CHAPTER TWELVE
A few hours later, I found myself back on the road, with Luca’s package settled in my handbag.
My heart churned with emotion, each wave threatening to pull me under as I braced for our looming goodbye.
Grief unspooled memories like old film reels, the most vivid always returning to the night I first met Luca by the lake.
Was it fate or some intricate design? I never knew.
Through every uncertainty, even after learning the darkest truths about him, one thing never faltered: my love for him.
When we arrived at the house, I could almost see Luca’s ghost waiting, his smile wide, inviting me in.
Stepping inside, another memory flickered to life: Luca, both joyful and sorrowful, but now I noticed a new layer.
Anxiety. He had secrets to share, and he must have sensed time slipping away. I’m here now, Luca. Tell me everything.
I retraced the tour route he’d given me when he showed me his office, pausing to marvel at the double rows of books.
The worn leather chair nearby seemed haunted by Luca himself, lost in hours of reading.
These books, like Luca, had become woven into my story.
I sank into the chair, unwrapped the package, and found Pride and Prejudice, my favorite novel, now a poignant symbol of my own journey toward an arranged marriage.
Luca knew how many times I’d read it, how little the rules of generations had changed.
Marriage, children, and duty were lessons pressed into me since that first day in my grandfather’s Bentley.
With Luca, nothing was ever random. I was certain he’d hidden a message for me in those pages.
I opened the book, and, to my delight, it was a first edition and wasn’t hollowed out like the book left for me in my room in Florence.
Had someone told my father Luca sent me books?
Perhaps he had found out and had used it to try to blackmail me.
But that was a problem for later. None of that mattered now. Inside the package, I found…a note?
I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips. With Luca, everything had meaning. I let myself drift back to that night, replaying the memory. The book slipping from my hoodie, Luca’s quick hands scooping it up before I could react.
“What’re you reading?”
“Mother Night by Kurt Vonn…” When I didn’t know how to pronounce something,
I spoke the part I was sure of.
“Vonnegut,” he said and frowned. “That’s a dark satire and inappropriate for ayoung lady your age.”
At fourteen, I’d picked up Kurt Vonnegut’s Mother Night, not grasping its true weight.
I only saw a character pretending to be evil, punished for his deceit and crimes.
Years later, with Luca’s guidance and my own growth, I understood good intentions could spiral into disaster, and sometimes, pretending was just another form of truth.
Luca, too, believed he was helping my father, not seeing the pain he unleashed on my mother, Jacob, and me.
Only after the damage was done did he try to make amends.
Maybe this was his way of explaining himself to me?
I was certain the next clue waited inside that book.
I scanned the library, starting at the first row.
“Isaac Asimov, Azazel.” Alphabetical order.
My gaze traveled up to the higher shelves, but the latter half of the alphabet was tucked away above.
I climbed the ladder gingerly, as heights were still not easy for me, only to spot a hidden lift behind an archway.
Refocusing, I traced my fingers along the spines until I found Kurt Vonnegut’s Mother Night on the bottom row.
The book felt too light, its cover smooth and untouched.
Inside, it was hollow, holding a USB drive, a sealed envelope, and another handwritten note from Luca.
Grandpa Luca. Tears pricked my eyes. He had known he was dying. Was he ill all along? Why had no one told me? I needed answers.
I held up the envelope and realized there were two. The first had my name handwritten across, and I quicky opened it and found it was a letter. This envelope also had a document, and I read the first line.
I, Luca Rocco Marini, being of sound mind…
Another will?
I returned the book to its place and carried the documents to his desk. Sitting down, I drew a deep breath and began to read, my heart pounding with anticipation.
My dear Adelina,
Of course you found my envelope. You’re so clever.
Life’s what happens in the middle of plans. That’s never truer than now. I don’t believe I have much time left, but I hope to be there to watch you get married. Seeing you with Rocco tonight was food for my soul, and I know for sure that what I did, bringing the two of you together, was right.
I have things to tell you, and it’s difficult because I hurt you in a way that you may find impossible to forgive.
We humans are flawed by creation. We are untamed, dangerous creatures capable of the most destructive power and evil in the world.
But we are also capable of good, kindness, and innocence.
I lived like a tiger, and I’m leaving like a lamb.
Thanks to the love of my Aurora, my family, and you, Adelina.
You taught me so much about strength and resilience.
No matter how much pain you endured, you kept going.
I’ve prayed every day that you’ll find it in your heart to understand and accept me for my flaws and to keep the love.
I love you dearly, as I do all my grandkids.
Rocco will be a loving husband to you. However, his shortcoming is a lack of understanding of how important it is for you to have children now, rather than later.
It was what saved us Marinis time and time again.
A prosperous future depends on the sacrifices of the present.
I count on you, Adelina, not just to be his light, but to be his guiding star, his anchor in life’s storms.
Now, put on the video, and we’ll talk one last time.
Love,
Grandpa Luca
I wiped my tears with a cloth from a nearby box, opened the laptop, and slid in the USB drive. Several files appeared—some titled “Thoughts and Musings,” but only one was marked “After Vonnegut.” That was where Luca wanted me to begin.
