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She paused, saying nothing, letting him fill the silence.
‘If you wanted to know what a proper gangster looked like, you would have looked no further than Salvatore Calvetti. He made the de’ Medici look like pussy-cats.’
She could hear the disgust in his voice.
The frozen pen on the page had blotted and she whipped it away, rubbing her thumb over the blot, transforming it into shading down the arch of his back.
‘The older Salvatore got, the more vicious he became. My father was very different. Age mellowed him. It was no surprise to any of us when he decided to break the association. He wanted to take what you would call a more...legitimate path, especially with Pepe and I at an age to follow in his footsteps. The estate had been in the family for generations and had always been a good source of income. My father decided it was time to realise its full potential and turn the vineyard into the pride of the country.’
‘And Salvatore was happy to break their...association?’
‘No. Only the fact they had been close friends since childhood allowed him to break away without any repercussions.’ He placed his hands on the window-sill and stretched a leg back, peering out. ‘My father died barely a year later. Pepe and I agreed we would follow his wishes and run the estate free from Salvatore’s influence.’
‘Did Salvatore try and muscle in?’
‘Naturally. He felt it was his right.’ His tone became menacing. ‘But we set him straight.’
‘Is that why the estate is protected like Fort Knox?’
He nodded. ‘It had always been highly guarded, but after my father’s death I thought it prudent to add extra security measures. I was not prepared to let that bastard anywhere near my family or our home and business. And God knows, he tried.’
‘So, when you took over the estate, the business consisted of just that—the estate?’
‘We already had the vineyards and olive groves.’
‘But only on the Mastrangelo estate.’
He nodded.
Her mind reeled as she considered what her husband had accomplished in the thirteen years before she met him. It wasn’t just the expansion, although, considering they now owned dozens of estates in eight European countries and a couple in South America, the expansion was no small feat.
Mastrangelo wine was world famous and had won every prestigious award going. Mastrangelo olive oil came at a premium and was the oil of choice for discerning chefs in all corners of the globe.
Yes, Pepe had come on board once he had graduated, but Luca had been the driving force behind it all.
‘If you hate Salvatore so much, how come you ended up in business with his son?’
‘He died a few weeks after our first wedding anniversary.’
‘Ah.’ Hazily she recalled him mentioning an old family acquaintance passing away, remembered the way his lips had curved in a manner she had been unable to discern.
‘You didn’t want me at the funeral.’ When she’d offered to go with him, Luca had rebuffed her; the first time in the whole of their marriage he had attended anything that could be classed as even vaguely social without her.
‘I didn’t want you anywhere near that bastard even if he was in a coffin. Pepe and I only went to assure ourselves he really was dead.’
‘Is that when you and Francesco reconnected?’
‘Yes. Francesco’s relationship with Salvatore was difficult to say the least, but he showed his father great loyalty. Salvatore’s death freed him to take his own path.’
‘And his own path included working with you.’
‘Only in certain areas. In some businesses it is good to spread the risk.’ He sighed. ‘I was only twenty-one when I took over the running of the Mastrangelo estate. This gave me a chance to spread my wings too.’
‘Pepe didn’t agree?’
‘Pepe and Francesco have loathed each other for years—they fell out over a woman. I was at university when it happened. I forget the details.’ Luca raised his broad shoulders. ‘I am my own man. I do not need my brother’s permission or blessing to do anything. Francesco is his own man too. He is not his father. What he proposed made a great deal of financial sense and earned us both a lot of money.’
‘If it earned you so much money, why break the association?’
‘It is the right time. I shall keep the restaurants—they practically run themselves—but the casinos and nightclubs are nocturnal activities and require a lot of hands-on involvement. I have a child now who is deserving of my time and attention. I want to be there for her bath times, I want to read her stories. I want to be a proper father to her.’
Lucky Lily, she thought, as an unexpected wave of desolation streamed through her.
