Chapter 8 Can't Say No

• Xiomara said those words with a grin “Everyone is having fun and most have forgotten what happened years back and have moved pasted it” She paused swiping the pictures.
• “It's just me, am still stuck there, creating phantom dreams that are hurting me, I need to make them feel a taste of my misery, yes I can't let them go sort free mai,” she said with so much authority.
• Xiomara pressed the call icon and placed a call across Serena.
• “Look who decided to call” Serena was the first to call immediately after the call connected.
• “Ciao Serena, how are you” Xiomara smiled adjusting on her bed.
• “Am not dead, so I would take it that I am fine, what have you been up to Della, it's been ages” Serena said, she was one of the closest friends Xiomara would be forever glad to have met, She's a keeper.
• “Nothing much, taking care of the pyxinx empire, you know how things here are”
• “Yeah it must be really hectic since you are the only one seeing to the affairs now, I heard Corrado is still at the hospital and the twins aren't helpful at all” Serena said walking out of her house, she pressed her car key button unlocking her car.
• Xiomara smiled, Serena was a good talker and if she dare engage her in a conversation she is likely to forget the reason she made the call in the first place.
• “Actually, Serena I called to ask for a favor”
• “Favor, sure go ahead, anything for you”
• “Grazie, you still work with the Califonia embassy right,” Xiomara asked.
• “Yeah, but not directly, more like a partnership, you know something like that” Serena said now driving out of her compound.
• “I was wondering if you could get me a new identity”
• Serena stared at her phone which she placed on the passenger sit close to her.
• “Is anything the matter caro?”Serena asked using her right hand to adjust her eye pod.
• “Yep, just need a brown new identity, am going back to Sacramento and I can't go as Xiomara neither can I go as Ursula”
• “Oh, that's true, Guess it's finally time for your revenge,” Serena said smiling.
• “Yes, can you make the identity possible?”
• “Of course, I can but it's gonna cost you?” Serena giggled.
• “Silly girl, as if money is my problem,” Xiomara said relieved.
• “Okay Caro, sending you my Payoneer account number, plus my email. You will be needing it to send me the names and other details you would be needing” Serena said.
• “Nessun Problema, will do that, it seems you are driving I can hear--”
• “Yeah, am going for a meeting” Serena was quick in responding.
• “Let me not bother you, I will email it to you Caro, bye”
• “bye, talk to you later,” Serena said and the call ended.
• Xiomara smiled, biting her lower lips seductively “it's going to be fun”.
• A soft knock was heard on the door, Xiomara looked at the door as it swung open revealing both Luca and Yvette, they bowed slightly at the door before walking towards her.
• “Right on time, I was about to call”
• “The maid already did, I stepped out a bit to attend to something,” Yvette said.
• “Something like?” Xiomara stared at Yvette, who had her face lowered to the ground.
• “Like....” Yvette gradually raised her face staring into Xiomara’s cold brown eyes.
• “Nothing,” she said quietly, no matter how important she try to make where she had gone to be, Xiomara was sure to find a way to make it less important.
• “And you, what's your excuse?” She looked at Luca “Haven't set my eyes on you since yesterday”.
• “Actually, I was investigating Borreli’s attack and–”
• “Leave that for now, I don't care anymore,” Xiomara said.
• “Okay, here's the details, likewise the list of Feliciano Sarto’s supporters he has 15% of the board on his side,” Luca said, he dropped a flash disk and a bonded paperwork.
• “Just 15%? that's poor” Xiomara scoffed.
• “You have just 5% on your side, I found out an emergency board meeting was held, am guessing that was when Sarto pitched his conglomerate takeover,” Luca said.
• “5%” Her voice was so loud that it shuttered Yvette and Luca, she looked so surprised, staring deeply at Luca and then at Yvette.
• “Am so sorry ma'am, Sarto definitely caught us on aware, he's been scheming this all along” Yvette apologized.
• “And the 80%, who are they standing for?”
