The message came through official channels.
That was the first thing that told Luca how seriously to take it — Victor using the formal communication protocol rather than the power moves of lobby appearances and photographs under doors. Formal channels meant Victor was prepared to negotiate. Prepared to negotiate meant he had calculated that direct confrontation wasn’t worth the cost.
The proposal was straightforward and completely unacceptable.
Victor wanted a merger. Not a hostile takeover — he was too smart for that, knew Luca’s organization well enough to understand that a hostile approach would be expensive and uncertain. A merger. A consolidation of operations under a shared structure, with Victor as the senior partner.
He offered three things in return: protection from the two fe