I clicked the file, and there was Luca, his smile wide as he sat at his desk with a glass of what looks like white wine.
He wore the same shirt from our last dinner together, a haunting reminder of our final night.
Even with him frozen on the screen, I could see the exhaustion in his eyes and the grayish pallor of his skin. My heart ached, but I pressed play.
“Hello, my dear Adelina. Welcome to Florence.” He lifted his glass in a toast, took a sip, then placed it down on the desk.
“You are on your way here with Rocco. I’ve got so much to tell you, and to be honest, I don’t know how much time I have left.
” He stopped and took out a handkerchief, dabbing the sweat on his brow and upper lip.
“It’s hot today. Lucky you’re coming in the evening; it should be cool by then.
” He grinned and wagged a finger. “I know you’re worrying now.
But please, don’t worry about me. My doctor said I have the heart of a twenty-year-old.
” He let out a dry laugh-cough. “Even if I am sick, I refuse to waste time convalescing. Not when my favorite person is coming to see me. I’m so proud you graduated with honors.
Such an outstanding achievement. I love you, my dear. ”
My hand shook as I paused the video, heart aching. Oh, Luca. Now I understood why he rushed to arrange our wedding and demanded that it be quick. He had been afraid he would not live to see it.
“I must tell you now, nothing in your life was an accident,” he said once I pressed play again.
“Most of what you’ve been through with your family has been my fault because I helped your father.
Call it revenge or passion, but in the end, it was my obsession with Constance.
But Aurora was the love of my life, and she taught me to be a better man.
I still believe it was mostly love, but I hurt you.
I’ve prayed for years for forgiveness and tried my best to atone for all my sins…
” He let out a wet cough and covered his mouth with the handkerchief.
His shoulders drooped, and he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
“It pains me to know how much I hurt you. But please, never doubt my love for you, my dear. And out of love, I’m giving you the Marinis’ best: Rocco. ”
He beamed with pride. “Now, our Rocco is a remarkable young man, Adelina. His talents and determination fill me with joy, and I do not doubt that he will continue to make us all proud. He’s…
a maverick. God touches men like him to lead and shape our world, and we count on him to continue our stellar legacy.
And that depends on you, too, Adelina. You will be his wife.
He wants to love you and take care of you.
I know that sounds old-fashioned, but please let him.
” He paused, took a sip of wine, and stared off as he savored it, then continued.
“Rocco thinks, like any man in his prime, that he has all life ahead of him, and he can conquer it all. I, here at the dusk of my life, know better. Securing the next generation of Marinis must come first. That’s why I redid my will one last time, and the new copy is with you.
” He held up the envelope with my name across it, which I had left on the desk.
“This is the Marinis’ best, a symbol of our family’s legacy and the responsibility that comes with it.
I trust Rocco to carry this legacy forward, just as I trust you, my dear.
“My last will has changed, but it is mine. It means you will never worry about money or security again. However,”—he steepled his fingers under his chin—“it comes with children. Constance’s lineage dies with you.
You are the last of her line, and she needs you to keep her heritage, and honestly, she deserves that for all I’ve done.
” He dragged a hand through his thick gray hair and bowed his head.
“Love and passion can make you crazy. It can be wonderful, too. I hope we get to have a conversation about it.”
My eyes burned. We had that conversation after all, my friend.
He held up his index finger. “Now, for the tricky part. I’ve included a child provision in this new will.
It’s not official yet; however, I’m planning an emergency board meeting to present the necessary changes.
Marini money supports Marini businesses.
If Rocco wants a movie studio, he can raise the money independently.
If he’s helping grow the family legacy with children, I’ll make sure he can use that money for his studio.
It’s what I had to do, and so did others.
Maybe this studio will work out for all of us.
” He shrugged with his palms up. “We shall see, but please understand that I’m doing this because I love and admire Rocco.
I’m so proud of him. However, to lead, you must show your own forte.
He can have it all if he stays at Marini Corporate, or he can go out on his own independently and make his mark.
That’s a true leader. That’s the man that would deserve to lead our family. ”
I sighed heavily. That was exactly what Rocco had told me Luca expected of him.
“That brings me to you, Adelina. You’ll become our new matriarch. You have children, strengthen our family, and Rocco receives the billions he needs with my blessing because he’s giving our family all it needs to continue our legacy.” He sighed.
“Yes…this is what I truly want, and I can’t rest if I don’t set things right.
Marinis have reared great leaders, and so will you and Rocco.
You both share strength, creativity, and resilience, great qualities that will guide the next generation.
So, on the eve of your marriage, I give you Pride and Prejudice.
Societal expectations haven’t much changed in our social circles.
You’ll have to deal with celebrity, fame, and a multibillion-dollar family trust. You’ve a great responsibility to fulfill, and I know you understand that more than anyone else.
You, I know, will rise above what you’ll learn about the past and do what’s right—”
Crash.