Chapter 26 She Smiled at Another Man

Lucia devoted herself to the Valmeridan route business. She made the small guestroom her temporary office and stayed inside all day. Documents and maps were piled on the table, and all manner of data analysis tables and shipping charts were taped to the walls. She immersed herself in research and held video conferences with their Valmeridan partners to hammer out the contract's details, one clause at a time. Lucia had studied business at university. Although she had no practical experience, she had a strong foundation of knowledge. She picked things up quickly, worked hard, and soon became familiar with the work. Because of her work, she began interacting more frequently with Fabio. He was the former person-in-charge of the route, and he knew all the details like the back of his hand. Alessandro had sent him there to help Lucia, so he faithfully took on the role of being her consultant. Fabio was only a few years older than Lucia was, so he didn't treat her with the deference an