give a shit," I squint at him. "You shouldn't have sold tickets without a certificate and an insurance policy."
"Mio Dio! È pazzo! (Oh, my God! He is crazy!)" the man raises his hands in annoyance, making the biggest mistake in his life. I might very well be insane, but a sleek, corporate lawyer is the last person in the world I would allow to judge my mental state.
"Luca is right," I tell him with a wicked smirk. "We need to fix this with no further delay. I have a proposal for you."
"Fuck!" Luca mutters under his breath, but cleverly decides not to interfere and let me play my game. He has enough experience to know that, at this point, he better not stand in my way.
"I am all ears," Bartalotti grins victoriously, assuming that he has succeeded into bringing the commons sense back into my head. Poor, oblivious fool.
We are standing on the sun deck of the enormous cruise ship, close to the swimming pool which is surrounded by several rows of elegant, lounge chairs, the last one only few feet away from the railing. I casually lean on the wooden handrail and peek down. This is deck thirteen, the top one. It is almost two hundred feet above the water level.
The ship is docked at Genoa cruise port, next to two, even bigger cruise liners on both her sides. All three of them are real beauties, looking like graceful, snow white swans, waiting to make their way across the Mediterranean. The view is magnificent, but my heart instantly starts pounding wildly. I wipe my sweaty palms in my jacket and take few deep breaths to calm myself.
"Well?" Bartalotti is impatient to hear my offer and avoid the expensive alterations I require in order to sign the safety certificate and give a green light to the cruise line.
"It is very simple," I answer. "I want you to crouch down by the railing."
The man looks at me in astonishment, probably thinking that I am out of my mind, but shrugs his shoulders and does it.
"Lean forward," I command. He follows my instructions. His head and shoulders easily pass between the horizontal rails. It is clear that he is not that brave anymore in this position. I grumble, "More."
The guy is quite hesitant, but moves few inches further. If he bends just a little bit more and loses his balance, he will easily fly down to the water. I am prepared to catch him at any moment, if something goes wrong. The trick is, though, that he doesn't know it.
"Enough!" Luca growls and grabs Bartalotti by the belt, pulling him back to safety.
"Che due palle! Sei davvero uno psicopatico! (What the fuck! You really are a psychopath!)" the man screams, digging a finger into my chest. "This doesn't prove anything. What kind of an idiot would kneel on the deck and shove their head between the rails?"
"What if it is someone who does not have to kneel?" I ask calmly. "What if it is a curious child whose height is right up to the level of the gap? What if something startles the child, making them lose their balance? Do you have children, Mr. Bartalotti?"
The lawyer opens his mouth to argue, but my words finally sink in. His eyes widen while he is staring terrified at the gap between the rails.
"Two weeks," I state. "You have exactly two weeks to replace all the railings and do everything else we recommended. We can talk again then."
He only nods in agreement.
I turn on my heels and head towards the elevator
"Holly shit!" Luca chuckles behind me. "Remind me never to get on your wrong side, if I ever forget it."
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A/N
Hello everyone at the end of chapter 32.
Thank you for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤
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Do you agree with Mr. Bartalotti that he is a little insane? 😂
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Love: Anny
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