Page 8

8

Allegra

T he extracurricular activities did their job. I woke refreshed and ready to put everything that happened yesterday behind me. Well, I still have the chat with Lorenzo to get through first.

Rosa left my room a little after 2 a.m. We were never the type to cuddle after sex. No reason it would start now. I slept well, and the second my eyes opened, I felt a fresh wave of determination roll over me. Bonnie might have gotten under my skin temporarily, but no more. My plan is to get back to work.

I feel invigorated after a fast five-mile run on the treadmill. I wish I could go outside and run through the lanes, but it isn’t safe. I’ll save that for Sicily. The scent of the vines is much more appealing than cow shit, anyway.

Showered and dressed to kill, I march to Lorenzo’s office, where I know he will be. I forego knocking. I’m too revved up to be polite. His gaze snaps up as I barge in unannounced. As usual, though, he is a master of schooling his features.

Sitting opposite, I cross one leg over the other. I’m not here to play patient games with him. It’s time to have my say.

“Yesterday was unacceptable, Lorenzo. I deserved better than that.” He opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. “I have earned my spot at the top of this family tree. It might be your name, but it’s my management that has kept this family going. I have given you every ounce of trust and loyalty, yet you don’t offer me the same in return. I am hurt.”

Lorenzo has never heard me speak so candidly. I’m usually a fortress where my feelings are concerned, but after yesterday, I can no longer trust him to read the room. He should have known what Bonnie’s appearance would mean and how it would affect me. And maybe he did. He just cared more about her, than me.

“I run every part of the business because you asked me to. Hell, you trained me to do this—to be your heir. Now you have Bonnie, but as far as I am concerned it changes nothing. She is a temporary blip. We both know she doesn’t want anything to do with you or the Ferrante name. So I’ll cut to the chase, and I apologise if this hurts, but Lorenzo, you need to hear it. If you have some delusion that your long-lost daughter will step up to claim her birthright, you are mistaken. And even if she does, I will fight her and you, every step of the way. I earned this.”

We sit silently for a long time as Lorenzo contemplates my words. I don’t mind; I want him to soak in every one of them. Finally, he sighs. It’s a defeated noise I’m not used to hearing from him.

“You’re right. You deserved better, Allegra. And I know you’re angry, but I promise I have no intention of taking this family away from you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been dealing with the Arellos for years. How could you not tell me about Bonnie?”

He jerks an eyebrow at the use of his daughter’s first name. I bite the inside of my cheek because I should have kept it professional. That’s more than once I’ve used her first name.

“The secret just became too big. And painful, if I’m truthful.”

I see the pain in his eyes and it does affect me. I love the man, and I’ve done everything in my power to keep him safe and happy. It hurts I can’t stop him from feeling this pain.

“The truth is all I want, Lorenzo. We could have been keeping an eye out for her years ago. Or made sure the Arellos never found out. You left us vulnerable, and now we have a bigger issue.”

He drops his head, and suddenly, he looks tired. There is a reason I am taking over. Lorenzo is done. He is mentally drained, and unlike in some families, he isn’t scared to admit it. Instead of dragging the business into the gutter out of sheer stubbornness, he’s handing over the reins to me.

“Is she okay?” he finally asks.

“She’s a pain in the fucking ass! But she’s got fire, Lorenzo, and a sharp tongue. I see you in her.”

His eyes well with tears. “I could have known her…if I’d made the right choice.”

“Fenza would have torn her to shreds if she’d found out.”

Fenza Ferrante had been Lorenzo’s wife; a woman feared by everyone, including yours truly. She was vindictive, even to those she supposedly loved. Bonnie and her mother would have both met a grisly end. It was only by the grace of God that Fenza got drunk one night and drowned in the bath, and Lorenzo finally got free of her.

It sounds unkind to speak ill of the dead, but Fenza was a demon in human form: twisted and cruel. Lorenzo had no choice but to enter into the marriage for the purpose of producing an heir. When it was revealed Fenza was barren, she became even worse. No one was safe from her ire.

As soon as she was gone, which was only a year and a half after Lorenzo sent his mistress and unborn child away, he was able to rebuild the family into what he wanted, not the vision his father dreamed of. Papa Ferrante was old school and wanted to keep the family business that way. Lorenzo saw the wisdom of change and appointed me as his beneficiary. I was only three when my parents were killed, and I became the adopted daughter of Lorenzo Ferrante. He literally trained me my entire life to become a leader.

“I should have had her taken care of long before,” he mutters darkly.

“You would have started a war. Karma took care of Fenza, and you got to keep your hands clean.”

“But I lost her. I lost my daughter.”

I’ll not lie. That was a stab to the heart. I have to get used to the reality that I’m not, and never was, good enough to own his heart like a real daughter.

“Yes, but she’s here now, I suppose.” I can’t help the attitude that comes out.

