Page 45 of The Bonventi Secret

I'm not in there five minutes when Marcella enters.

"Morning, Livia," she says with a slight smile.

"Good morning, Marcella."

"Enzo wanted me to inform you he's had to leave on business and?—"

"Will he be here for dinner?" I ask, blurting out the question before even letting her finish.

She nods. "Yes, he wanted me to assure you that he will be here for dinner with you this evening."

I smile and nod. "Thank you."

"I'll send in Antonio to take your breakfast order," she says and leaves.

I like Antonio. When Enzo's not around, he's a bit light-hearted and easygoing. Out of all the staff thus far, I think I've bonded with him the most.

As the day goes on, I'm lost in my work. It's about five or six o'clock when I feel I can't write another word. I sit back in my chair and sigh.

Then, I remember it—the diary.

I open the drawer and pull it out, looking around the room as if Enzo is there watching me.

Then, that damn nagging feeling comes into my mind. I shouldn't be snooping, going through his things like a creeper. But, I analyze, if I'm going to marry this person and be with him, and he won't tell me much about his past or family—then what choice do I have? This, I can control. I can maybe learn about him, maybe figure out his complex stoic one day, gift-giving forward sexualness the next. Moreover, maybe it'll help me, too. Learn why I'm starting to become interested in him, learn the right questions to ask.

No, I'm not snooping, I'm not a creeper—I'm just researching the man I'm supposed to marry, that's not so bad.

I open the book again and grab my phone. Before starting, I open the notes app and jot down a few things.

Name: V. Bonventi.

Start Date: September 15.

Brother Marco died. Rival family. Enzo's brother's namesake?

Okay, let's see what else there is. I start holding my phone over page after page, my fingers tracing the faded ink. A lot of it is boring, and I am surprised Enzo's grandfather took the time to write some of it. But as I get deeper into the diary, I finally find something—a bit of drama.

"M's temper flared again today. R tried to reason with him, but it only made things worse. The shouting could be heard from the street. This tension I fear may tear us apart."

I take it that M and R must be Enzo's grandfather's brothers or close relatives. I can tell Enzo's grandfather writes with a heavy hand; the letters are darker and more visible, as if he carved them out of his frustrations.

I continue reading, and a few pages later, I find another interesting entry. It's dated October 4th, the rest illegible.

"Another argument. M accuses R of undermining his authority. R claims M is becoming paranoid, seeing threats where there are none. I fear for our family's future if this continues."

I lean back in my chair, my mind reeling. As I'm uncovering more about the Bonventi family's history, I have no idea who M and R are. It's frustrating.