Page 25 of Family Matters

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“I can’t believe you could even think about something that evil.” Graziela paced up and down the living-room of her duplex in the center of Rome, then stopped in front of the armchair her grandmother was sitting on. “Why? What did that kid do to you?”

“I don’t know what you 're talking about, cara.” Donna Fabrizia shrugged, feigning innocence. “All our men act only on your orders, so, no matter what happened or is going to happen, I have nothing to do with it.” She gave her granddaughter a piercing look. “Anyway, can you tell me, please, who is accusing me?”

“A few weeks ago, Brian Cavallieri called and informed me of your plans.” Graziela sat on the couch facing hergrandmother’s armchair. “He is a man of honor, who couldn’t invent such a heinous lie.”

“Oh, that one, again!” Donna Fabrizia huffed in contempt. “Librarians spend all their lives between books, they all have a very rich fantasy, I guess he is not an exception. Oh, or did this man have any evidence of my so-called future evil plans?” The old woman’s voice was heavy with sarcasm.

“After our last confrontation, when you said you’d put me in control of the guards and all the others, I didn’t believe you. Sorry, but I couldn’t see those men, who only spoke the Sicilian dialect among themselves and with you accepting me as their leader, so I hired an independent security company and placed them under surveillance. My suspicions were confirmed when one of them was caught in Brian Cavallieri’s firstborn’s room.”

“My men’s private life is not my concern.” Donna Fabrizia smiled with superiority. “Maybe he was one of those deviants, and that boy was his…playmate.”

Graziela shook her head, then left her seat and took a paper from the coffee table in the middle of the room. “The people from the security company interrogated that man; here’s his written confession, the proof of your involvement in the failed attempt on Liam Cavallieri’s life. I have him on video, too.”

“Well, then, there’s no point in denying it anymore.” Donna Fabrizia relaxed in the armchair. “Yes, I was behind it; that was going to be only the beginning, I wouldn’t have stopped there. In the end, I’ll reach my goals, one way or another; I’ll get rid of that bastard, that stain on our family’s cheek, and I’ll give you a son in whose veins flows the Rinaldi blood, plus a younger husband to control and manipulate as you’ll please.”

“I don’t recognize you anymore.” Graziela stared at her grandmother in disbelief, shaking her head. “I thought I already told you: legitimate or not, Luca is my brother, and, as his older sister, I’ll do anything to protect him against anyone who would want to harm him.” She gave the old woman a warning look. “And I mean anyone.”

“One day, you’ll see everything in a different light, and you would appreciate all the sacrifices I made for you.” Donna Fabrizia let out a long sigh and slowly shook her head. “I only hope that day won’t be too far, so I can still be around, so you can thank me.”

CHAPTER 19

“I think I thanked you enough.” Graziela swallowed hard as she went in front of her grandmother, staring hard at the woman. “I did it by working hard and building a reputation in a field dominated by men; our name you are so proud of, didn’t mean anything to a lot of people until my creations made it famous. Rinaldi Fashion. This is what I choose to leave behind, not blood, tears, and violence.”

“That’s true.” The bitterness laced Donna Farizia’s voice a few minutes earlier was completely gone now. “However, as the years will pass, you’ll understand that holding the position of Consigliere is what gives us power and prestige.” She let out a sigh, then smiled. “Speaking of, I have to go and start packing; the confirmation of the new Judge is in a few days from now, and I don’t want to miss the ceremony.”

“I have a business meeting in New York City on Friday, I’m afraid I can’t make it.” Graziela shrugged. “And anyway, I have no reason to be there. I’m sorry, Nonna, but for me, that event, no matter how important you consider it, doesn’t represent anything.” Gabriela inhaled sharply. “In fact, I consider moving to the US for good, it’s about time to make a change in my life.”

Donna Fabrizia nodded in understanding. “I think I’ll make a change, too, and move back to Sicily, to Villa Rinaldi. I hope you’ll join me one day. Permanently.”

“I’m sorry, but that won’t happen.” Graziela headed to the room’s exit. “That island is an evil place, the air there is poisoned with greed and hatred.” She slowly shook her head. “I don’t want to become like you, the prisoner of that land, of a past marked by killings, resentment, and betrayal.”

No, cara mia, Donna Fabrizia thought, looking over the gardens surrounding Villa Rinaldi,this island is not a prison; it is the land of my family, by both birth and marriage, and where your roots are, whether you like it or not. Sooner or later, you won’t be able to resist the pull, and you’ll come here; it’s like an umbilical cord which ties you to your birthplace until your last breath.

Graziela was a successful businesswoman, who possessed both beauty and brains, doubled by a sharp tongue and excellent negotiation abilities. However, she was superficial in some ways, especially when it came to her family’s past and her duty to carry on the glorious heritage of her ancestors.

Donna Fabrizia sighed. Graziela was made from the same material as her, and recently proved how stubborn, cautious, and suspicious she could be. Under the right circumstances, the young woman could become cruel and vindictive, a dangerous weapon if she would ever side with the enemies of the one who watched over her and raised her to be the next leader of the Rinaldi house.

A chill ran down Donna Fabrizia’s spine, making her shudder, when she remembered Graziela’s words about Sicily being a prison. La Torre Della Roccia, the Tower of the Rock,still used by The Council to lock away those accused of treason and other crimes against the Old-World Mafia, dominated the island, a constant reminder of the fate awaiting those who disobey the Laws.

Rubbing her arms, numb from the wave of cold air which suddenly and inexplicably overtook the room, Donna Fabrizia wondered how Graziela would react if she knew how everything started thirty years earlier. No one was supposed to ever find out what she did, how her actions altered the course of so many lives.

The documents proving the real identities of those whose future Donna Fabrizia stole in order to secure the Consigliere position for the Rinaldi family were either altered or completely destroyed. The few people who helped her died one way or another, most of them victims of unfortunate accidents, so there was almost nothing to tie her to the events back then and no one who could testify against her.

Unless, of course, the dead would talk, and, according to the late Ottavio Sforza, that goddamn librarian could not only summon the spirits, he could also make them say and do whatever he wanted. Donna Fabrizia was a noble, well-read, educated woman, but she lived in Sicily all her life, and, like all the natives, was very superstitious, and had no reasons not to believe Don Giovanni Sforza’s disgraced firstborn.

I have to deal with that devil’s spawn once and for all,Donna Fabrizia said to herself, clenching and unclenching her fists as the anger started to boil inside her. This time, shecontinued the internal monologue,everything has to be perfect, I can’t afford another failure.Also, I can’t act too soon, but this is for the best, because, when I finally decide to strike, he won’t see it coming.

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In medieval times, books were the main source of knowledge and wisdom, Don Calogero started his story, as his and Brian’s steps echoed through the halls of the Wisdom Temple, one of the largest libraries in the world. Its location, the Citta Vecchia’s most solidly built, highest tower, Torre Forte, was the organization’s best kept secret, known only to a selected few.

The books contained valuable information on all fields, from medicine, architecture, religion, to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and the list didn’t stop there. Some of them, called almanacs, even featured useful tips and hacks people use for making their everyday life easier and improving it.

Blasio Cavallieri, the first Wisdom Keeper, was aware of the books’ importance, and he did everything in his power to spread the light of knowledge. Using a part of the Templar Knights’ treasure, he managed to locate a great part of the Order’s impressive, legendary library, and moved it to safety in the largest, highest tower of Citta Vecchia, Torre Forte.

He also brought the most skilled copyists and illustrators, who were of great help in multiplying the books before theinvention of the printing machine. But that wasn’t enough; another part of the treasure entrusted to Blasio who went on educating the people, by teaching both children and adults to read and write.

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