Lonzo: Book 1 (Tycoon Series Book 1) (24 page)

“Of course. Very well, Mr. Vitale.”

“Call my pilot. Have the chopper on standby. I’m leaving as soon as I wrap this up.”

His PA went off to make the arrangement.

He turned to go back to the meeting, his mind wandering. He couldn’t wait to leave for Tuscany and fetch his woman.

MONTALCINO, TUSCANY

They arrived at the vineyard’s helipad before noon.
Thio Fredo’s staff, including the caretaker and housekeeper waited for their arrival and took care of their belongings.

Jordana could only look in awe at the beauty of her surroundings.

The 250-hectare estate was alternately dominated by cypress woodlands and patches of olive groves interconnected by roads leading to the lodge. Despite the fact that she was well-traveled, the scenery was postcard-perfect and spectacular that it was hard not to fall in love with it.

The two-storey villa was originally built as a lodge of a member of the powerful Medici family but was later abandoned. The present-day structure was carefully restored by the best restoration architects and engineers, preserving its past character and bringing it to its splendor.

Jordana could easily imagine herself living in the past when she entered the farmhouse. Save for a few modern comforts, the main house remained almost untouched. A wrought iron staircase linked with oak wood planks led to the second level of the house.

Thio Fredo gave her a grand tour of the house and its premises.

As she stood looking at the tapered, winding pathway bordered by rows of Sangiovese grape vines already heavily-laden with fragrant fruit, Jordana finally understood the passion that drove Lonzo’s uncle back to his land situated at the ruggedly beautiful Tuscan hilltop town.

“My late wife’s family originally owned the villa and a parcel of the nearby land. Her family owned the estate since the first half of the previous century,” he said.

“This place is awesome,” she said sincerely. “Breathtaking.”

“Lucia thought so, too. She loved this place.”

“Was she…?”

Thio Fredo turned to her, his old eyes melancholic. “She was my late wife. This once belonged to her family.”

“You couldn’t wait to get back.”

“Her spirit lives in this land. I always felt closer to her here.”

“You must’ve loved her very much.”

“I did. I still do. She was the love of my life, the center of my universe.”

Jordana sighed. So there were men like Thio who still believed in love…the kind that even encompassed death.
But they are a dying breed.

“I could just imagine what you went through when you lost her.”

Thio turned to face her. “I was broken. For a long time I was lost. Until Lonzo became my responsibility. That boy never knew, but he saved me…gave me a new purpose in life.”

Her brows knotted when she heard Lonzo’s name. “How did he end up with you?”

“Through very tragic circumstances.”

Sympathy pierced Jordana’s heart. “Oh.”

“I’m glad you’re with him now. You’re exactly what he needs,” he added.

She kept silent. In three weeks’ time, Thio would know the truth and it he might hate her for her part in this charade. She didn’t want to add to the lies.

Thio took her silence as further encouragement. “I know he can be a bit difficult—”

Difficult? Difficult doesn’t even cut it…

“He badly needs the love of a good woman…he never had that from his mother.”

She eyed Thio, her gaze questioning.

“Be patient with him, child. He’s not the easiest to love.”

She held her breath. Love? Oh, no. No way, she wouldn’t allow this lunacy to go
that
far.

“We’re…taking things slow,” came the white lie.

“You’re good for him. I knew it the moment I saw you. Lonzo doesn’t know it yet but once he realizes you’re the one for him, he won’t stray or look at another. ‘Cause you see…we Vitale men? We’re like wolves. We mate for life.”

She almost shook her head at the old man, her mind going back to the night she agreed to this arrangement.

He would never want her love, he said.

She swallowed as sadness welled up inside her, confusing her further.

Lonzo ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.
He got delayed because his regular pilot got downed with stomach flu. It took another hour before the replacement arrived. By then, he was already simmering with impatience.

He was about to board the chopper when Patrizia called his attention.

“What is it this time?” he asked in annoyance.

“A package from Zeta arrived for you, Mr Vitale.”

“Can’t this wait?”

“Mr. Blackwell called to say it’s a supplementary report.”

“Put it on my table. Call Zeta and tell them to email me a copy. From this day forward, I’m
incommunicado
.”

“Yes Mr. Vitale.”

“Anything else?” his brows rose in question.

“That will be all, sir.”

“Thank you, Patrizia.” He turned and climbed inside.

“Have a safe trip, Mr. Vitale.”

His reply was drowned by the loud whir that emanated from the rotors. Lonzo glanced at his wafer-thin Patek Philippe watch.

It was already five in the afternoon. He calculated that in an hour or so, he’d be at the vineyard.

Good.

He’d be just in time for dinner. He settled back into his seat, looking forward for tonight because not even his uncle can keep him away from his woman. With that thought, he began to count the minutes.

It was too early to have dinner.
To kill time, Thio Fredo led her to the library at the second floor. Jordana noticed the old photos neatly hanging on one wall. She moved in for a closer look.

Her eyes drifted and remained on a shot of a newly-wedded couple. The dark-haired bride was sitting on the grass with the groom. He was kissing her hand as they stared into each other’s eyes. It was very romantic.

“That was my wife and I, on our wedding day,” Thio volunteered.

“She’s very beautiful.”

“Yes. She was,” he said fondly. “Beautiful inside and out.”

“You made a really beautiful couple.” She smiled. There was no denying the love between the newlyweds.

