“‘If’?” my Nonna asked in her outraged little voice. “What do you mean ‘if,’ ragazza?! I want great-grandchildren!”
Valentina exchanged a look with her mother for a fraction of a second, but the gesture did not go unnoticed.
“Nonna Renata, with my career, having children can be challenging.”
“Camillo knows about that?” My mother's question cut through the air. The jazz continued to play softly, but no one moved or spoke.
No. I didn't know about that detail. Until that moment, my plans with Valentina involved marriageandchildren. Still, I cleared my throat and clung to my pride.
“Of course, Mamusia.” I lied, and Valentina gave me a relieved smile. “Children are a possibility, but...” I took a deep breath.Love requires sacrifice, I reminded myself. “...we'll have to wait and see if Vale's career will allow us to do so.”
My mother didn’t add anything else. I thankedDiofor that, even though I knew there would be more to say once the guests left the villa. So, I got up and walked around the table. I extended a hand that Valentina took immediately and pulled her away from the sits, dropping to one knee.
“But before thinking about children, there is something more important to do,” I declared, ending any doubts or protests right there. Valentina was the woman I had chosen. It wasn't whether or not to have children, to stay in Italy or move to the United States, that would sway me. “Valentina Messina...” I took the burgundy velvet box out of my pocket and opened it before her eyes. “...will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Her smile was the loveliest thing I had ever seen. It spread wide, accompanied by her dark eyes, fixated on the stone that filled her face with a hundred sparkles.
“YES, YES, YES!” She squealed and stretched a trembling hand toward me. I put the ring on her finger, watching her admire it with tears in her eyes.
I threw the box aside, pulling Valentina into my arms, and squeezed her tightly as I lifted her into the air. My cousin andmy brother whistled, my in-laws, my uncles, and my father clapped and wished us prosperity and happiness. But when I put Valentina down and took her hand to show everyone the huge ring on her finger, I was met with my grandfather's undeniable disapproval and a bitter smile on my mother's and my Nonna's lips.
My mother got up and walked around the table, stopping in front of us. Before I could react, her arms stretched out and hugged Valentina tightly, leaving everyone stunned.
“Welcome to the family.”
Chapter 8
Camillo Vicari
August, 2015
30 years old
Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Ten years ago
Our house in Jackson was nothing like my famiglia’s villa in Calabria. It was a modern structure, with minimalist decor in a palette of beige and gray tones, with too much glass, and too many paper walls. The backyard was covered in white concrete, only two spiky cacti brought life to the space, and the front yard was essentially the same, with a rectangle of yellowish pebbles framed by swathes of more concrete. There was no trace of the orchards I was so used to. Even so, the last two years of my life had been the happiest.
On August 19, 2013, I asked Valentina to marry me. A year later, on the same date, we got married. And today, we werecelebrating a year as husband and wife, and my famiglia was visiting the United States.
I sighed, smiling as I looked through the glass window, seeing my parents taking pictures in the backyard. The American continent wasn’t unknown to my famiglia. Our società had businesses all over the world. Half of our gemstone mines were in South America. We extracted our emeralds from Colombia and our rubies, sapphires, aquamarines, topazes, and tourmalines from Brazil, and sent them through the United States, where they were cut and polished and entered the commercial circuit through people of our trust. My father had done business in the United States his entire life. He knew New York like the back of his hand. And when my brother and I were old enough, we followed in his footsteps. In theory, moving to the United States would have been ideal from a business perspective, but that wasn't how Nonno Patrizio saw it.
From his point of view, it wasn't wise for a Vicari to be on the American radar. The ideal would be for us to come and go. Stay for a short time and let our people handle business for us. Our products required discretion, strategy, and in-depth knowledge of the country. In Italy, ZioRicardo and my cousin Lorenzo made sure there were no unpleasant surprises or obstacles in the process of importing our goods. But in the United States, we depended on subordinates and associates, which was never a guarantee. For me, that was another reason why my presence in the United States was ideal. I could strengthen the business, create a solid foundation for us in the country, and alleviate certain difficulties when it came to exportations. However, Nonnosaw it as a tremendous risk and some kind of ticking bomb.
The phone vibrated in my pocket.
Frowning, I saw another security alert regarding unauthorized logins to the encrypted email used to conduct the società's businesses. I had already spoken to the IT team, who assured that everything was working as it should. There were no unnecessary information leaks, although nothing valuable could be found in those emails. We liked to handle famiglia matters the old-fashioned way, far away from technology. Even so, those accesses made me uneasy, especially when the team guaranteed that they were made from my own home, on my own computer.
Quickly climbing the stairs, I ignored the knot on my stomach. Silently, I approached my office door, holding my breath.
“What are you doing?” My voice came out weak.
“Oh! My computer ran out of battery and I needed to submit a document quickly, I hope you don't mind.”
Petrified at the doorway, I gazed at Valentina. Always elegant, dressed that day in a black jumpsuit, with the hair I deeply loved tied up in a French twist. Her feet adorned with a brand-new pair of Louboutin’s.
She moved closer to me. Her smile way too relaxed. Her orange blossom perfume leaving my mouth dry as pieces of an invisible puzzle came together in my brain.
