Page 33 of Isle of Beauty

As we land and I get into a town car that will take me to my father’s estate, my phone rings. “Hello mother.”

“Baby, where are you? I showed up at your place for dinner but the doorman says you’re travelling. You did not mention any travels, I thought we had plans.” She’s whining, as she does when she’s not getting her way and it brings a soft smile to my face.

“Something came up, mom. I won’t be here for the next few weeks.”

“Weeks? Where are you for weeks at a time, and why am I the last one to know?”

My mother is many things but one thing she isn’t is the last one to know anything. You’d believe she’s the one who owns a security company for all the gossip she can gather on people around her. I’m actually surprised she doesn’t already know where I am.

As much as I want her to be oblivious, I can’t lie to her. And she’ll find out soon enough. “Julian’s getting married. I just landed at Sant Armellu’s airport.”

I hold my breath while I wait for an answer.

Kalliste is a sore topic. Her marriage to Alessio was arranged. She was miserable except after I was born. She told me countless times how I made her life brighter and helped her with heavy depression and loneliness.

I asked her once, when I was eleven or so, to tell me about my father and Kalliste. She was hiccuping to the point of making herself sick and got in a fit of tears so loud I thought I’d have to call a doctor to sedate her. She spent the next two days in bed in the dark, incapable of getting up and so depressed I thought she’d never be herself again. But she did get up and we didn’t talk about it ever again. She never admitted he took what was never freely given but my eleven years-old brain knew.

“Alex.” The English version of my name sounds like a plea, her voice breaking on a sob. It might wound her to hear me go back to the man who hurt her but it’s necessary. He’ll never hurt anyone ever again when I’m through with him.

“I’m not there for Alessio, mom, but for Julian. I know you hate him but he’s my brother and I want to be there for him. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’ll see you when I get back.” I don’t give her a chance to argue.

After my mother’s call, I dial in my uncle Luc.

“A call from my favourite nephew. To what do I owe this lovely surprise?” he drawls.

I rarely call. And when I do, I try my hardest to keep it professional. Luc and his business partner Misha Petrov have hired Pierce Security Company to protect their servers but over the past year, Luc’s becoming more insistent that we merge my company with his import-export one. I’ve always refused but I feel like my time is up.

I don’t trust him for shit. He’s been involved in different cases of extortion and had battery charges upon him that dropped mysteriously after a few days, but we both hate the man I’m taking down so I know he’ll help me in any capacity he can and right now, that’s all I need.

“I am in Kalliste for a few weeks.”

“What the fuck?” He booms. “Have you told your mother? Why the hell would you go there and see that piece of shit sperm donor you got?”

“Before you keep losing your shit, I’m not there for him. I’m there for my brother, Julian. He’s getting married.”

“Who gives a shit? You barely know the kid.”

I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. Of course that’s how he would react. He’s very protective of our family though he doesn’t care as much for my two cousins, Andrea and Nico. He always treated me like a son and hates anything linked to my father, including Julian.

I’m starting to lose my patience and my head hurts. I barely made a dent in the conversation we needed to have. “With all due respect, you don’t know shit, uncle.”

“Watch your mouth, son,” his voice is laced with menace and I know if I were in front of him, he’d have back-handed me for disrespecting him. An angry Luc isn’t a man I want to be dealing with on a good day, but especially not as I’m about to enter a life-changing meeting with Alessio Bartoli.

I need to remain calm and collected, that’s the only way to placate him. Escalation has the potential to end in bloodshed. “I’m sorry. I care about Julian but I’m not calling to discuss whether or not I should be on Kalliste right now. I need your help.”

“Anything for my favourite nephew,” he scoffs, suddenly very agreeable. It’s giving me whiplash but I don’t have time to think further on it.

The conversation continues on and I tell him I’ll destroy the Bartoli-Moretti empire and dance on its ashes.

“So, you’re gonna get the Moretti empire by marrying that Alana girl, then?” he asks, rather shocked but I feel like I detect something in his voice. Hope? Elation? That can’t be right. I dismiss the ridiculous notion.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m gonna take what’s mine and then burn it to the fucking ground and put Alessio’s ass in fucking jail.”

I’ll bring him down and my sweet little liar along with him.

I’ve schooled my features into impassibility when the car rounds a corner and enters a large property boarded with chestnut trees and a magnificent view overlooking the sea.

The lights from within Alessio Bartoli’s mansion illuminate the path to the front door. On my left, the sea reflects the last rays of the sun, the sky a canvas of pink, gold and purple.

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