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ENZO
“We’vemadesomeprogress,”Micah informs me.
We’re at the burn site again. The farmers are working to restore the land, but the yield will be affected this year. It might take several years for the output to be fully restored.
Valentino looks at him. “What is it, Micah?”
My son’s been taking a lot more initiative these past few weeks.
“There’s not much evidence that connects what happened to Silvano. None of the CCTV camera footage shows anything either.” He frowns. “But we’ve received some interesting reports from some people on his camp. The workers are unhappy. Apparently, their jobs might be at risk.”
I frown. “What's going on?”
“It’s only rumors at this point, but apparently, Silvano is thinking of selling the vineyards. I heard there have been offers made already.”
"Selling? The vineyard has been in their family for generations. Why would he do that?"
And then it hits me. It makes sense now why he suddenly wants to redraw the property lines. It isn’t because he’s trying to avenge what happened years ago with Valentina, but because he wants to maximize the potential sale. Having the pond area in the deal would make his selling price significantly higher.
“They said Silvano hasn't made a shipment in months," Micah reveals, "His vineyard is in disrepair after years of neglect; the quality has gone downhill. No one wants to buy from the Salvatores anymore."
“I knew business was slow for him, but I had no idea it was this bad,” I mutter, disgust filling me.
Silvano knows he’s going down, and he decided to take my business down with him by trying to sabotage us.
“There’s not much a desperate man won’t do as a last resort.” Micah shakes his head.
“Is there any way we can get one of his workers to give us a testimony?” I ask, feeling a ray of hope.
Micah presses his lips together. “I don’t think it's going to be that easy. They might be frustrated at him, but Silvano is still a dangerous man.”
I nod. “Valentino, I need you to work on this with Micah. You need to find a person on his team willing to talk.”
“Dad—that’s enemy territory. How are we meant to—”
“I trust that you’ll figure it out.”
27
QUINN
Itapawayatmy laptop, the soft glow of the screen lighting up the small office I've set up in the corner of my living room.
Quinn, you’ve helped me like no other. My engagement and following have shot up in the last few weeks, and I know I have only you to thank for. FIVE STARS.
The testimonial is good for my budding new business. I decided to branch out and open a social media consulting business. The business is only a couple of months old, but I’ve already managed to get a decent customer base.
The reviews speak for themselves. They come to me because I know what I’m talking about, having gone through the ringer myself.
My account lies abandoned. The little ‘break’ turned into a full-blown stop. Last I checked, they were calling my video with Enzo ‘the sex tape’.
It really isn’t.But it wouldn’t be the internet if people didn’t blow things out of proportion.
It doesn’t matter to me, though. My new business means I still have food on the table, even though my influencer career has crashed and burned.
Do I miss that life I left behind? Of course. But with growing a human inside my belly, my priorities had to change. Besides, how does a pregnant woman live out of her wine-tasting lifestyle if she can’t have any alcohol at all?
A knock on the door takes me out of my thoughts.