He looks at me with his piercing eyes. “You are my daughter too, Allegra. I thought that was clear. I’d die for you, as I would Bonnie. You have made me so proud. Never doubt your place in this family and in my heart.”

Getting into deep emotional conversations makes me uncomfortable. My skin feels itchy and I want to run out the door, but I know better. I’ll keep my mask on and my body armour engaged.

“We need a plan, Lorenzo.”

Lorenzo lets me bypass his last comment, which I’m grateful for. “We should go home,” he says. “Easier to protect her from the villa.”

I nod in agreement. “Yes, but she has a demand,” I say with a roll of my eyes.

A sly grin pinches at Lorenzo’s mouth. “And what was the demand?”

“She wants her dads brought in for their protection too.”

“Done. I’ll send Toni to collect them.”

Sitting forward, I hold up my hand. “Lorenzo. We can’t just haul her entire family to Italy.”

“Why not? It’s the best way to get her to cooperate, Allegra.”

“And the best friend?”

“I didn’t tell you to take her too,” he shoots.

I growl, “You didn’t tell me anything! Bring me the girl. That’s all I got. If I’d have known, I would have handled it differently.”

His shoulders drop, and he nods, “You’re right. I know. I…I suppose you can ask the friend what she wants to do.”

My eyebrows reach my hairline. “Just let her go? After I shot her?”

“You shouldn’t have done that either,” he chuckles.

“It was the only way to bring Bonnie to heel,” I reply matter-of-factly.

“She isn’t a dog, Allegra.”

“You weren’t there,” I protest. “She’s stubborn and difficult. I didn’t have time to waste, so I did what was necessary. Anyway, it was only a flesh wound.”

For some reason, he’s eying me strangely. “So, she rankled you, huh?” he grins. “The big bad Allegra Malgeri?”

My scowl only makes him laugh harder.

“She scared me too, if I’m honest,” he smiles. “She has her mother’s temper.”

“Huh, I thought she got it from you.”

He shakes his head with a fond smile on his face. “No, Bonnie is all Maria.”

I need to get us back on track. “I’ll talk to Kelley and Bonnie. Once we’re back home, we need a plan to end this shit with the Arellos. It’s gone on too long and is now impacting us internally.”

The Arello family is the second biggest family name in Italy. We are the first. There’s been a fracture between Lorenzo and Giani Arello for decades. I’ve always thought it was over land claims, but something is tingling my bullshit sensor. Giani has no problems fucking with our shipments, but he’s never tried to go after a family member. That means this current problem is very personal, and he wants to hurt Lorenzo beyond the scope of business.

“Giani won’t stop, Allegra. You know what he’s like.”

I do, and I don’t. I usually deal with his cocksure son, Gisto, who will become head of the family once Giani dies. The old man will never relinquish control. Only the finality of death will get him to loosen his restricting grip. I kind of feel sorry for Gisto. He isn’t surrounded by love or by true loyalty. Giani rules through fear and anger. I’ve witnessed Giani’s rage once before and it was directed at his son.

However, my sympathy only stretches so far. Gisto is a chauvinistic reptile ninety percent of the time. I’ve lost count how many times he’s claimed to be the right man to set me straight. One day I’ll accept his offer and laugh as his bravado shrivels to the size of his microscopic dick. Men like that are all the same. All talk, no follow-through. He wouldn’t know what to do with a woman. God only knows how his wife copes.

Oh, that’s right, she doesn’t. Instead, she fucks his younger brother.

“Then we need to find a way. I can deal with our cargo getting hit. But we can’t keep everyone safe if he’s set his eyes on hurting the family that way. There are too many of us.”

I might be Lorenzo’s only heir. I’m not counting Bonnie, but we have many, many members of the family: nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles. Lorenzo and I would be devastated if anything happened to any of them, which again leads me to think Giani’s vendetta is something much more than I’ve been told. If he wants to hurt us, there are already plenty of options. Instead, he’s taken the time to track down Bonnie and her family. Giani wants to rip Lorenzo’s heart out by hurting his daughter.

“Fine. But now, we concentrate on picking up Bonnie’s parents and getting everyone to the villa in one piece.”

I nod and stand. As much as I want to retreat to my chamber for the rest of the day, I know I have work to do. Business back home hasn’t stopped, and there will be mountains of emails to sift through. We are also coming up to harvest time, and I’ve never missed one yet. I’ll be damned if I miss this one. The vineyard is the only thing that brings me true peace.

First, I have to talk to Bonnie and Kelley; something I wholeheartedly do not want to do. I’m not so worried about Kelley. She still looks like she’s going to pass out every time she sees me. But Bonnie? She’s a different matter, especially after my performance with Rosa against her door. In the cold light of day, it was childish and below me. My only excuse is her words cut me deep.

After talking with Lorenzo, I need to take a different tack. Antagonising her will only drag this out longer. The quicker we get her and her family to safety, the quicker I can deal with the Arellos and we can get back to normal, and to where I will never have to see that infernal woman ever again.