Chapter 52
Tiziano Constanzo
The office was silent except for the faint clink of ice against the whiskey glass in my hand.
The council was growing impatient, pressuring me to consolidate our power, to crush any threat to our control.
It was the logical path, the one I had always followed without hesitation.
But now, everything felt different. Everything felt wrong.
Bianca.
Her name hammered through my mind like a loaded gun ready to fire.
I wanted to hate her. It shouldn’t have been this difficult.
But the information I had received changed everything: Bianca hadn’t known.
She hadn’t known who she was, hadn’t known what her blood carried.
Not until recently. She hadn’t betrayed me. I had been wrong.
My hands tightened around the glass. Anger wasn’t the only thing I felt. Love? Regret? Those words made me uncomfortable. They didn’t belong in my world. But the truth was that thinking about Bianca made everything inside me fall apart.
I remembered the look in her eyes, confused and filled with questions she had never asked but that had been there, silent and intense. I hadn’t allowed her to speak. Did she hate me? She had every right to.
“Tiziano?” my uncle called, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked at him and saw the reflection of the weight I carried, the price I paid for every choice. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to gather the scattered fragments of my mind.
“We have a meeting with the council now.”
“The meeting can wait.” My voice came out firm, but inside, I was falling apart. The council would have to wait. They wanted a ruthless leader, someone who never hesitated. But at that moment, all I wanted was to understand. To understand what Bianca meant to me.
Bianca Ferrucci
Two weeks later…
“I did it!” Marco burst into the room, grinning from ear to ear.
I looked at him, setting aside the papers I had been organizing.
“What exactly did you do?” I asked curiously.
“Rubra is going to be at the Festa della Vendemmia!” he announced proudly, referring to the most prestigious wine event in Italy.
“That’s wonderful!” Alessandro exclaimed, rising from the armchair.
“Yes, this is the beginning of getting Rubra all across Europe. I can’t even believe it, everything happened so fast!” Marco continued, gesturing as though he couldn’t contain his excitement.
I smiled, but the practical side of me that had always been there reminded me of something important.
“Nothing money can’t solve, brother,” I commented, arching an eyebrow.
“But don’t forget that we’ve only been replanting for a little over a month.
The main vineyards will take years to produce quality grapes.
This harvest is only a temporary solution.
We can’t depend on it to support our long-term plans. ”
Marco turned toward me, the excitement in his eyes softening slightly.
“I know, Bianca. But it’s a beginning. A beginning that could open doors we never imagined.
Sometimes you have to take the first step, even if it isn’t perfect.
We’re making progress with the land that was already planted, and the properties we bought aren’t producing much yet, but that’s exactly what you wanted, a foundation for something bigger. ”
“And this couldn’t have come at a better time,” Alessandro added. “This event is the perfect opportunity to show the world that the Bellinis are much more than just a name. Once everything is ready, we’ll already have interested buyers and orders to produce our wines on a larger scale.”
“Then we’ll make it happen,” I finally said. “But we’re going to do it right. Every detail has to be flawless.”
“You’re the one who needs to look flawless at the event,” Alessandro said with a teasing smile.
“Me? I don’t know... I’m not going,” I replied.
“Of course you are,” he shot back, taking a step forward. “You’re the face of the family, Bianca. Who better to represent the Bellinis at the most important event of the year?”
“Alessandro is right,” Marco interjected, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Your presence will show them that we aren’t just good businesspeople, but also a united family committed to excellence.”
“You two are impossible,” I murmured, but an involuntary smile escaped me. They knew exactly how to convince me, even when I wanted to resist.
“Then it’s settled,” Alessandro declared, clapping his hands as though he were closing a deal. “Now we plan everything. Clothes, speeches, and how we’re going to make sure I’m the highlight of the night.”
It was clear there was no escaping that responsibility. If I had created all of this, then I would have to take on the obligations that came with it.