Chapter 50_ Making A Point

Italy;

Arya arrived at the Italian branch of Maranello's Enterprises the following morning. Upon entering the office, she was taken aback by the chaotic scene in the reception area, where three individuals were engaged in a heated dispute.

"You're a lazy imbecile who can't even do your job. Does the word 'deadline' hold any significance to you? Those reports should have been on my desk yesterday," growled a man with a sturdy build and a well-groomed beard.

"I...I don't remember that being in my job description," retorted a woman with brown hair. She had a trendy bob cut and was wearing a chic high-neck blouse with a leopard print.

"I assure you, it's not in my job description either. I already deal with enough paperwork around here," chimed in another woman with long, straight dark brown hair. She was dressed in a blue blazer, a matching skirt, and a pair of sleek glasses perched elegantly on her nose.

'This is the most unprofessional argument I've ever witnessed,' thought Arya to herself, silently observing the exchange.

"But-" began the brown-haired woman, only to be interrupted by Victoria, the one with the long, straight, dark brown hair and the glasses.

"But what? A few sheets of paper won't break your precious little wrist," Victoria quipped.

"She's right. Now move your lazy ass and bring me those damned reports," added Lewis, his deep voice ringing out.

"Buongiorno.(Good Morning)." Arya uttered in Italian, capturing their attention. Lewis turned to face her, eyeing her carefully before responding to her greeting.

"Buongiorno." He replied. "I apologize, but you seem to have taken a wrong turn. The modeling agency is on the opposite street." Lewis assumed that Arya was a model, judging by her beautiful face, petite physique, and curves in all the right places, along with her long legs.

"Oh, I see." Arya replied with a polite smile. "Well, thank you, but I am actually more interested in cars."

"Really?" Lewis raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"That's quite a bold and unconventional choice, my dear." Martina interjected with her chin held high. "It's an industry mostly run by men....which can be rather dull."

"In any case, what brings such a lovely guest to our humble establishment?" Lewis asked, his eyes roaming over Arya's figure. She couldn't help but frown at the way he licked his lips.

"Aren't you a bit too short to be playing the role of the 'stud'?" Victoria chimed in, giving Lewis a questioning glance.

"Ah, but haven't you heard? The best wine comes in small barrels." Lewis retorted, facing Victoria head on. "And I'd much rather be short than have a figure like a broomstick, like yourself. I doubt any stud would want to lay a hand on you."

Victoria scoffed. "That's because I'm not a whore like these 'ass shakers' you seem to be so fond of."

Martina rolled her eyes and turned to Victoria. "What's wrong with being a nice piece of ass? Jealous of what you lack?"

"Vaffanc*lo!" Victoria snapped back, using an Italian swear word.

"CAN I PLEASE KNOW WHERE THE GODDAMN OFFICE MANAGER IS?" Arya suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs, catching the three off guard with her outburst. They stared at her in shock, blinking in disbelief.

"Well...yes, of course....it's....it's down that corridor." Lewis stuttered, intimidated by Arya's authoritative tone.

"Thank You." Arya said, maintained a cool but civil demeanor as she strolled in the indicated direction, seemingly unfazed by the recent altercation.

As she retreated, the trio resumed their heated discussion, with Arya silently musing, ‘It comes as no surprise that this office is underperforming. They seem to spend more time bickering over trivial matters.’

Arya arrived at the manager's office and knocked on the door before hearing a voice from inside saying, “Come in.” She entered to find a man in his early thirties, engrossed in his computer work. He looked up and warmly greeted her, “You must be Arya. It's a pleasure to meet you. How was your flight?”

"And you must be Marco. Yes, it was good. Thank you." Arya replied as she shook his hand, her gaze briefly falling upon the scar on the side of his face before averting her eyes. However, Marco had already noticed her curiosity.

"Don't feel awkward about the scar, it's a part of me now." He reassured her, but Arya's embarrassment only deepened as she gave him a sheepish smile.

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be impolite." She apologized, to which Marco shook his head.

"Oh please, there's no need to apologize. It's a reminder of my days as a street racer. The car accident left me with this scar." He explained, and Arya exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh my goodness."

"Yeah, I still owe my life to a dear friend who gave up the chance of winning to save me that day. But enough about me, tell me about yourself. It's not every day we have someone from the headquarters evaluating us." Marco diverted the conversation, and Arya nodded in agreement.

"I am a financial manager at Maranello Enterprises. I work closely with Franko Maranello, which is why he entrusted me with this important task." Arya disclosed.

"I understand, but cars are not just about numbers on a spreadsheet, you know? They're exquisite creations of art. I have encountered issues in the past with a financial officer who lacked knowledge about the product they were crunching numbers for." Marco stated, causing Arya to furrow her brow in response.

'Is he insinuating that I am simply a mindless calculator without any understanding?' She silently pondered as she observed him continue his speech.

"Thus, I devised a small assessment for all my new collaborators, if you don't mind." Marco concluded his words, to which Arya did not reply. Instead, she walked towards the desk, taking note of the drawings and charts strewn across it with test dates clearly marked.

Then, she lifted her gaze to meet Marco's with a serious expression as she confidently stated, "Let's be clear, Marco. I am not here to take tests. I am here to pinpoint the source of your failures and I would not even be here if you were not constantly missing your deadlines." Her words caught Marco off guard, leaving him slightly flustered.

"I understand that, but—" He began, only to be interrupted by Arya.

"Is this the prototype car you are struggling to put together?" Arya questioned, flipping to a performance test and examining it closely.

"Yes, but—" Marco started to explain, but Arya cut him off once again.

"Why did you not include launch control?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because it is not necessary. It is simply a test vehicle. Our test pilots have more than enough skill to accelerate at the appropriate—" Marco replied, attempting to justify his decision.

Arya interjected, "I will tell you why we need launch control. We are not building a racing car for drivers. We are creating a high-performance vehicle for wealthy individuals who believe they can drive. So, we must showcase our impressive numbers and professional results. But what will happen when they are ready to purchase and want to take our precious creation for a test drive?"

"Well... They will—" Marco began, but was cut off by Arya once again.

"They will exhaust copious amounts of rubber, thinking it to be the key to achieving speed, only to lose a startling two seconds on our 0 to 60 mph test. I have no qualms with that, as long as you are willing to take on the responsibility of explaining that their failure was due to their inability to handle a genuine engine." Arya's astute analysis left Marco speechless, completely dumbfounded.

"And might I add, with the installation of the turbocharger, the excessive turbo lag will render the vehicle unsellable." She added with a playful chirp, as Marco perused the data in silence. He cleared his throat before responding.

"I... I know, it was just a temporary piece we had while waiting for the custom one to be ready." Marco clarified, to which Arya nodded in understanding.

"Any other inquiries?" She inquired.

Pulling himself together, Marco offered her a warm smile and reached out his hand once again, saying, "No questions or tests, just pure pleasure having you on board." Arya firmly shook his hand in return.

"It's an honor to be here. Shall we get started with work?" She eagerly asked, ready to dive into her tasks.

"Yes, it's time to meet the other managers of the branch. I have set up a meeting in the conference room ahead of time." Marco informed, about to lead the way when Arya stopped him.






A/N: And the trailblazing trait of Arya shines through, showcasing her determined and badass work ethics.