• “Not quite sure, they seem to be natural but it won't last long, Sarto pushed for a public petition, and the rating is 0.3%, as of this morning and I got for a worker that a staff petition would be passed around come tomorrow Monday,” Luca said and Xiomara burst into laughter.
• “I can see how ungrateful they are, trying to toss me out of my company, I created and launched every single company under X-Rocco conglomerate alone,” Xiomara said.
• “Any of them linked to my daughter's attack?”
• “It would be normal to make Sarto a prime suspect considering his motives but for now he doesn't have any connection with it, we found connections to a lot of gangs, I guess they were hired,” Luca said.
• “And the supporters, any connections”
• “Asides from Danesh Hashemi, none has been found,” Yvette said.
• “Danesh?, the Persia investor?”
• “Yes”
• “Oh my goodness, he is really something else” Xiomara paused picking up the bound paperwork, she flipped the pages going through it.
• She sighed, dropping it forcefully “Cut down on their stock purchase and investments, am sure Sarto is going to advise them to buy lots of it” Xiomara ordered.
• “It's going to be a little suspicious if you cut down for some persons, I suggest it should be generalized,” Luca said.
• “Of course, it's generalized, set off a meeting with all HR tomorrow by noon, I need to visit the saloon in the morning and take care of some things so noon is fine, A press notice would be released and it will take effect”
• “Okay ma, I will send out the broadcast email tonight,” Luca said.
• She looked at Yvette now addressing her “Call the website managers and tell them to shut down the website till further notice, and it should be a private conversation”
• “I will do that ma” Yvette replied.
• “And Danesh Hashemi, what's his stockholding position?”
• “That won't be a problem, he's among the minority so he has a higher risk of losing his stock once the stock deviation starts,” Yvette said.
• “Oh God, am going to lose a lot of money,” she said closing her eyes and then opening them immediately remembering the actual reason she had wanted to call them.
• “Lest I forget, while you are at that, Yvette I want you to Google the top three good business schools, Law school, medical school, and university good in them in Canada, no world, and set up a meeting with their respective vice-chancellors and directors,” Xiomara said and Yvette raised a brow at her.
• “I will do that ma'am” she replied simply, even though she had lots of questions in her head but she was in no position to ask her any “was she trying to pick out a school and career for her daughter”
• “Scusa Mamma, I didn't know you were in a meeting”, Delfina said as Yvette, Luca and Xiomara looked at her, she had opened the door without knocking because she thought her mum would be sleeping, so she wanted to wake her up gently.
• “No problem Miele, am done here already,” She said with a big smile on her face. Xiomara might be all strong and cold-hearted but with her daughter, it was different.
• “That would be all,” she said seeing Yvette and Luca out, they bowed slightly before leaving the room giving them a mum and daughter time.
• Delfina smiled sitting close to her mum “Did you sleep at all, or you've been busy working”
• “I did try to sleep but it refuse to come so I decided to get busy,” Xiomara said.
• “Okay, Can I ask you for something mamma”
• “Yeah, what Amore?”
• “One of my classmates is having her birthday party next week and I got an invite, I really want to go mum, there is this guy that I really like, and he's going to be there, I want to go please mummy, I promise am going to be back before midnight, please mummy please” Delfina pleaded, giving her mum, the cute puppy eye.
• Xiomara stared at her not knowing what to say, she do really love her daughter and was forever ready to do anything to make her happy but she was just asking for too much, and Xiomara she wasn't ready to go down that road again.
• The same road her parents took, providing her with the best life and giving her anything she wanted failing to tell her that life can go all sour one day at any moment.
• Allowing her to get used to the luxurious life and used to getting everything she wanted, having things go her way, she grew up having the upper hand and when the reverse became the case, it was damn hard for her to survive and adapt to the changes but things.
• But at the same time, she couldn't resist those cute puppy eyes before her, she couldn't just say no to the only child she have and love so much.
• She was kept on a crossed road, not knowing what to do.