- Blaze -

Easter was a success, everyone loved the egg-hunting game return, especially Charlie who never had such a thing, I am proud to make the little guy happy although Eleonora kept rambling about how I didn't tell her anything and I always hide things... I simply ignored her that day.

April arrived with extreme problems on the LA side coast casino which Mr.Hart was supposedly taking care of, but it seems he is having some difficulties keeping the casino alive, I have provided him with a rigorous plan to recover from his debt, I hope he is following it dot by dot although this descent of 5% in the daily overall net profit is abnormal and not included in my plan.

If the percentages rise to 10% I shall take risky measures that Mr.Hart will not like but I need to protect my income in the safest way. I have reached this high because I do not take risks, I don't allow failures or weakness, and right now Mr.Hart is not only a weakness to himself but also to me since those casinos are also under my name. If... ever, reaches that high stake decision, and I have to deal with Mr. Hart with my own hands I will also have to deal with Eleonora, maybe tell her what her dad is really doing under their family name and their casinos.

My thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock on my office door, which I perfectly knew who it was.

~Knock knock~

"Connor, come in" I allowed examining the door handle moving downwards. Connor stepped in the office while bowing his head in a greeting gesture

"I am sorry to bother you,sir" Connor started, his face signaled preoccupation "but there's an abnormal situation happening downstairs"

"Abnormal?" I asked curious

Connor nodded "Mrs. Johansson downstairs in reception called me due to an unknown individual that she had never seen before"

"Name?"

"Refuses to give,sir" Connor explained. If he refuses to give his name how does he except to enter ?

"What does this individual want?" I asked grabbing the black telephone and dialing to call reception downstairs

"He claims he needs to see Mrs.Maxwell"

"Mrs.Maxwell?" I asked raising an eyebrow while Connor nodded. I placed the phone near my ear and Mrs.Johansson was already greeting me.

"Good afternoon Mrs.Maxwell" the receptionist said through the phone

"Hello Mrs. Johansson, please give me access to all the cameras on the reception hall" I asked

"Right away sir" I placed the phone down and opened the security cameras application on my computer, I placed the code for the downstairs cameras and analyzed the images.

I roamed around to all the faces downstairs, I knew every single one of them, were they on the balcony, cleaning or even working as security. I knew every single person that worked on this building, and even those who collaborated with us, there isn't a single face that crosses the entry door that I don't know.

The policies of the Maxwell building are very simple and easy, if the face is unknow and the name doesn't match the files, waiting list or agenda, then that person isn't allowed to come upstairs. It may seem extreme but it's the way I keep the building secure, my staff downstairs has no permission to let in and unknown face and name.

"I don't see any strange face" I told Connor while analyzing the different camera images

"But sir I am sure about it" Connor claimed. The man isn't here now for sure but maybe he was before, like Connor claims, so let's rewind a few minutes.

I reminded  5 minutes and scanned the images again.

There he is. He had tall figure, very clean, with his beard perfectly made, wearing a luxury brand beige suit, he looked wealthy, very wealthy yet he really was an unknown face to me. Who was this mysterious man and what did he want?

I kept watching the images and his despair to see Eleonora.

"Miss, I won't leave till I speak with her!" I heard him say through the security cameras record.

"Have you found who he is?" I asked Connor while analyzing the man's movements in the tape

"No sir, I received the message and came here right away after finding he wasn't on the corporation's record files"

"Yes... He isn't because we never worked with him. " I explained. He was desperate to meet Eleonora for some reason, I watched the security guards grabbing him and walking him to the outside. A heavy sensation left my body, relaxing my muscles. He left.

"Do you want me to find who he is?" Connor asked but I was to concentrated to respond. A receptionist stopped the security guards and the man, they let him go as she apologized, my body muscled were suddenly tight, tension rushing through my blood. The receptionist walked him to the elevator, and clicked on the floor number 39 -

I stood up quickly leaving the office with Connor behind me "Sir, sir? Is everything ok?"

"Find out who the hell is that man!" I demanded clicking on the elevator button repeatedly. I got in, feeling a quick palpitation on my chest, my hands were shaking. What was this?

After ages of waiting in that elevator the doors finally opened allowing me to leave "Hello Mr. Maxwell how can I help-" Miles, the receptionist tried to say but I was too fast to give him any response. I passed through the office walking directly to her own office

"Hello sir. Eleonora is on a meeting-" Jennifer tried to say but I simply barged in not knocking or introducing me. I simply walked in, breathing heavily as if I had just run a one-mile track.

I was fronted with an odd sensation as I watched Eleonora and that man evolved in each other. His hands embraced her waist, his head was on the crook of her neck, and he was holding her so tight she looked like she couldn't breath. Although she was hugging him too, the tall man seemed to give that hug a deeper meaning. But not as deep as my breath, which I was having a hard time controlling the same goes to my tensed muscles.

"You need to start knocking! What are you doing here?" Eleonora said quickly releasing the man from her hold. I can't wait for an explanation, although I was finding hard to believe all indicated that this woman was breaking the conduct of our contract and I wasn't quite sure how that made me feel, if happy because she lost, if sad because... well I don't really know.

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same?" I asked looking at her and then the tall man, she made a questionable look while frowning her eyebrows together.

