Chapter One

I watch myself in the mirror as I pull my jacket on, slowly, savoring the feeling of being wrapped in a cloud. I splurged heavily on this vicu?a wool suit, but I need the men I"m meeting to take me seriously.

My steel blue gaze stares back at me as I straighten myself up, pulling my shoulders back and taking in a deep breath. Tonight"s meeting is about securing a new product source, something big for the family business.

Going home with this deal in hand will finally show the whole family that I'm more than just the pretty face of this business.

I've been trying to get my older brother to allow me to take on new meetings like this for three years, but only now does he feel I'm mature enough. Which is rich coming from him. He's been doing this since he was much younger than me.

But it"s always been assumed that he could do it while I needed to be micromanaged. This is the perfect opportunity to prove him wrong.

I try to tame my unruly hair one final time before I turn away from the mirror. I always keep the sides short, but my barber left a little much on top at my last visit. My attempts are futile, these dark locks have a mind of their own.

As I grab my wallet and phone, I feel vibrating in my hand and realize I'm getting a call. It's my brother. No surprise, he's probably just trying to control this deal and how I handle it.

I love my family but their lack of trust in my abilities really boils my blood.

I hit the silence button — I'll call him back after the meeting, let him know just how well it went without his help. I head out the door, feeling confident.

The meeting does go well. These men are no pushovers, but with a little charm, and a lot of liquor, they are reasonable. I have a good list of negotiations to take back to the family so we can set this all in motion.

After they"ve left I throw back a few extra celebratory drinks before heading back to my room. I think about asking the blonde girl who has been staring at me in the bar all night if she's interested in coming back to my room with me, but in the end, I can't be bothered.

As I stumble back into my room, I knock my knee on the table in the hallway and swear loudly. The clock says it's almost midnight, but I'm riding a wave of pride at how I just handled this meeting and I feel like I could go another twenty-four hours without sleep.

It's never easy, navigating negotiations while building trust, and keeping my wits about me. But contrary to what my brother believes, I am just as capable as he is.

If he tries to dispute my abilities after this trip, I'll laugh in his face. My sister also thinks I can"t do this work, although she's usually quicker to give me the benefit of the doubt.

Thinking of my siblings reminds me to call my brother back. I can tell him his comments about my meeting were unneeded, just as I thought they'd be.

Picking my phone up, I see he's tried to call me five more times since the first. It just shows how hard he finds it to let go of the reins.

He sent me here, why won't he just let me do my thing and trust me? Because he still sees me as his kid brother. That"s why. I know the reason, but it still annoys the shit out of me.

It's late, but I know he'll still be awake. I find his contact in my phone, glad that the shots we did in the meeting haven't left me completely inebriated.

My brother answers almost before the first ring has completed. "Jesus, Luca, where the fuck have you been?" He's screaming into the phone, so I move it away from my ear and put it on speaker.

"Calm down, man, I was in the meeting I told you about and put my phone on silent. I just saw your missed calls now." I"m lying, but his anger is not something I want to be dealing with right now.

"Okay, well in the future, wherever the fuck you are, and whatever the fuck you're doing, you keep your phone on. Got it?"

I sigh, "Got it." It's an old rule — keep yourself available at all times in case of issues.

"Ok." He sighs too, but his tone changes from agitation to something I can't really place. "You need to come home."

"Yeah, sure. I've only got two more meetings here, and then I'm wrapping it up and coming home. I'll be there by Wednesday." I gave him my itinerary before I left, so he knows this.

"No, Luca. You need to come home now." My brother is good at bossing me around, but this sounds more like a desperate plea than a command.

"What's happened?" I ask, my breath quickening.

My gut tells me something's not okay, and I think about the family members at home who might have been at risk before I left for Mexico.

My brother is clearly fine, but then I think about my sister. She's usually smart and good at keeping herself out of trouble. And if anyone tried to harm her, I'd have their heads before they knew I was even coming for them.

"I don't want to have this conversation over the phone, Luca. Can you call the pilot and arrange an early morning flight back? As soon as you're home, I'll update you."

"Nuh uh, tell me now."

"Luca, I-" My phone screen suddenly goes black and I realize that I've forgotten to charge it. "Shit!" I growl at no one but myself and run to plug it in. It takes a full three minutes to get it back on, and I dial my brother back as soon as it allows me.

