Chapter 54

In the end, the fallout from the failed high-end furniture contract left Rocco working through the night at his company. He returned home only the next morning, visibly drained. "Dad!"Catherine rushed to support him. Grace expressed her concern as well. "Honey, what happened?" "The contract... it's gone," Rocco replied, his gaze fixed vacantly on the ceiling as he lay on the sofa. Despite his efforts, including a generous five-percent concession, the other party wouldn't budge. Rocco had been confident about securing this contract, having already set up subsequent deals. Now, the loss of the exclusive agency rights meant compensating downstream partners and facing a significant stock price drop. "How could this happen..." Catherine whispered to herself. The implications for this were clear. Without the company's success, her lifestyle, filled with designer clothes and luxury items, would be in jeopardy. "Could it be Marcelo’s influence?" she wondered aloud. "Marcelo?" Rocco bolted upri