“I’m fine, Emilia,” she said.
“How’s Brett? You haven’t mentioned him ever since you got here.”
“Brett and I are done,” Amanda suddenly announced before she took a bite of her food. Emilia was looking at her, clearly surprised.
“Wait, what?” she asked and Amanda nodded.
“You heard me.”
“But you guys have been together for eight years,” Emilia said and Amanda rolled her eyes.
“Were together for eight years.”
“Wait, did something happen?” Emilia asked and Amanda sighed loudly.
“Yeah, something did happen. I left him.”
“Wait...but...” Emilia took a long deep breath. “How about you just tell me what happened?”
“I am not very sure what happened, Millie. All I know is that I walked into my house one day and found my good friend and neighbor riding the hell out of my boyfriend in my house. In our bed.”
“Shit, Brett?” Emilia pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“I know right, I never saw it coming either.”
Amanda forced out a laugh before she took another bite of her food.
“I am not sure how I didn’t notice I was living out an entire season of Tyler Perry’s If Loving You Is Wrong. I mean, Sienna went from practically being my best friend to the stranger next door.”
Emilia dropped her fork and almost choked on her food.
“Wait, Sienna? The same Sienna you said was the best neighbor you could ever ask for?”
“Yeah, I probably should have known better, huh?”
“But you said and I quote, 'that she was the only good thing about that suburban hell hole',” Emilia said and Amanda nodded.
“Yeah, way back when I thought I had actually found a friend.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I thought I was being nice to an army wife seeing as she was lonely and everything...” she took a long deep breath. “I was a stupid fool.”
“Hey, you will not throw a pity party for yourself. Not while you are here,” Emilia said. “Actually, not ever.”
“I’m not throwing a pity party, Emilia. I’m done feeling sorry for myself and crying over that bastard,” Amanda said as she took a bite of her beef.
“Good for you. If the ass hole doesn’t see your worth then he isn’t worth your time. That’s for sure.”
Amanda forced a smile.
“Guess I am too old to be crying over a man.”
“If you think you are too old then that means I am too old and hell will freeze over before I admit that. I do not endure all those Pilates and zumba classes to be called old.”
Amanda laughed. This time genuinely.
“Right now, I just want to lay low. Maybe walk around town and take in the sights.” She held her wine glass and sighed. “My camera could do with a few good shots.”
“Well, sweetie, I have to warn you. It is almost impossible for you to lay low in this city,” Emilia started. “Especially the way you look and everything.”
Amanda looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
“The way I look? What is that supposed to mean?”
“You are this beautiful flawlessly curvy woman. A dick magnet in every sense of the word while you are out in the States and here, the guys don't take the long route when they are interested. They just hit the nail on the head.”
Amanda shook her head.
“Well, too bad for them. I am not looking to get into anything serious or otherwise. At least not in the near future.”
“If that is the case, then you better lay low,” Emilia pointed out taking a sip of her wine.
“And how do you suggest I do that?” Amanda asked.
“Keep to the quiet low key restaurants,” Emilia said. “Just do what you normally do but for the moment, I’ll give you a few of the not so popular spots. There are a couple of eat and surf places...coffee shops really but they will do.”
“Things are that bad?” Amanda asked and Emilia shrugged.
“No, it’s just that the men out here...I think the men in Europe in general are just very forward. They meet you and decide right there and then that they want to fuck you.”
“Excuse me?” Amanda asked and Emilia nodded.
“Yeah, they can be a little forward. No, they are forward, period.”
Amanda smiled.
“I think we could use more of those men back home. If they can be that forward when they don’t know you, I imagine that they can be equally as honest when the attraction dies down.”
Emilia frowned.
“Is that what you think happened? That Brett was not attracted to you anymore?” she asked and Amanda shook her head.
“Honestly, I don’t really know what was going through his mind.” She looked down at her food and began playing with a piece of beef. “I don’t think I ever will.”
Chapter 3
Rafael Imperioli would have loved to walk out of the dining room and leave his mother talking but he knew it was not going to help. She would call him if he walked out and if he did not pick up, she would have left so many messages on his voicemail that he could not get any more messages if someone called him. That would have been a definite disaster especially if someone was calling him with urgent news or maybe some sort of emergency.
It felt like his mother, Susanna had been talking for ages. He took a sip of his drink and sighed loudly.
“Mama, we have this talk every time I am here,” Rafael said.
“That’s because I believe in being persistent,” Susanna said.
“Well, your persistence is beginning to make me rethink these family dinners.” He took another bite of his food and shrugged. “I am not ten anymore. You cannot just tell me...no, dictate. The word I am looking for is dictate.”
“Dictate?” Susanna asked and Rafael nodded.
“Yes dictate. Because that is what I feel you are doing right now.”
“Rafael, I’m not dictating anything,” Susanna said, looking right into her son’s eyes. She turned to look at her husband, Paolo. “Paolo, will you tell him I am not dictating.”