"Luca," he answers in a solemn tone, not giving me a chance to explain what just happened. "It's Nonna. She's gone."

I freeze, the weight of my brother"s words sinking in like an anchor dropped to the depths of the ocean.

"Luca." he repeats. His words hang in the air, a painful echo reverberating in my mind.

Our grandmother, the anchor of our family, the woman who weathered the storms of our lives with unwavering strength, was no more. A lump forms in my throat as I grapple with the sudden reality, one that feels inconceivable.

My mind races back to the last time I saw her, just a couple of months ago, before I left for Mexico. We had laughed over coffee, discussing the places she wanted me to take her shopping upon my return. She seemed lively, full of the same vibrant energy that had defined her for as long as I could remember.

The idea that this lively, indomitable force had slipped away, leaving behind only memories, feels surreal.

"Luca?" My brother"s voice interrupts the flood of memories, pulling me back to the present.

"She held on for a long time," he continues, his own voice sounding raw with grief, "but this afternoon she took her usual nap, and when her nurse went in, she was gone. It was peaceful, and she was at home where she wanted to be."

She was almost eighty-seven years old, and it's to be expected, when someone is that old, that they will die…one day.

I just never thought of her ever leaving us. Not really. She always seemed so full of life. It was only in the last year or so that she even seemed sick, and she never let that fully affect her.

"Okay," I manage to utter, the word escaping my lips like a fragile whisper.

The room feels smaller, suffocating, as if the air has been sucked out. After losing my parents at a time when my core memories were still forming, Nonna Ginny became my constant, the guiding force that helped me navigate the tumultuous waters of life.

She wasn"t the stereotypical grandmother seen on TV, baking cookies and knitting in a rocker chair. No, Nonna Ginny was a force of nature, a woman who demanded respect and gave unwavering love in return.

My mind races through the lessons she imparted, the values she instilled. Loyalty above all, was her mantra, and she taught us how to stand by each other as family.

Nonna was the compass that guided us through the murky waters of life"s challenges, showing us the importance of holding on to each other in times of need.

She also had no problem telling all of us — family, friends, business associates — exactly what she thought about our attitudes, and giving us tips to improve them if she felt that's what we needed.

The realization that I could no longer seek her advice, share a laugh, or find solace in her comforting presence hits me like a tidal wave.

Nonna wasn"t just a grandmother; she was the heartbeat of our family, and I already know that her absence will leave an ache that words can"t capture. I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to possibly the most important person in my life.

In the midst of my grief, I'm comforted with the thought that she passed away peacefully, in her home. She had always fought hard not to be sent to one of those old-age homes. Not that we would ever have sent her away.

"Alright," I gather myself and my thoughts, tapping my finger on the bedside table next to my phone.

My brother has been rather quiet on the other end of the phone — strange for him. He knows what this means, and perhaps he's worried that it will push me over the edge. But I have more control over myself and my emotions than he believes.

"I'll be home tomorrow and we can start to arrange a funeral. Make sure everyone else gets home as soon as possible, too." He's probably already done that in the hours I was ignoring his phone calls, but I blurt it out anyway.

I arrange for my jet to be ready to fly at dawn, and undress to try and get in a few hours of sleep before I leave here.

Lying on this strange hotel bed, I think about my grandmother and everything she had ever told me in my life. The woman had wisdom, that was for sure.

I'm going to miss her, and saying goodbye is going to be hard. But I know she didn't like pity parties, and definitely not any held in her name.

***

I wake up to the harsh ring of the alarm, blinking away the remnants of a restless sleep.

The events of last night hit me like a ton of bricks, the joy of a successful business deal replaced by the heavy reality of Nonna"s passing.

I take a deep breath as the realization sinks in that I"m returning home not to celebrate a successful deal, but to bid farewell to the woman who had been my rock.

The private jet is ready, and the flight is quiet. I sit alone with my thoughts, memories of Nonna flooding my mind.

She wasn"t just a matriarch; she was my confidante, my advisor, the one person who never questioned my capabilities. Now, with her gone, I feel a void that no business success can fill.

As the plane descends, I catch a glimpse of the familiar landscape below. The family mansion, where we had gathered so many times for happier occasions, now stands as a silent witness to the reality awaiting me.