Chapter 8 - The Man Who Reached for Her Notebook
"You don't get to explain it privately and call it settled," Alessia told Enzo. "Give your full account to the investigators. If the recording exists, they can request it."
"I was talking about the missing wage complaint," he said. "Marco told me the payroll discrepancy was an accounting error. I told him to make the problem disappear before the audit. I meant correct it. I should have said exactly that and checked whether he did."
"You should have spoken to Giulia," Alessia replied.
"Yes."
She ended the call. His explanation was plausible and incomplete. She no longer wanted her judgment to rise and fall with his voice. Nadiya had arranged a meeting where workers could discuss the public accusations without naming anybody who wanted privacy. Alessia went because she was tired of seeing a story about wages turned into gossip about her body.
The meeting took place in the lobby of a modest community center, with twenty folding chairs and terrible coffee. Giulia sat beside Nadiya. Bruno waited at the back. Francesca, who had come on her own time, brought a copy of the inspection chronology that was cleared for release. They discussed pay records, security access and the need for an independent audit. Alessia spoke only once.
"I was locked in a lift," she said. "I lost my wages. Someone used my identity to enter a room I could not enter because I was trapped. People can argue about Mr. Vieri's reputation without using my life as their evidence. I want the same thing every worker here wants: to go home safely and be paid for the hours we actually worked."
Nobody applauded at first. Then Giulia rested a hand on hers. The room filled with questions about overtime rather than romance. Alessia considered that a victory.
A reporter stopped Enzo outside the building later and asked if the cleaner was his mistress. He answered, "No. She is a worker whose rights were violated while I owned the building. My conduct toward her in the lift was unacceptable. An independent investigation is under way, and I am cooperating. You should speak to the workers about their claims if they choose to speak to you." It was the first time he had publicly described his own behavior without asking for sympathy.
On the way out, Alessia noticed her notebook missing from the outside pocket of her bag. She had left it there for a moment while answering the reporter's question. A man in a dark scarf was walking toward the service entrance with a familiar, uneven stride. One red shoelace showed beneath his trouser cuff.
"Matteo!" she called.
He looked back. His silver ring flashed as his hand tightened around the notebook. Alessia stopped several paces away and spoke loudly enough for the people by the doors to hear. "That's mine. Put it down."
"It's company material," Matteo said. "You've been stealing our records."
"It's my notebook. The one I bought. Set it on the floor and walk away."
He moved toward a stairwell instead. Alessia did not chase him into it. She called for the center's receptionist and dialed the police reference number. Matteo turned and came back quickly, closing the distance before she could retreat. He struck the phone from her hand and grabbed her wrist. The impact stung; she pulled away, shouting for help.
Enzo, who had stayed at the street entrance speaking with his solicitor, reached them as Matteo raised his arm again. He stepped between them. Matteo swung at him. Enzo blocked the blow and struck Matteo once in the shoulder and jaw, enough to send him stumbling against the wall. Enzo did not follow or strike again. The receptionist and a security worker arrived, keeping the men apart. Alessia retrieved her phone and told the dispatcher exactly what had happened.
"Are you hurt?" Enzo asked her.
"My wrist. I can speak for myself."
He stepped back immediately. She picked up the notebook after the security worker confirmed it had fallen to the floor. One corner of the cover had torn. The pages were intact. She held it against her chest, furious at the smallness of the object and the size of the fight surrounding it.
Matteo was taken for questioning after the responding officers spoke to witnesses and obtained the center's security footage. Alessia and Enzo gave separate accounts. Neither attempted to turn a defensive strike into a heroic duel. Before leaving, Alessia asked Enzo to put his injured hand on a cold pack. He did, looking almost surprised that she could care whether he was hurt and still be angry with him.
"You helped," she said. "That doesn't change what happened in the elevator."
"I know."
"Good."
Two days later, investigators contacted Giulia about original invoices recovered during the inquiry into Matteo and Marco. Marco was questioned over the missing records and disputed the allegations through his lawyer. Documents linked the fictitious night shifts to transfers from the emergency fund, and a signed internal memorandum instructed staff to postpone Enzo's payroll review until the archived invoices had been replaced. The evidence connected the misconduct to Marco's department. It did not eliminate Enzo's earlier approvals.
Nadiya explained that Marco's detention and questioning were not a conviction. The workers would still need to document each missing hour, and wage recovery could be slow. Alessia was impatient, but she no longer mistook an arrest for a repaired life.
At home, she found a message from Enzo's outside auditor. He had obtained the complete contract file and wanted her to verify that the false badge request was among the records. Attached was a copy of a renewal letter. On the first page Enzo had initialed a box marked DISCREPANCIES NOTED — APPROVAL TO PROCEED.
The box had been checked weeks after Giulia's first complaint.
May you like
Enzo had not simply failed to receive the warning. He had authorized the contract to continue after somebody told him there was a problem. Alessia set the paper beside her notebook and looked at the window for a long time.
Then she wrote him one message: I need the truth about that signature. All of it. This time I am not asking you to make the problem disappear.
