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Constanza sat at the head of the conversation table. She declined her butler’s request if she would like anything to drink as she waited for her son and his wife to arrive. Constanza wouldn’t wait long. She wasn’t expected to. She was the head of the family and commanded a certain amount of respect unquestionably. Constanza barely looked up when her son and his wife entered the room. She waited until they were seated in their respective places.
“It has come to my attention that we have a situation to deal with,” Constanza began, focusing her attention primarily on Francesco, who was her heir apparent, but what Constanza had to say may put his position at risk.
“We have heirs.”
The brows on Celestina’s face pitched, but she dared not open her mouth.
“What do you mean?” Francesco asked, putting it together that if what his mother said was true, his position became less important, especially the longer she lived and how soon the heir would rise. But she said heirs, which made what Constanza had to say more important.
“It has come to my attention that Valentina is with child.”
There was a moment of quiet surprise. Both Celestina and Francesco felt an overwhelming sense of pride at the news. Their moment of pride was short-lived. They knew what that meant for the family's honor. But they both still stuck out their chests a little further. Celestina and Francesco would be grandparents. Celestina had questions about how soon she could expect to be holding the little one, but once again, she dared not ask.
“It has also come to my attention that Isotta is with child.” Costanza delivered the information just as flatly as she’d delivered the first.
Celestina’s brows pitched again. It was a double blessing, both daughters expecting. But Celestina’s brows lowered just as quickly as they rose. There were complications with Isotta. Celestina was grateful, but she needed more information. Francesco was also curious as to what it all meant.
Constanza had weighed what the news meant to her family. Expanding the family was good. Solidifying the next generation that would ensure that her family legacy lived on was critical to the family’s longevity. That was incredible news for Constanza, but there was something troubling about the prospects. Celestina struggled to quell the questions that she had.
“How far along is Valentina? Isotta? Are they all doing okay?” Celestina asked. She certainly wanted to know the answers, especially about Isotta.
“They, all of them, are close,” Constanza replied. According to my sources, they are all doing well.”
“So, is that why Valentina hasn’t been here as of late?” Celestina pressed.
Valentina had spent less and less time at the family home. They all had ideas as to why that was the case, but neither of them knew for sure. What Constanza shared made perfect sense. Constanza looked at her daughter-in-law disapprovingly, as if she’d asked more than just a routine question.
“Considering her standing with the family,” Francesco began but quickly abandoned. He didn’t want to push it with his mother. He was grateful that his eldest was safely at home. He didn’t want to give Constanza a reason to question her decision.
“I’m sure that has something to do with it.”
The conversation Constanza had for Francesco and Celestina was over. As they retired to their bedroom, Celestina had more queries. She couldn’t believe both her daughters were pregnant at the same time. She was grateful, but Celestina was also a little wary of the circumstances.
“I can’t believe how overwhelmingly good the news was,” Celestina smiled as she started to dress for bed.
“It is good news,” Francesco replied, “all of it.”
“It is. But I have more questions,” Celestina said as her mind started to retrace the questions she wanted to ask. “How far along are each of them? I wonder. And how did Isotta even get pregnant?” Celestina asked, and then she chuckled.
“I mean, I know how she got pregnant, but how did she get pregnant? The doctor suggested that doing so would be virtually impossible,” Celestina thought. “Did she have to do anything special? I wonder.”
“I don’t know, dear,” Francesco advised. “But I am going to be a grandfather twice over.”
“I have so much to do to get ready for their arrival,” Celestina smiled. “So much to buy, and I need to be there for my daughters, too.”
They had patiently waited as long as Sofia would allow. She didn’t mention Massimo’s demise daily, but she never forgot how important that was to her. She never let Carmine and Gabriel forget either. They didn’t. Carmine and Gabriel had little choice but to be strategic in how they would respond to Sofia’s instruction. Gabriel found out about Massimo as much as he could, from his schedule to his daily activities. He had to know when the best time was to strike undetected. That would be critical to their next move. They had to stay out of harm's way to make any of it worthwhile, more than to make up for what Alessandro couldn’t do.
It hurt Gabriel’s soul that his brother failed on his final mission. Failure was never an option for his familia. That’s not how they operated, but Gabriel couldn’t abide long with those feelings. There were things they had to do to make things right, so Gabriel ensured that his people knew everything they could about Massimo’s movements and his upcoming plans for moves. He kept his father abreast of what he was doing and how he tracked Massimo. They came to a decision on when and where to strike. Gabriel and Carmine had to plan it perfectly for their next move to go off without a hitch.
“We are taking care of the Massimo situation, love,” Carmine advised his wife. She had still been in a grieving slump, but when Carmine told her what he had to tell her, Sofia managed to perk up a little bit.
“Make sure he pays with his life,” Sofia said. Sofia instantly felt relieved by what her husband said. She was relieved but cautious. She needed her husband and youngest son to be successful in their execution and come back to her safely.
“We will, my love,” Carmine advised. “He will lay down his life for Alessandro. I promise.”
It was time to act.
Carmine and Gabriel were in the car.
