Cherished (Adam & Ella) (4 page)

“But that would never happen. He wants a money machine that never runs dry. The gambling debts he has now have put him in a precarious position. But even if they were paid, he would just incur more. It’s a bottomless pit with him, a never-ending cycle of irresponsibility and self-interest.

“He never thinks of anyone but himself; unless, of course, someone else could benefit him. I know what he wants. The beast was most satisfied when I fed him a continuous diet of new software that brought in a limitless stream of profit. That’s how he sees it, anyway.

“I won’t do that again. It’s not an answer. To give him what he asks for would perpetuate his intimidation of all of us. He must be stopped. There is no other solution.”

Ella wrapped her arms around Adam, knowing what he said was true, and wishing she had the answer. Still, at that moment, she had no idea how to stop Claudio and make him vanish from their lives.

After visiting the restaurant location, they all went to a local place for a late lunch. The walls, washed in a deep golden orange, were decorated with mirrors and art work. Combined with the wooden ceilings and floors, Ella felt like she was really in Italy. If she hadn’t known the restaurant was there, she would never have found the entrance tucked away, off an alley.

Ella scooped another forkful of her spaghetti à la bolonhesa. She’d expected spaghetti with meat sauce, but the flavor was much better than she’d anticipated. Washing it down with a sip of beer, she watched the others enjoying their food just as much. The veal scaloppini Adrian shared with Fiorella, and Adam’s penne pasta, looked just as delicious as her meal. For a while, no one talked, just ate.

Across the table,
Fiorella snuggled next to Adrian. “We found this hidden Italian food paradise on one of our dates.” She took a sip of her Peroni beer.

“Yes, the only place you can get Italian food this good is at home, when
Fiorella is doing the cooking.” Adrian kissed the top of her head and squeezed her, then resumed eating.

Fiorella
grinned. “Well, you will be spoiled when I cook for you, then.”

Ella hoped what she read into that comment was correct. Seeing them engaged would be perfect. “Will you be cooking for him anytime soon?”

Adrian held Fiorella’s hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing the knuckles of her left hand affectionately. “We hope. I’ve asked her to marry me and she’s said yes.”

Fiorella
beamed. “I am honored.”

Ella didn’t see any ring, though.

“The only thing is,” Adrian continued, “we won’t make the announcement yet. We want to keep everything private until it is safe. We won’t allow our engagement to be ruined by her father’s dirty deeds. Claudio is so insane, just the idea of someone else’s happiness or prosperity is enough to set him off. Once the danger has passed, we will proudly announce our plan to be married. I’ll throw a huge party.

“Plus, we will be able to open the restaurant. To do so now would make a commercial establishment vulnerable to Claudio’s sabotage. That wouldn’t be wise; even customers might be hurt. But once that is behind us, we will open. And—thanks to your business connections, Adam—we are making progress. Even having the location is a big achievement. As we progress, I’ll be helping with legal issues, take care of licensing and health standards, that kind of stuff, while
Fiorella handles the food service and staff.”

“What are you going to call the restaurant?” Ella asked.

“Fiore,” Adrian said. “It means ‘flower.’ Fiorella means ‘little flower,’ so it’s really her name.”

“Perfect.” Ella’s happiness for them was muted by the knowledge that everything was on hold. It really wasn’t fair.

Adam took a big swig of his beer, pushing his plate back. “So, Adrian, you had something you wanted to tell me about Claudio.”

“Yes, I learned something that should be helpful. One of the senior attorneys was approached to handle a contract.”

Ella knew Adrian had recently started practicing law at Perret, Azevedo & Associados, a firm handling both domestic business transactions, and international law. Fiorella had given her one of his cards, and was very proud of him.

“What kind of contract?” Adam leaned forward, setting his beer down.

“Well, you know how you told me that Claudio wanted that gambling software you wrote, the program you started creating before he left Serena?”

Adam nodded. “Yes, he knew about that program and never forgot it. As a kid my first programming was for games, and I branched out into other types of software later. But I still
enjoyed gaming programs, and online gambling is very popular here, as you know. Especially since Jogo do Bicho was outlawed.”

