Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I didn’t repeat the question. Instead, I took a drink of my wine then ripped off a piece of bread and placed it in my mouth.
A moment later, Leo joined us, and I could immediately tell just by his body language that he was pissed off about something. Apparently, this was some kind of family meeting that I was about to be subjected to. I was supposed to leave the winery early so Wolfe and I could head to Palermo for the weekend, but if this meeting went on too long, it might put a damper on my plans.
“It’s been a long fucking week,” my father finally said. “And I don’t want the next one to be as long as this one.”
I glanced at my brother, unsure what was going on.
He sat there with his arms tucked tightly across his chest.
“Francesca will remain in charge of the business—and that’s final.”
Now I understood how pissed off my brother truly was about the situation. They must have had numerous conversations about it in my absence.
“Now is the time we hash this out,” Dad said. “Together, as a family, and then we move the fuck on. So, Leo, say your piece.”
All the muscles in his face were tense like he wanted to lash out with sharp words that would cut us all. “She chose Wolfe over us, a lying, manipulative, and deceitful asshole. He disrespected us both with this shit. And she’s just allowed to walk back in here and get her job back when she’s literally fucking the enemy?”
I didn’t bother to defend Wolfe. Felt like wasted breath at this point.
“I’ve been here, day after day, devoted to this business,” my brother continued. “And you don’t even give me a week to prove that I’m capable of exactly what she is.”
My father released a frustrated sigh even though the conversation had barely started. “Leo, your sister had everything organized, and you managed to massacre it. All you had to do was follow what she did, but you decided to use your own system and screw it all up. Even the more straightforward things are impossible for you to handle.”
I felt uncomfortable sitting there knowing my father was going to rip my brother’s confidence to shreds.
“You make things complicated when they don’t need to be. You aren’t good with numbers or paperwork. You don’t know how to run anything. And you’re so oblivious to your own shortcomings that you don’t know how to lead. I would never put you in charge of this business—so you need to have some pride and just let it be. People listen to your sister because they respect her. They don’t listen to you because you’re an idiot.”
“Dad, that’s not true,” I chimed in, knowing my brother didn’t deserve to be called names right now.
My dad stared at my brother as if he didn’t hear me.
Leo didn’t react either.
“Something I don’t understand…” I looked back and forth between them. “Dad had already selected me to run the business before all this happened, and that wasn’t an issue. I don’t understand why it’s an issue now. I’ve only been gone a week, not enough time for anything to really change.”
My father didn’t speak.
Leo looked like he wanted to shoot my father in the face.
When the silence continued, I knew neither of them would address my words.
“Perhaps Leo and I could have equal ownership in the business—”
“No,” my father barked. “Leo, your job is to support your sister. This is still a family business, and protecting your sister is an admirable job. You have your strengths—but leadership isn’t one of them. I’m tired of hearing this shit over and over again. Your sister is back, and this decision is final. Enough.”
“She’s sleeping with a rat—”
“He’s not a part of this business as long as I’m living. Francesca has agreed to this.”
Leo shook his head slightly, fuming behind his eyes. “She can do whatever the fuck she wants and it doesn’t matter—”
“You lack the awareness and the humility to see how badly you screwed up, Leo. That’s the biggest reason why I’ll never give you this position. If you can’t learn what you did wrong, how can you improve? This place would go to complete shit if you were overseeing it. Payments would be missed, shipments lost, production halted… Fucking pandemonium. I don’t think you have the slightest inkling of how much work your sister does because you’re too busy drinking and fucking and bitching to notice. So, the answer is no—and it’ll always be no.”
Leo officially lost his temper and rose from the chair before he kicked it aside. Despite its heft, it slid across the terrace and hit another chair from a nearby table. The iron against the tile made a sharp scraping noise, and he released a loud yell before he stormed off.