Sarah’s eyes darted between the two men, and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
‘We cannot have this discussion without the other party.’ Alberto indicated the two empty chairs.
‘Other party?’ Matthew echoed. Had his great-uncle invited other members of the D’Adamo Trust Board?
Alberto leaned back in the chair and readjusted his shirt. ‘Matteo, there has been an interesting turn of events. Unexpected.Senza precedenti.’
Sarah watched Matthew grow pale and, for the first time, saw his trademark charismatic smile drop away.
‘What do you mean, Zio?’ Matthew shuffled forward in the chair, now teetering on its edge. ‘Has something happened?’
Suddenly, a knock on the door tore through the rising tension.
‘Sì, prego!’ called Alberto, who cleared his throat on cue.
In walked a couple Sarah guessed to be in their late-thirties, or perhaps early-forties. The woman had opted for a tightfitting black lace dress with spaghetti straps and patent red stiletto heels. Her yellow-tipped hair with dark roots was gathered into an oversized bouffant, and the shade of pink worn on her lips matched that of her talon-like fingernails. Despite the attempted elegance of her ensemble, it couldn’t hide the patchy fake tan around her elbows, ankles and palms.
The man, almost a foot shorter than his partner, wore a smart charcoal suit with matching brogues. His dark hair was oiled and slicked back, and beginning to show signs of premature salt and pepper greying above his ears.
‘Ah,benvenuti.’ Alberto rose to his feet to greet the newcomers with considerably less enthusiasm and affection than he had greeted Sarah and Matthew. ‘Prego, accomodatevi,’ he welcomed, showing them to the two remaining chairs.
The pair sat down and studied Sarah and Matthew with a belittling air. The woman placed her Gucci handbag on the desk in front of her, straightening its gold chain shoulder strap so that the links sat flat in a perfect line.
‘If you don’t mind, I will speak in English, as one of our company,’ he smiled kindly at Sarah, ‘is yet to perfect her Italian.’ Sarah felt her cheeks flush. ‘Let’s begin with introductions. Barone Luca D’Adamo and Baronessa Silvia Camogli of Lago di Garda, these are Matteo D’Adamo and Sarah D’Adamo of Sydney, Australia.’
Sarah felt Silvia’s poisonous glare roll over her from head to toe. Matthew and Luca politely reached across to greet each other with cheek kisses, whereas Sarah’s polite smile simply bounced off Silvia’s icy exterior.
‘What aretheydoing here?’ Silvia abruptly asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Sarah and Matthew.
‘Seeing as you’re all here, you can hear the news all at once.’ Alberto resumed his previous position, sitting as tall and confidently as his suit would allow. ‘As we worked to determine – to the best of our ability, of course – the rightful heir of the D’Adamo Trust, we came across a, shall we say . . . roadblock.’
The pit in Matthew’s stomach suddenly widened. The months of planning and organisation flashed before his eyes. The time and money spent to pull this operation together. The sacrifices made. All the preparation with Sarah . . .
Sarah noted Matthew’s grip tightening on his armrests, and placed a reassuring hand on his.
‘We believed you, Matteo, to be the rightful heir, according to the inheritance clause.’ Alberto paused, not looking at Matthew directly as he delivered the next comment. ‘Well, that was until the legal division came across you, Luca, in a different branch of the D’Adamo family lineage.’ He took another pause, longer than the first. ‘The clause states that at any given time, should the holder of the D’Adamo estate wish to relinquish their corporate hold, the name and all business entities, it will be passed onto the youngest married male D’Adamo who can be traced by direct descent. As I have decided to step away from my post, the time has come to engage the clause.’ Alberto looked at the four concerned faces across the desk. ‘You both,’ he gestured to Matthew and Luca, ‘are at the same level of descent required to be considered a direct heir.’
Matthew closed his eyes in disbelief. Sarah squeezed his hand even tighter.
‘What?’ Silvia snapped. ‘What are you talking about?’ She went to stand up, but Luca caught her arm and coaxed her back into her seat.
‘You both qualify, in terms of bloodline and being married D’Adamo men of legal age, to inherit the family estate.’
‘But who is the younger of the two?’ Silvia demanded.
‘This is where we have found ourselves in a difficult situation. You see, according to our records, you were both born on the 14th of June. Correct?’ Both men nodded in agreement. ‘And of what year?’ Alberto asked.
‘1982.’ They replied in perfect unison.
‘And herein lies the problem.’ Alberto began shuffling through papers on his desk, finally locating two identical navy envelopes. ‘Here is our counter-contract.’ He passed the envelopes to Matthew and Luca, who both immediately withdrew the papers.
Matthew’s eyes couldn’t read fast enough. He scanned the pages, though the contract looked the same as the one he had previously been sent.
‘The amendment is on the final page,’ Alberto said, causing the men to furiously flip ahead. ‘The D’Adamo family legacy stretches back to before the fifteenth century, a time when the name came with a noble title – a title which has carried down particular lines of the family,’ he nodded to Luca and Silvia, ‘but was lost to others through marriage and other causes.’ He looked at Matthew. ‘Being a D’Adamo means more than wearing the name and enjoying the wealth and privilege it provides. It’s about the importance of family, first and foremost.’
The importance of family.Matthew held those words in his mind.
‘So, if both parties agree to pursue the inheritance clause, this is how it will play out,’ Alberto continued. ‘You have twelve months in which to demonstrate how well you uphold the D’Adamo family and corporate values of trust and loyalty. You will be transferred from Florence to a small village on the border of Tuscany and Umbria called Fiorellino sul Monte. There, two properties await. We will toss a coin to determine which property is assigned to which couple.
