“But why would Antonio date me? It doesn’t make sense. He never once asked me anything regarding my dad. To be honest, we weren’t even that serious.”
“I’m not sure, Ari. But hopefully we’ll get some answers today.”
A thirty-minute cab ride later, and we arrive at a building that reads Torino Real Estate.
“Let me do the talking, okay?” Gio says.
I nod in agreement, while glancing around. It feels like I’m being watched, but I’m not sure why…
“Rome and Caesar are here,” Gio whispers, answering my silent question, and I feel my shoulders sag in relief.
When we get to the top floor, Gio lets the secretary know we’re here to see Mr. Torino. She escorts us to the room and when I walk in, I come face-to-face with Antonio Torino. I gasp for the second time today louder than planned. Gio takes my hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.
“Gentlemen. I don’t believe we need to make introductions. After all, Aria dated Antonio, for what, eight months?” Gio has slipped into business mode. His voice is cold and calculating, his face devoid of all emotion. It’ll never cease to amaze me how he can so easily switch from hot to cold.
He sets his briefcase down and pops open the locks, taking some papers out. “Anthony, before I begin to share with you my theory, would you care to explain anything?”
“Giovanni, why don’t we have a seat?” Anthony gestures to the conference table which seats probably twenty people easily.
“We could, but I don’t expect to be here long enough to waste my time getting comfortable. Why don’t we just cut to the chase? You have shares of Aria’s that belong to her. Either you give them back or I’m going to dismantle your entire life piece by piece, starting with your organization and ending with this business.” Gio waves his arm in the air to emphasize his point.
“You motherfucker!” Antonio seethes. His father holds him back and Gio laughs, only it comes out dark and sinister, sending a chill up my spine.
“Looks like I hit the nail on the head.” Gio turns to me. “Before we proceed, Aria, do you want to be a part of this business? Does real estate interest you?” He knows it doesn’t, but I go along with his question.
“No, I don’t want any part of this business.”
“Very well. Mr. Torino, I have put a call into Angelo Moretti’s attorney. He’ll be getting back to me with the specifics of the will and when he does, I’ll know exactly how many shares Aria owns.”
“She signed them over to me!” Anthony booms, his fist slamming down on the table.
“No, she didn’t. Weston did. What I want to know is why? There’s a couple pieces to the puzzle I’m missing. Maybe you would care to fill me in?” When Anthony doesn’t speak, Gio adds, “Keep in mind, your company and organization are at stake here. Now is not the time to stay tight-lipped.”
And with that, Anthony sings like a canary. “I built this goddamned company from the ground up! And what did Angelo do? He left his half to his daughter! A daughter he didn’t even know. They should have been left to me.”
“So, you what, had her kidnapped and forced her to sign?”
“No, that was all Hightower. When I approached him after finding out about the will, I offered him a finder’s fee if he could get his wife to sign over the shares. Five months later she died, and a month after that, Aria signed over her rights.”
“Where does your son fit into all of this?”
“He was keeping tabs on her…until her mom died. Then he took her and delivered her to the senator in exchange for her signature.”
My eyes go to Antonio. “You’re the one who kidnapped me?” My voice raises several octaves with each word I spit out.
“You didn’t really think I was in love with you or some shit, did you? You were nothing more than a decent fuck to pass the time with until we got the business of the shares handled.” No, I didn’t think he was in love with me. I sure as hell wasn’t in love with him, but damn, how did I misjudge his character so badly?
Gio stalks toward Antonio and grabs him by his shirt. He shoves him up against a wall and punches him straight in the jaw. Antonio’s face jerks to the side, his lip gushing out blood. Anthony’s guards, as well as Caesar and Rome, run into the room, prepared to defend their bosses.
“Let that be a fucking warning to you. Don’t speak about Aria. Don’t speak to Aria. Hell, don’t even look at her. I have the means and motive to destroy you, and I won’t hesitate to do so.”
“Giovanni, please. He is nothing more than a child.” Anthony tries to calm Gio, but he couldn’t care less. He keeps a hold of Antonio’s shirt for a few more seconds before he finally lets it go.