Sofia's Law
A 49 year old professional businesswoman was forced into bankruptcy at first glance by the cancellation of a UK Government contract and the consequent restructuring of her company, the Clearwater Group being overwhelmed by the headwinds of the Great Recession of 2008. However the realities were so very different. Her bank proved to be a fair weather friend taking in its umbrella when needed most. The appointment of a new relationship director made a bad situation worse especially as bank requests were demands rather than suggestions. As ever, the carrot of renewing adequate credit lines for survival was continually held out as a reason to comply with the ever increasing unreasonable demands of the bank. An expensive and incomplete Investigating Accountant's Report merely served to introduce the further expense of a Corporate Restructuring firm to an already struggling cash flow. Notwithstanding the encouragement to inject more of her personal cash into the Group, the bank's Business Support and Recovery Department (through its Relationship Director) in conjunction with the Corporate Restructuring Officer were conceiving and conniving the inexorable drive towards administration and liquidation of her business. Matters were made far worse by the senior manager running the administration conspiring with that Relationship Director to sabotage any chance of suing the Government for its breach of contract. With a mounting backcloth of injustice, the Clearwater Group's Headquarters was sold at undervalue with the strong inference that fraud had been committed. Recognising such abuses, Sofia Stewart sought justice through the High Court but impartiality and fairness were totally absent in the Judge's conduct of the entire case. Even at this low point of self-belief and confidence, understandably doubting her own assessment as to what transpired after losing her High Court case, Sofia picked herself up and took a job as a waitress in a local bistro vowing that those responsible, for bringing her to her knees, would suffer the same indignities - public shame and destruction of their commercial and private lives. A simple execution would not deliver justice. A skilled businesswoman and multilingual, she was recruited by Vincenzo Albanese, Chairman of a major Italian and Global Group - Gruppo Alla, as his Executive Assistant. As part of his 'due diligence' prior to recruiting Sofia for what was a unique role, Carruthers & Brown - a corporate investigative division of an International and US Group, had carried out a detailed and factual report on just what had transpired in the demise of the Clearwater Group and ultimately led to Sofia's bankruptcy. This Report in the fullness of time would be the ultimate sword of retribution from the President of the Supreme Court to the bank's Chairman to the Serious Fraud Office delivering long overdue justice, rectification, and of course the guilty suffering public condemnation and humiliation - there were no prisoners taken or quarter given in Sofia's revenge and vindication. Nevertheless, in her duties for Vincenzo Albanese, Sofia found herself enveloped in a life very much in the fast lane of corporate business. One minute attending ambassadorial functions to being in La Scala in Milan, her life became inexorably entwined with that of her employer's public and private persona. A working relationship built on mutual respect and trust led to Sofia and Vincenzo becoming the best of friends. As time went by, they began to develop ever increasing and strong feelings for each other. Yet each of them was frightened to say anything if, by doing so, they risked losing their best friend. It took a Calabrian Christmas for their lives to become one and a Summer Wedding on Lake Como to realise what was truly important in this Life.