“What’s that?” Ella directed her question to Adam.

“It’s a card game used by organized crime as a smokescreen for money laundering, which is what got the police so interested in it. The cards feature animals, so informally it is known as the animal game. Originally, I think it was a type of fundraiser, but the mob reorganized it into an illegal lottery. There was no limit on the size of bet that could be placed.

“The bet was placed on one of the numbers in the animal card suits. But if too many people placed wagers on the same card, the dealers would simply cancel the bets to avoid paying out a ridiculously large sum of money. They’d just keep the wagers; thus the money would be lost to those that made bets. The gangsters made millions that way.”

“How did people make their bets?” Ella was intrigued.

“Across the city, dealers would sit on stools in the street, so it was easy. Just find one and place your bet. There’s been talk of legalizing the game, creating a state-run version, since it is a popular Brazilian cultural lottery. But that hasn’t happened. There is just no realistic way to do it,” Adam said.

Adrian motioned with his hands in an animated way as he spoke. “Now, it’s online gambling. Brazil has no casinos; the government made them illegal years ago because of their connection with organized crime. But there is a loophole which allows Brazilians play casino games—online gambling.

“There are thousands of kiosks here now, with networked
touchscreens that offer a full range of gambling, from basic slots to more sophisticated games. The mobile casino operators are connected to
foreign
internet casinos that are outside the Brazilian government’s jurisdiction.”

Adam picked up the story where Adrian left off. “Our country has close to two hundred million people, and culturally, Brazilians enjoy gambling. Plus, aside from the kiosks, they have access to the latest and best games on their smart phones. My marketing team did some research
recently and their report says that by the end of 2016, it is estimated that there will be seventy-five million smart-phone users in Brazil.” Adam leaned back in his chair.

“The idea that gambling is just going to go away is ludicrous. If one avenue is closed, another will open. And with the internet, it’s impossible to control,” Adrian added.

“Part of success in marketing new software is seeing where the market is headed. That’s why, based on the information I have, I’ve written applications for gambling. I’d already created some before Claudio ever left us. Even in my late teens, it was already obvious where things were headed.

“So, Claudio wants that software, the one online gambling program he is aware of, anyway. It means a fortune, and it’s the one he demands that I give him. That software is what he won’t stop pressuring me for. Luckily, he doesn’t have any idea about the programs I have created since. The new ones are more innovative and appropriate for all the new technology. I can foresee online gambling being legalized. The government is missing out on revenue by not getting part of the action. If that happens, the demand will be even greater,” Adam said.

“Well, that’s not all of it,” Adrian said. “It’s not enough for Claudio to possess programs that could make millions in profit. No, his greed goes beyond that. He approached our firm to handle contracts for him with several major financial backers.”

“For software he doesn’t own,” Adam said sourly.

“True, but as you know, he won’t be deterred. He intends for you to give him the rights.”

“So, is your firm going to handle these alleged ‘contracts’ for him?” Adam asked.

“No way. Here’s the deal killer: Claudio intends to take your program and have one of his programmers alter it, so he would win a disproportionate amount of times,” Adrian said. “Basically, steal from the consumer. You’ve heard the stories of how it was in Las Vegas in the old days. The games were set up so you could never win.

“Well, whether that was true or not, Claudio intends to rig the online gaming software for unfair advantage. Can you imagine the magnitude of the crime? It has international implications.
The amount of money we are talking about is staggering. And the contracts he wants are designed to protect him.”

“Let me guess,” Adam said. “So if his scheme is uncovered, his financial backers are liable, and he escapes with millions. It’s in the fine print, correct?”

“You know him well,” Adrian said. “And he wanted the contract carefully worded to make it seem like there was greater financial benefit to the investors, while cleverly disguising their liability. But I work for a reputable firm. Claudio met with one of the partners, and he told your father they wouldn’t touch it, didn’t want to have anything to do with it. In fact, he ordered Claudio to leave the office, made it clear he was not welcome there. That must be a first, speaking to a client that way.”

