70

Faust

The morning brought clarity to my issues with Francesca, much like the daylight that broke over my vineyards at dawn. As I sipped my espresso and watched the workers arrive for la vendemia , I thought about my family. For so long it was Giulio, Zia and me. Yes, there were cousins, but my son and my aunt were the two people who mattered most to me. I would happily take a bullet for any of them at any time.

Now Francesca mattered to me too. Regardless of how it all started, she and this child were part of my family. I fought a war to get her out of Enzo's clutches and I would die before releasing her again.

It's past time to prove it to her.

But first things first. Picking up my phone, I texted my son that I would expect him in my office in the next ten minutes. Marco arrived when I pressed send. “Sit down,” I told him. — Emilia sent a message this morning and said she needed to talk as soon as possible. I asked him to discreetly start looking for money that could link one of my m