If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that here in Italy food is love and love is expressed through food; if you love someone, it’s worth spending the day cooking for them.
I want Elisa to know I love her. Just in case, however, I also bought some heartburn medication.
“You and I need to talk,” she surprises me from behind.
“I asked you not to come to the villa until this evening. You ruined the surprise!” I say, cleaning the flour from my hands with a cloth.
“And I asked you for a month, but instead you continued to negotiate the sale with the Russian,” she snaps, and my brain shuts down.
Transmission interrupted.
I would like to tell her that it’s not like that, that she’s wrong, but the truth is she’s not.
“The month is almost over,” I reply, clinging to the only extenuating circumstance I have.
“Was it finished three weeks ago when you went to the town hall to ask about zoning for a golf club?”
I gasp without knowing how to respond.
“Yeah, Michael, I found out about it from the surveyor, Gentile. As you know, everyone in Belvedere talks.”
“I was just getting ahead on work.”
But she jumps straight into a tangent. “I, on the other hand, believe you never seriously considered postponing the sale. You just said what I needed to hear so you could do your business in peace.”
“You’re wrong. I really did revalue the estate. If it were mine, I’d keep it, but it belongs to the Bingleys and they want to sell it. So if you want to blame someone, blame them.”
“Do you think I don’t know you’re the one behind every decision Charles ever makes? Like distancing himself from Giada?”
Fuck.
“Michael, answer me. Was it you who told him to leave her?”
“Yes,” I admit. “It was me.”
“I see you’re very proud of your puppeteering. Do you enjoy pulling the strings of people’s lives? Do you feel some sadistic pleasure in seeing her suffer?”
“I don’t enjoy seeing anyone suffer; that’s why I wanted to protect Charles. It was clear your sister was only looking for an advantageous marriage so she could leave Belvedere. Charles was naive enough to be the perfect target. I’ve seen my best friend fooled by all kinds of social climbers over the years. This time I decided to open his eyes before he got hurt, since his intuition when it comes to love is completely offline.”
“A luminary of love has spoken! You, who, until the other day, were screwing two women at once! You know nothing about love.”
“But that’s where you’re wrong, Elisa. Because I was right. As soon as Charles put the brakes on his calls and messages, your sister disappeared on him.”
“Giada was terrified of asphyxiating him! She was dying of anxiety when she didn’t hear from him, but she knew he was away on business and didn’t want to bother him! When he disappeared, she thought she was just his summer fling,” she screams at me, possessed by anger. “Of course, this played into your hands, so Charles didn’t hesitate for a second to sell and gave you carte blanche to close with your client. Well done; your strategy worked perfectly.”
“Do you think I’m that smart? Let’s pretend I didn’t come between him and your sister. I don’t understand what three weeks or a month matters to you if Charles wants to sell anyway.”
“It matters because I want to buy the estate.”
Her response leaves me stunned. “Buy it?”
“Yes. But I need time for the bank to approve the loan. Once I had the money, I was going to make an offer to Charles.”
“Excuse my frankness, Elisa, but the Bingleys aren’t exactly hurting for money. They won’t sell low just to get rid of the property.”
“Indeed, that’s why it takes so long to get the loan, because I want to make a reasonable offer. I certainly can’t get in a bidding war against a Russian billionaire.”
“But why do you want to buy Le Giuggiole?”