“Yes, son. Your mother and I just want what is best for you,” Paolo said and Rafael forced out a laugh. He found it quite strange that his father would choose to second his wife especially after he had partied like Tony Stark for the better part of his thirties and forties.
“Papa, like I said to mama. I am old enough. I know what I am doing.”
“But all you seem to be doing is blowing your money,” Paolo pointed out.
“And making headlines of every tabloid known to man.” Susanna looked at her iPad that had been resting on the table next to her plate. “And I mean every tabloid. American and European...Us Weekly, OK!”
“They are just tabloids, Mama,” Rafael said dismissively.
Susanna shook her head.
“If it was just the tabloids printing things about my son, I would be alright but now even the serious publications have articles about you. The Washington Post, The Herald...”
“What your mother is trying to say Rafael is that we have been genuinely concerned about you and the direction you have been taking lately,” Paolo started, cutting Susanna short.
“The direction I have been taking?” Rafael asked. He was not sure whether the tone in his voice was contempt or surprise. There was no telling what it really was. All he knew was that he just wanted to get up and walk away. “And what is this ‘direction’ you are referring to Papa?”
“Son, we know you are old enough to make your own decisions but all this partying you are doing...it is not good for anyone and given who you are, there are a number of opportunists out there looking to make a quick buck.”
Rafael put his fork down and sighed.
“What do you mean, exactly?” he asked. “When you say given who I am? What do you mean?”
“You are the Imperioli heir, everyone knows that. And when you are out there losing yourself...it would not be hard for some wo
man to trap you and...”
Rafael forced out a laugh and shook his head.
“Are you seriously giving me the sex talk? At thirty years old?” he asked.
“I always see you with these girls, models and what not...protecting my son is something that comes naturally,” Susanna said.
Paolo took a long deep breath.
“Listen, son. Why don’t you just join your brother in the family business and...”
Rafael shook his head before Paolo could finish. They had been down this road before. One too many times actually and he was not about to give in to the pressure. Not this time. He knew exactly what his parents had in mind. Exactly what they had in mind. Joining the family business meant bending to their rules. Not having any free will to do as he would have wanted. It was some kind of enslavement as far as he was concerned.
“I don’t need the Imperioli business,” he said.
“I know you don’t Rafael but it is your legacy. It is what we have built for you and we will be damned if we let you have some floozy get everything we have worked so hard for,” Susanna said.
“So, what? You are going to get me some girl from a respectable family to marry?” he asked in a cynical voice.
His parents were not past doing something as ridiculous as that. They had tried it before, subtly setting him up with what they thought were women of stature. And they were always women Rafael couldn’t stand. Women who were always trying too much to be what they really weren’t. Women who only looked to marry rich so that they could sip on wine and gossip when they were not traveling the world on their husband's dime.
“Honestly, Rafael...it’s not like you have shown us that you have the best choices when it comes to the women you date.” Susanna interlaced her fingers together and rested her elbows on the table. “I think it would be wise for you to settle down. Get someone respectable and get married.”
“Getting married is a big deal, Mama,” Rafael said as he reached for his glass. “I can’t just go out there and bring someone into my life. It’s not a loaf of bread I am buying or anything like that.”
“That is not what we are saying, Rafael....” Paolo started before Rafael ran his fingers through his hair. By that time, he’d heard enough and he was not about to give them another opportunity to say whatever piece of shit they thought they had to. Already, he felt like he was doing them a favor by being there.
“Look, Mama. Papa,” he started. “You made it very clear I was cut off if I did not give up on my dreams. And you even went ahead and cut me off which was fine because I was a financially sound person. And now that I have proven that I can stand on my own two feet without you, you finally feel the need to barge in again.”
“We are not barging in, Rafael,” Susanna said.
“Your mother is right. We are simply concerned,” Paolo said as he looked at Rafael.
There was a long silence before Rafael finally spoke.
“And what is it that brought about this ‘concern’?”
He noticed a brief look between his parents before his mother spoke.
“This party you are holding this weekend,” she started.
“You mean the day after tomorrow?” he asked and she nodded.
“Yes, that very one. I have noticed that the guest list is all about the who’s who in the same tabloids I am talking about.”
Rafael shrugged.
“I don’t understand what you are driving at, Mama.”
“This party Rafael, it is exactly the kind of situation your mother and I have been talking about. The kind of distractions you don’t really need,” Paolo pointed out and Rafael sighed loudly. This was it. That was the last straw.
“Papa, Mama...I came for dinner as you asked because I respect you. But I did not come here for advice on my business or love life,” he said.
“But you don’t even have a love life,” Susanna pointed out.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked and Susanna and Paolo exchanged a knowing look.
“Is there something you want to tell us?” she asked and he shook his head.
“You know, your mother and I have been thinking, the Benassi girl would be a perfect addition to the Imperioli family,” Paolo said and Rafael laughed, rubbing his temples.
