Chapter 23 His Family

Leonardo Franco POV

Our house is a stone structure that stands on a cliff. The wall of rock dives straight into the sea. To the left, a small bay with a strip of sand provides enough protection to tie a boat. Beyond the bay, terraced gardens lead up the hilly side to the house. On the east side, an Olympic-sized pool overlooks the sea. The garden is planted with rosemary, thyme, lavender, and narra trees. A vineyard stretches down the hill at the back. It’s a small vineyard that produces a few bottles of mediocre quality wine a year, but it was never meant to be an industrious enterprise. It’s my father’s hobby. It was always his dream to own a vineyard.

I throw the rope of the yacht to one of our men who waits on the jetty. He greets me with a nod. Once the yacht is secured, he goes on board to close everything and pull the covers over the fittings. I look at the gray sky, taking in the thick bank of clouds as I climb the stone steps that cut through the garden to the front of the ho