“We were very happy.”

Jordana switched to the frame beside the wedding photo.

It was a picture of a small, handsome boy, holding a beautifully-crafted model train—his intense green eyes regarding the camera with a confidence beyond his years…yet there was also innocence and vulnerability there.

She automatically knew this was Lonzo.

“He just turned five in that picture. Three days after that was taken, my brother took his own life.”

Her eyes widened in horror.

“Jesus! I never thought…that’s terrible!”

Thio sighed deeply. It was clear that he still felt overwhelming sorrow over what happened.

“It was such a waste. He was a good man with so much promise…until he fell in love with the wrong woman.”

“Who... is she?” she asked hesitantly.

“His wife. He worshiped the ground she walked on. Love turned into an obsession. He couldn’t see her for what she really was—”

“What happened?”

“She left to be with her lover, a British aristocrat she met on holiday.”

“How can she do that? She has a child!”

“It was easy for her to walk away. Money had always been her motivation. I often wondered why Lorenzo fell in love and married such a horrendous woman.”

“Is she beautiful?’

He nodded.

“She was very beautiful.”

“Did she come back for Lonzo?” she asked next.

Thio Fredo’s nostrils flared at the memory.

“Yes, she did…but not for him. She came back to claim my late brother’s properties— including a small parcel of land which grew olives. Fortunately, Lorenzo changed his will when she left.”

“That’s horrendous!”

“Let’s just say my sister-in law had the maternal instincts of a cuckoo.”

“How did he deal with that? He was just a kid…”

“For the most part his mother ignored him until my brother’s will was read. She was furious and she lashed all her fury on him. Lorenzo left everything to him.”

“Did she sue for custody?”

“No, she didn’t. As his mother, she was entitled to but she never wanted the responsibility. Lonzo was nothing but a dead weight for her. I was ready for fight for my nephew and I was glad I didn’t have to.”

She felt a familiar squeezing pain in her heart.

Rejection wasn’t new to her—she had experienced it on an almost daily basis when she was just starting to model.

But being turned down for a modeling gig was nothing compared to the devastation felt by a spurned child.

It was the kind of hurt that lingered and festered. You can bury it inside the crypt of your mind and pretend you’d laid it to rest. But that would be a lie. There was no palliative for it. Not even time. Or in her case, work.

She knew exactly what Lonzo felt. Because she went through that, too.

Twice.

She blinked to clear her mind from the sudden onslaught of bad memories.

“Was he close to her?”

Thio slanted her an ironic smile.

“All boys at that age adored their mothers. He wasn’t an exception. When she walked out on them, my brother tried to protect him. He was too young to know the ugly truth. Lorenzo told him she was vacationing with her folks. Lonzo…” his voice cracked. “—he would gather his mother’s bedclothes around himself so he could sleep. Back then, he still believed she loved him. But my sister-in-law shattered that frail hope.”

“What did she do?” she asked, knowing she wouldn’t like what she would hear next.

“When she found out she’d been cut off from the will, she was enraged. She went back to the house to get any item of value she could get her hands on.”

“Where was Lonzo?”

“He was at the house, waiting for her. Was so excited to see her...he had packed his bags the night before. He ran toward her but she brushed him aside and went about her business.”

“Of all the cruelest things to do!”

“After she got what she came for, Lonzo held onto his mother's leg…crying and begging that she take him with her. And…” his voice trailed. “She kicked him away from her, screamed that she never wanted him…that she intended to abort him when she found out she was pregnant with him. And as a parting gift, she smashed that new toy train in that picture. The one that Lorenzo gave before he killed himself.”

A gamut of feelings went through her. Her eyes watered.

Oh, Lonzo…

“Where is she now?”

“She died when Lonzo was seven…the jealous wife of her lover had her killed. I know it’s bad to speak ill of the dead but God has a way of meting justice.”

She became pensive as she eyed the photo.

“How did he handle that after his mother…?”

“He became withdrawn. When his mother left for the last time, I found him in Lorenzo’s office. He was holding a piece of his toy train. He requested me to remove his mother’s bedclothes and things from the house. I asked him why. He said he never had or need one…”

A lone tear fell from a corner of Thio’s left eye. “I felt guilty for leaving him unprotected that day. I should’ve never left him alone with that woman…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Thio. You did what you can—”

“Not enough. He was a different boy. He grew up faster and acted older than most kids his age. Something in him died that day, turned a part of him into stone. So impenetrable that he never shed a tear when his mother died. He didn’t attend the funeral.”

Her throat constricted, her heart cried for the child that Lonzo was. Knowing what she knew now, she could figure out a facet of his persona. Why he was so distrustful of women. Why he didn’t believe in matrimony. His mother did quite a number on him.

“Why are you telling me all these, Thio?” she asked.

“I’m not blind to his faults, child. I know about his colorful dating life and his meaningless relationships with women. But I’ve seen the way he looks at you and it got me hoping…”

She felt so guilty that she almost revealed the real score between her and his nephew.

She was spared from that when they heard the sound of a helicopter landing in the distance.

“Who in the world will that be?” she asked aloud.

Thio Alfredo grinned broadly as he led her out of the library. “He’s a few hours late, but at least he made it before dinner.”

Her heart began to beat double-time. “Who’s coming to dinner?”

“Why, Lonzo, my dear. Come…let’s wait for him downstairs.”