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‘But you are heading into financial trouble.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Antonia’s eyes were bulging and her well made-up face reddened as Rico eyed her disdainfully.
‘I’m not the one being ridiculous,’ Rico replied without a trace of emotion. ‘I’m not the one jetting around the world in my own private plane with an entourage of staff. I’m not the one flying to Paris to update my wardrobe or deciding on a whim to head over to New York to see the tennis.’
Even in her numb state of grief Catherine felt a surge of shock at the sheer lavishness of Antonia’s existence.
‘You’re living beyond your means,’ Rico said, his voice darker now.
‘How would you know?’ Antonia flared, but Rico merely shrugged and for the first time addressed his father.
‘I know because I bought out your portion of the business. I know because I still do your accounts, Dad, and at the end of the day valuing properties is my bread and butter. As nice as this is, as divine as your Queensland holiday home might be, and all the other little nest-eggs you’ve got stashed away, the simple fact of the matter is that you cannot afford this lifestyle indefinitely. Some day in the not too distant future something will have to give.’ The harshness left his voice then, and a note of exasperation crept in as he implored Carlos to listen. ‘Have you read any of the paperwork I gave you, Dad?’
‘I haven’t had time.’ Carlos Mancini’s voice was still heavily accented. ‘And today is not the day for money talk. Today I lay my son to rest.’
‘Fair enough.’ Rico nodded, but from previous experience Catherine knew the conversation wasn’t over—knew Rico wasn’t going to just walk away now. ‘If it really isn’t about money then let’s make a deal before the solicitors get involved—before this leaves the family and becomes open gossip for every journalist in Australia.’
He paused for an age before continuing. The heavy clock on the mantelpiece ticked so slowly Catherine would have sworn it was faulty, so long did each passing second drag.
‘We all agree that Lily’s money stays in trust for her until she’s twenty-one, and that whoever gets custody finances Lily’s upbringing by their own means.’
‘Lily will need an education.’ Antonia was choosing her words carefully but her agitation was palpable. ‘You can hardly expect your father and I to fund—’
‘The sad thing is,’ Rico broke in, ‘I don’t expect a thing from the two of you. The saddest part of this whole discussion is that Lily is nothing more than a means to an end for you, Antonia.’
Catherine simply didn’t know where to look, it was horrible watching as Antonia flushed ever darker, her mouth pursing. Rico’s father was fishing in his suit for a handkerchief and wiping his brow, and she felt sorry for him, remembering that at the end of the day, Carlos Mancini had buried his youngest son today. But Rico clearly wasn’t taking that into consideration, for he didn’t let up, was ruthless in his pursuit as he carried on talking. ‘Lily would provide a nice little pension for the pair of you, as well as getting you out of the hole you’ve dug yourself into.’
‘Oh, we didn’t dig,’ Antonia soon recovered and stood up, her eyes bulging as she faced her stepson, veins standing out in her neck as she choked out the words. ‘You buried us, Rico. You put us in this hole the day you bought your father out of the business for a pittance.’
‘Hardly a pittance,’ Rico drawled but his icy reserve only exacerbated Antonia’s fury.
‘You knew the company was about to take off.’ Antonia was practically purple now. ‘You knew the fortune it was going to make, and yet you bought out your brother and father for a tenth of what you would now. And you have the gall to stand there and gloat, the tenacity to breeze in and tell us that we’re in financial trouble when you’re the one with blood on your hands.’
Catherine’s eyes shot to Rico as she waited for him to say something, for him to defend himself against Antonia’s vile accusations. But he just stood there, his face impassive, not a bead of sweat on his brow, and not for the first time Catherine wondered what she had got herself into, wondered at the lengths Rico was clearly prepared to go to in order to claim what he assumed was rightly his.
‘So far, Antonia, you’ve said two things that merit comment.’
Finally, Catherine thought. Finally he’s going to put her in her place, clear the slur on his name. But the hope that flared was extinguished as Rico continued.
‘The issue is Lily’s welfare, and, yes, Lily, does need security, which I’m more than capable of providing.’
‘You!’ Antonia sneered. ‘A man who has had more girlfriends than I’ve had hot dinners? A man who spends fifteen hours a day in an office? When are you supposed to see her, Rico? Are you intending to e-mail her a couple of times a day? Read her a bedtime story over the telephone?’
‘And you’re such an expert on parenting suddenly, Antonia?’
This time Rico’s sarcasm didn’t go unnoticed.
‘You were eighteen when I married your father, Rico. Hardly an age for fairytales and nights around the fire with a cup of cocoa. So cut it with the sob stories. I was good to you.’
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‘You were good for nothing, Antonia!’ Rico’s voice was pure venom. ‘And, yes, I was eighteen. Yes, I was old enough to get on with my life, to walk away from the woman who had destroyed not only my mother’s marriage but ultimately her life. But Marco was twelve—a twelve-year-old boy you treated like dirt on your shoe. You moved in and he was shipped out to boarding school the next month. The next month,’ he repeated, emotion finally rearing its head, his voice a loud roar. ‘Is that what you intend for Lily?’
‘She’s a baby,’ Antonia retorted. ‘She’s years away from school. It’s not even an issue at the moment. You’re not having her, Rico. I’ll sell the plane if I have to, but I’ll fight you till the end for her.’ Her eyes met Catherine’s, locked on them for an uncomfortable moment, and suddenly everything didn’t seem quite so crystal-clear any more. The picture Rico had painted of a money-hungry woman was suddenly not quite so plausible. ‘Your sister would want the best for her daughter—surely you can see that?’
Catherine gave a small nod.
‘Let’s put the money aside for a moment.’ Antonia’s voice bordered on reasonable, and again Catherine nodded, determined to hear all sides, to make a rational decision when all the cards were on the table. Lily’s future was too precious for egos and finances to get in the way. ‘Children should have two parents. That might sound old-fashioned, but I firmly believe it—as I’m sure the courts do—’
