Daniela Mortoni

This is Daniela Mortoni (32) from Padova, as I met her on the marble steps of Santa Maria della Salute. We walked a minute to the Dogana da Mar at the tip of Dorsoduro, her favourite thinking spot, and sat looking out onto the Bacino. Daniela told me her story. She is five eleven (1,80 m) and weighs 120 pounds (54 kg) of which she proudly says zero grams fat. She works out six times a week: three days Yoga and three days Judo. The reason she only agreed to the picture you see here for her blog entry will become clear if you read on. Daniela graduated from the University of Bologna and did quite well a few years as a consultant until about four month ago when she applied for a job at RetSoca, a local Internet Start-up specializing in retail support and famous for being profitable from day one. Her interview with Paolo Taglianini, founder and CEO, went so well that he offered on the spot a generous package with signing bonus, car allowance and profit sharing. He said "Welcome to be part of a very select and unique group: people who do exactly as I want." She started the next day as Chief Statistical Analyst and proved of great value to the company. The evening before we met, Daniela was working late on a report for "Esselunga SpA", one of their major clients, when Paolo walked into her office with a bottle of Pinot Grigio and two glasses in his hands and a grin on his face "Congratulations for concluding your probation, let's drink to that". After a few sips, Paolo got up from his chair and walked around Daniela's desk coming up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. He bent down and whispered in her ear "Remember the very select and unique group of people and what they do?" while sliding his hand down her blouse. Daniela froze for half a sec but then instinct and muscle memory took over: she threw up both her arms hands griping Paolo's back of the neck, lowered her right shoulder and pulled forward while pushing herself up: a perfect Morote Seoinage from sitting. Paolo crashed on her desk in front of her destroying the company's laptop and two perfectly chilled glasses of wine. Daniela walked to the door past the miserable bastard lying there whizzing blood on his breath and made two calls from the receptionist's phone: 113 for the police and 118 for an ambulance. She spent the night being interrogated by a bullying and very aggressive detective who, at dawn, told to go home but advised her that she will be charged with aggravated assault and cautioned not to leave the city. Daniela walked directly to the railway station and took the first train to Venice to go and sit on the Dogana da Mar steps looking out onto the Bacino. I took her hand and told her that everything will be alright.