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Eight years earlier
14 years old
Mount Crest Academy
Luca Marini Re: Reading list
Hi Adelina,
I’m so happy you’ve settled into your new school and are already focusing on your coursework. My years at boarding school were tough, and I know you’re going through a lot. But you’ve got the fire; your superpower resilience won’t let anything keep you down. It takes strength and determination to succeed, and you’re already doing it. Bravo! That’s something you should be proud of. I know I’m impressed by you.
I see you’ve sent your English class reading list. The Odyssey, Fahrenheit 451, and I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings are all outstanding and essential literary classics to study. My grandson Rocco read them when he was your age, and I helped him. If you get stuck or don’t understand something, message me. However, I also recommend reading something light-hearted because life’s a balance. You need the light as much as the dark. I’ll send you a book to help with that.
Happy reading, and I’ll write you more soon,
M
“M?” I mumble under my breath.
Holy crap! Luca Marini actually replied to my email!Am I allowed to reply?Do I care that the Belfores would probably deny it?Nope.I wonder what he’ll send.
I chew my lip, thinking, then shrug.
Who cares about gifts? Mr. Marini said he’d help me with my schoolwork—something Mama would do if I could still talk to her.
A sharp pang hits my chest, and I huff.
Mama didn’t even call. Why can’t she call me? Why is she too busy in Italy?
I lean on the desk and blowout.
I don’t have many friends here, so would it really hurt if I emailed Mr. Marini back?Surely that’s okay to—
“There you are, Lina.”
I turn my head to Cassidy Cosgrove waving and walking over.
Thud.My hands slam the lid of my laptop shut.
Eight years later
Marini Estate in Florence Italy
The documents were still in my bag, out of my sight. I didn’t want to know anymore, yet I couldn’t rest. Hours bled into more hours, all alone in the bed. My longing for answers grew into an aching knot in my stomach that I couldn’t untie.
“Fairbanks Mortgage, Bank of the West, Civil Bank all sold to L. M. Holdings…Luca Marini.”
Luca bought my father’s debt, my grandfather paid them off, and every payment chipped away at their wealth. But could there be an explanation? Maybe. However, nothing explained the photo of them together. The image burned into my brain of my father burning a pipe over foil with a man standing over him. That man was undeniably Luca Marini, the impeccably dressed,proud, and commanding man with an empire. It was him, but not the man I’d come to know.
Memories of the eight years I’d known Luca played out in my head, and I searched for any sign of malice from him. But searching was like sifting through loose sand with nothing to grasp, because, in truth, we shared no bad memories. He’d earned my trust and became one of my closest confidants, my dearest friend, and someone I deeply cared for. I loved him as a grandfather figure and believed he’d felt the same for me in return, but had it all been a lie?
It felt like the ground beneath me had shifted, leaving me in a world that no longer made sense.It doesn’t make sense because it’s not true.The Luca I know would have left an explanation. He took great pride in mentoring me and celebrated every educational milestone I achieved. More than that, he often behaved like a doting parent. Every time I rushed down that path to our beach, Luca waited with praise….
His soft blue eyes glimmer, and a warm smile spreads across his face.
“Mi dolce Adelina. You aced all your exams. I’m so proud of you.”
I wrap my arms around him.