“He’s no client,” Adam said, shaking his head.

“I’m sure your father has no idea I work there. I’m not certain he even knows I went to law school. Anyway, it’s a large firm, so there’s no way he’d know all the new associates that are hired. Fortunately, I heard about it, so I can tell you. There’s no attorney-client privilege involved.

“A criminal approaching the firm for favors holds no sway with us. He’s fortunate we didn’t report him to the authorities. If I had evidence of a crime committed, I would. Claudio will just go somewhere else. He’ll get some sleazy underworld lawyer to handle his deal. Because I tell you, no respectable firm will want anything to do with it.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Adam said. “He’s been so desperate to get me to cooperate, and his demand has been for me to relinquish ownership of that gambling software. Sure, he has gambling debts, but he’s had debts before. There are many ways he could come up with the money, given his devious ways. But software creators are not all equal. I’m sure whoever he could hire would be subpar. It’s a tough market out there. He knows my programs have the potential to edge above the competition. He’s evil, but he’s not dumb. He sees the potential and has dollar signs in his eyes.” Adam’s disgust was evident.

Ella was riveted by the discussion. Criminals, illegal gambling, the mob—all kinds of stuff she never thought she’d encounter in her life. Newport seemed a million miles away in some safe oasis of normal life. Now she understood why Adam had resisted dragging her into all of this. When she’d met him and he referred to her as “normal,” she’d been insulted. He’d tried to explain that her life was normal in a good way. At the time, she’d had nothing to compare it with. Now she did. She’d accept normal any day, but only if she could take Adam with her.

“I need another beer,” Adam said.

“So do
I,” Ella said.

*****

Despite the new insight into Claudio’s plan, life was as normal as it ever was in Rio. Most mornings, Adam took Ella surfing, and she was becoming expert on her custom board. The season continued to provide good swells and the weather remained pleasant. In the evenings, they’d either dine at home on Eli’s feasts, or eat in one of the many restaurants in the city. Ella was getting better at the samba and frequently opted to go dancing in one of the nightclubs. She was with Adam every night, and found the more he made love to her, the more she craved him. Truly insatiable, her desire for him grew with no limit in sight.

It would have been idyllic, were it not for the one thing that could ruin it all—Claudio. But Ella hadn’t noticed anyone following her since Sugarloaf. Still, Adam required
Nico to go everywhere with her, as he had since she’d arrived—only now, Nico was never solo. There was always a partner around, and she was sure backup was not far away. It was difficult to relax under such tight security.

Ella was lost to the world when she worked on her novel, deeply involved with her characters and escaping into the romantic tale. The story was nearing the end, and she focused on wrapping it up. Rereading parts of it, she was surprised at how well it was turning out. All the excitement in her life had changed her in a significant way. The words on the page reflected a new zest for life, and an understanding of love, she’d never had before. It looked like the book would be worth publishing, so in spare moments she searched online for publishers, and even
drafted a query letter. Whether she’d be brave enough to submit her novel to publishers, she wasn’t sure. At least it was near completion, which was encouraging.

The cooking lessons with
Fiorella continued, and a couple of times she’d served her creations to Adam for dinner. The first was the tilapia with banana rice, the meal she’d brought home on the day Violetta appeared from nowhere. That night, Adam had taken her out, wanting to be together in a romantic Brazilian restaurant. But the next evening, they’d eaten the meal she’d prepared and Adam raved over it. Not sure if he was just trying to make her feel good or if he really liked it, she was encouraged, nonetheless.

Some days, she’d go shopping with
Fiorella, or they’d go to a spa for the full treatment. Ella was glad to have access to the services, including haircuts, facials, and waxing. Still surfing regularly, she waxed as she always had to feel confident in her bikini. Feeling like part of the family now, she was happy. She didn’t want it to end, but couldn’t be certain that such good fortune would continue. It never had before, and she didn’t see why it would now. However, Ella’s resolve to be with Adam no matter what—and help him conquer the dark part of his life—never wavered.