“And there it is,” he muttered under his breath. “You always have a woman in mind for me.”
“That’s because the women we see you with are usually...” Susanna started before her voice trailed off.
Rafael raised an eyebrow over the other wondering what she was about to say. He could almost read his mother’s mind. It could have very well been the same thing he had been hearing for the last five years of his life. The girls he chose were not good enough. The girls he chose were a little loose. He knew that the dreaded words were coming. Any second now.
“I know you feel like there is a lot of pressure on you but Alberto and Penelope are very happy together and even he didn’t think it was a good idea for his parents to fix him up but hey, we came through,” Paolo said, smiling.
“Well, I am not Alberto,” Rafael said matter of factly.
“We know that but you are the elder brother, Rafael.” Susanna leaned forward. “Are you really going to let your brother take your place in everything. Even the business?”
Rafael took another deep breath.
“Mama, I already said it more than once. I love what I do and it is more profitable than I ever thought it would be.” He took one last sip of his wine. “And it is a critical moment in my company right now. I will not walk away when it needs me the most.”
“We are not asking you to walk away from the company, we are just asking you to take a front seat in protecting the family fortune,” Susanna said.
“By setting me up with Isabella Benassi?” Rafael asked. “I mean, she is nice and everything but she is definitely not my type.”
“Rafael, no one ever ends up with their type,” Paolo said and Rafael smiled when he saw the way his mother looked at him. “But they eventually grow on you.”
“I am not willing to settle for someone I don’t love, Mama. Papa.” He shrugged. “And why are you talking as if I am the next king of the Imperioli Dynasty?”
“Because the Imperioli Dynasty as you put it is a four hundred billion dollar estate. We need to know that we can trust you with it,” Paolo said.
“Papa, I turned fifty million dollars into a one hundred and eighty billion dollar business. And if you still have a problem with the way I choose to live my life, then that’s on you because I am beginning to think that this is about a business deal between the Imperioli and the Benassi businesses than getting me to settle down.” He looked at his mother and then his father. “Protecting the family fortune is something that I will do but everything right now, is exactly as it should be.”
“Exactly as it should be? With those wild parties you throw?” his mother asked shaking her head. She turned her attention to her husband. “I told you getting him an American education was not a good idea.”
“Mama, I am sitting right here,” Rafael said matter of factly. “Plus, Alberto got the same western education.”
“He still knows what is important. Family first, Rafael,” his mother said and he pushed his chair back and his mother opened her mouth to speak but she never said anything. Rafael walked to where she was and kissed her cheek before he looked at Paolo. “Don’t worry too much. Life is too short.”
“Are you leaving?” Susanna asked and Rafael smiled.
“Like you said, I have a party to plan,” he said as he made his way out.
He could hear his parents talking behind his back as he made his way to the door but he was not willing to wait and listen to whatever it was that they had to say. At that point, he didn’t think that they had anything to say that was worth his time. He loosened his tie as he walked towards his car.
“Where to, Mr. Imperioli?” his driver asked as he held the door open for him.
“Home,” he said, alm
ost snapped. His heart seemed to be racing by the time he got into the car. He was breathing hard and fast. He actually surprised himself every time he managed to get through a meal with his parents.
First it was cutting him out because they thought if they denied him access to his trust then he would have no choice but to go back to the family business but that was the last thing he wanted to do. Nothing meant more to him than simply pursuing his own dream of building an empire that didn’t count on his surname. Fortunately for him, he was quite the financially responsible brother unlike Alberto.
Ever since he got access to his trust, even though he seemed to be partying hard to the public, he had been putting away chunks of his trust in a private account. A nest egg, he thought. But as soon as he heard of a large chunk of land in the Black Elk reservation being sold off in Texas, he knew there was more to it than met the eye. And soon enough, he knew exactly what was underneath the whole idea of selling the reservation. Oil.
And that was what he did. Pour almost every cent he had into the Texan oil fields and it had paid off. But that was not enough for his parents. And he was beginning to think that there wasn’t anything that could ever be enough.
“Dante, have the caterer meet me at my place in twenty minutes,” he said to his driver as he leaned back.
“Of course, Mr. Imperioli,” Dante said.
*****
It had been four days in Turin and Amanda was already beginning to feel at home. She had actually taken the time to walk around the city and take a number of photos. She had even sampled a couple of restaurants. As it turned out, the best five star rated spots were actually not as good as the street food. She could not wait to try out all the authentic Italian restaurants but at the same time, she could not help but wonder what ‘fried pizza’ was like. And that was not it. As it turned out, street dumplings were so much more tastier than the dumplings she was used to having back in the States. She had just walked back into Emilia’s apartment when she heard the all too familiar sound of the washer.
“Hey,” she called out as she made her way into the kitchen. “You are not working today? Again?” she asked, looking at Emilia.
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