"What do you mean?" she questioned while I looked at him. He was smiling to her like a retarded. "This is Blaze Maxwell, he is the CEO of Maxwell corporations, he is the man who agreed and help me launch the wine" She explained...wine? Who was this man? Was he a know face of hers, maybe from the past and why didn't I liked him?

"Oh Mio Dio! Gracie mile! Thank you, thank you Mr.Maxwell" he said walking towards me and embracing me in a tight hug which I didn't allow

"Blaze, this is my inspiration for the bourbon new collection" She explained "This is Francesco" showing me the prototype of the bottle we sold while he was hugging me... Oh... He is the missing son.

"Hello Mr.Brocotta, it's a pleasure" I said getting rid off that hug and shaking his head, Italian people are crazy for hug and kisses.

"My pleasure sir!" he said happily "I caused some disturbance downstairs and I must apologize but you see... I had to pay a visit to this wonderful woman!" He explained pointing at Eleonora "I was in Hawaii when I discovered the wine, some tourists had brought a famous wine of the States and then I saw it, my name, the colors and the phrase."

Eleonora pointed at the couch for him to sit down and we joined him as he explained his story. I was more relaxed and less tense, and somewhat relieved.

"I ran away with my boyfriend from my parents, we had romantic escape through Europe. Eventually the money ended so I started working, and when I told him he had to work too, he didn't liked that idea. He let me go." he said with a sad expression "I though of going back but I was too proud and too scared. So I worked hard, I missed my family but I promised myself to put me in first place, then everyone else."

He took a deep breath and proceeded "I thought my parents didn't care about me, the years passed and no tries for finding me. Then that bottle appeared. The brand name with the rainbow colors and my name. All this time I thought my parents loved their wine more than me, but this... This that you made" he looked at Eleonora with teary eyes "changed everything... Placing my name and taking the wine into a humanity and political perspective just in my name, I understood that I was more important. I know you created the design and you had the idea, but they accepted it, they weren't afraid of the prejudice it could cause them. So... Thank you, Grazie, you two!" He said holding my hand quickly and Eleonora's.

"We are more than happy to know our idea had the right percussions." Eleanora smiled

"It was a pleasure to help you and your family which we respect, and are gladly partners with" I told him truthfully

"Francesco, have you talked with your parents?" Eleonora asked

"I haven't. Not yet. I am gathering the courage, I will travel to Italy in two day. I will meet him and reunite with them." he commented

"You should go. Your parents love you a lot and miss you every single day. Their love for you was the inspiration and reason for my design. They know they were wrong and they regret it every single minute for what they told you. You need to meet them, they miss you more than you imagine" she clarified. She was right, our talk with the Brocottas main their house made us realize how much they missed Francesco, their only son. They were both filled with regret for saying such stupid things, they had lost a son, a son fruit of their genuine love. They loved him more than anything, more than the wine company that Francesco though it was above him.

"Thank you Eleonora" Francesco thanked smiling at her, tears rushing down his face. He got up hugging her one last time, and shaking my hand too.

"Thank you so much to both!" he placed his hand near his heart signaling how grateful he was

"Thank you!" she smiled, and looking then at me as if waiting for something. She elbowed me signaling me to say something.

"Uh- thank you! " I said, he left the office with a happy smile. I stood quietly waiting inside her office while she told her assistant to guide Francesco outside.

"You're still here?" she asked once inside, closing the door behind

"Are you insane?" I questioned her in a loud and harsh tone

"Why? What did I do now?" she asked rolling her eyes in a careless way

"You know the protocol you can't let anyone enter the elevator without being a known face or name"

"He was a known name" she saddened on her desk "It's even on the bottle" She pointed at the red wine bottle on her shelf

"Don't play around" I dared her as I pointed at her face "he didn't give you a name. It could've been anyone"

"Turns out it was Francesco. No big deal" she said shrugging her shoulders. Her carelessness made me angrier at every minute that passed

"You had luck. From what I know it could have been someone to assault you, rape you, murder you and the entire building, or explode it!" I said angrily

"And I am the dramatic one?" she pointed at herself "Everything is fine, everyone is fine. Stop being aggressive and bossy"

"It's a protocol Eleonora, it's supposed to respect it and follow it! "

She rolled her eyes and throw her phone at me, I caught it in the air "And I did" I looked at it and there it was a message from an unknown number.

Hello, I know this might be weird. My name's Francesco Brocotta. I am downstairs on the Maxwell building begging to talk to the designer and marketing director but I can only walk if I give my information. As I am still on a somewhat undercover situation, I send bellow my ID proving who I am. I hope we can meet, Mrs. Maxwell.

"How did he get your number?" I asked

"It's downstairs on a paper that says for important matters, and as every telephone number of all departments. That's my work phone" she explained with a smug expression "So now... If you allow me to. I would like to continue my work... I think I have already proven I can do it on my own"

"I didn't say you couldn't do it on your own"

"Hmm, you didn't but it was what you were trying to say" she got closer taking the phone out of my hand

"I was only protecting y- the building, our employees. I though you had gone against the protocol" I explained while gulping my own saliva.

"Well, I didn't. Your employees and your building are safe. No threats, no guns or bombs" she said with her lips pressed together in a fake smile, she was angry at something.

"Well I-"

"Blaze- Leave!" she said sternly making a scary eye contact. I simply nodded and left, with an unknown sensation over my chest.