Page 92

He shakes his head. “I don’t need a reward. Serving justice to Silvano is enough for me.”
“Let’s sit down for a chat and see exactly what we have, so we can then take this to the police,” Micah says escorting Lorenzo from the room.
I’m left beaming at Valentino.
“You’ve done the impossible, you know that, right?” I pat him lightly on the shoulder.
“I told you that I wasn’t going to let you down.” He smiles.
“You’d never let me down, and I’m always proud of you. I hope you know that.” I pause. “In fact, starting now, I’m putting you in charge for the company as acting CEO.”
Valentino blinks, stunned.
It’s something I have been thinking about for a while now. While I was hoping to tell him more formally, I don’t regret revealing it now just to see that look on his face.
“Are you…” He opens and closes his mouth a few times and nothing comes out, so he takes a deep breath. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. You’ve shown your ability to handle things perfectly, and I was always going to pass on the position to you. It’s better if we start now. Besides…” I grin at him. “There are other things that require my attention from this point on.”
My mind trails back to Quinn as anticipation builds inside me, thinking about her arrival.
“Oh, right… of course.” Valentino beams. “She’ll be landing here early morning tomorrow. Around nine.”
I nod, smiling. “I’ll make sure to pick her up her myself.”
“I’m still not sure what it is that she needs to let us know, but I suppose it’s not long until you find out.”
“Whatever it is, I’m not going to let her go without a fight this time. That much is true.”
Valentino’s face softens. “Dad, it’s good to see you putting yourself first for a change. You’ve been a workaholic pretty much all your life.”
“It’s the sacrifice I needed to make to get this business up from the ground running.” I shrug.
I’m confident that he’ll do well as CEO, but there’re still some things he needs to learn before I give the torch to him fully.
“Don’t worry, Dad.” He grins. “I’ll do my best to make you proud.”
“You already do.”
Just then, Alessio walks into the room. The contrast between the both of them could not be more obvious.
Alessio’s drooped eyelids and unsteady gait are clear indications he’s been drinking more than he should again. There’s a young girl whose shoulders he has his arms wrapped around.
“Oh, D-Dad,” he slurs. “I didn’t see you there. Tiffany, say h-hello to my father.”
The girl nods in my direction, before exploding into a fit of giggles as Alessio whispers something in her ear.
I have to tear my gaze away.
“I’ll make sure he is escorted onto the plan safely.” Valentino shakes his head and leaves the room. “Come on, Alessio. Follow me.”
“G-goodbye, Daddy-o,” Alessio slurs.
“Behave, Alessio,” I warn him. “I might not be there to supervise you at college, but I have my ways to keep track of what you do.”
“You w-worry waaaay too much.” He laughs. “You’re scaring the lady off with your anger.”
Tiffany nods, giggling loudly.