CHAPTER 4
896 Words
Enzo stood impatiently by the wide window glass. He looked down at his watch and spoke up.
“Mr. Nathan, I have a meeting in the next one hour and thirty minutes. Can we start this already please?”
Nathan, Edmond's personal lawyer, nodded and walked to the table.
“Of course, Enzo.”
The room was quiet and tense.
Stefano, the eldest, sat with his arms folded.
Gabriel sat back in his chair, legs crossed.
Enzo took his seat without a word.
Nathan placed a sealed brown file on the table and opened it.
“This is the last will and testament of Sir Edmond Vitale, signed and sealed three months ago before his passing.”
The room stayed silent.
Nathan looked down and read the first part.
“To my first son, Stefano, I leave 30% shares of Aerovitale, the Florence estate, and the Palazzo Vetro, including all art collections within it.”
Stefano nodded slightly, but didn’t smile.
“To my second son, Gabriel, I leave a 25% share of Aerovitale, the villa in Sicily, and the exclusive beachfront property in Sardinia.”
Gabriel raised a brow, but said nothing.
Nathan continued.
“To my last son, Enzo, I leave 45% shares of Aerovitale, the Vitale Tower in Milan, the Villa Rosa vineyard, and the entire LuxeJet fleet, as well as the private island in the Caribbean.”
Gabriel blinked. Stefano turned his head sharply.
Enzo didn’t react much, he didn’t expect this much. It felt heavy but felt right at the same time. After all, Stefano and Gabriel never took an interest in their dad's business.
Nathan flipped the next page slowly.
“To Hazel Bennett, daughter of Evelyn Bennett”
Gabriel sat up and stared at stefano as Stefano’s eyes narrowed on Nathan.
“I leave the private villa in Lake Como, ₤1 million in bonds, and my stake in the Vitale winery in Bordeaux.”
“What?” Stefano raised his voice sharply.
Gabriel looked confused. “Hazel?”
“She’s not even family!” Stefano added, his voice sharp and rising.
“Edmond included her by choice. She is not part of the family by blood, but he made it clear that he owed a great deal to her mother, Evelyn. And he saw Hazel as someone worthy of more”, Nathan responds calmly.
Gabriel frowned. “She’s not even here.”
“I know, Enzo told me”, Nathan interrupted Gabriel.
“She’s in the hospital with her mother. "I’ll be delivering a sealed copy of the will and a personal letter from your father to her myself.”
Stefano banged his fist on the table, his face deeply frowned. “This is insane!.”
Gabriel shook his head. “Was dad clearly losing it before he passed?”
He asked, facing Stafano, who was now boiling with anger in his chair.
Nathan ignored their reactions, took a deep breath and closed the file gently.
“That concludes the reading. The will is final unless contested with proof.”
Enzo stood and reached out to shake Nathan’s hand.
“Thanks for handling this well.”
Nathan gave Enzo a polite nod and left the mansion.
Enzo turned to his brothers, his voice cool.
“I’ve got to meet Ruby now, Mr Costi’s daughter.”
You two enjoy the rest of your day.”
"Without waiting for a reply, he walked out of the room, calm and smiling, while his two brothers glared at him."
…
The hotel smelled of fresh flowers and money.
The marble floors are so bright and polished you can almost see your own reflection.
The waiters and waitresses moved smoothly around the room in neat uniforms, attending to the elite guests in the hotel eatery.
"Enzo sat alone at a polished glass table near the corner of a sculpted piece of female body art."
Thoughts about hazel ran through his mind.
Her warmth,
Her kindness,
The bond they share,
Her voice,
Her scent!”
“How will I explain this plan to her?”
He whispered to himself, both his hands clenched as he placed them on the glass table.
His mind was lost in the questions, “how will Hazel see me after this?”
He kept checking the entrance of the hotel without meaning to.
And then he heard the sound of heels clicking against the floor.
He looked up.
There she was.
Ruby Costi.
She moved like she owned that expensive hotel.
Her red dress hugged her curves so tightly it looked like her second skin.
Her dark, shiny hair flowed over her shoulders.
Her lips were painted the same color as her dress.
Every man in that hotel turned to look at her.
But Ruby's eyes stayed locked on Enzo's.
She had met Enzo months ago in her dad's company when Edmond introduced Enzo to her dad, but Enzo didn't notice her then.
Now he is about to.
Enzo's gaze instantly fixated on her.
She cat-walked toward him slowly.
Her body moved with confidence, every step looked like a tease to the men staring at her.
Enzo sat still, watching her come closer, his jaw clenching.
Ruby finally reached his table.
She leaned a little closer to him, her red lips forming a flirty smile.
"Hey, lucky man! "Aren’t you forgetting something? Like offering me a seat?"
- Writer
