The Heir

Chapter 49

"Oh."

"He was the most impulsive person I've ever known," he smiles to himself. "Even worse than your brother."

"That's an achievement," I murmur.

"I raised them both," he continues. "Antonio was already fifteen but still. I raised your father almost entirely on my own. Alice wasn't around for a while and the only other person I had to help me was Gio."

"Is that why you're so close?" I ask.

"Gio came to live with us when we were ten but that's a story for a different day," he dismisses me quickly. "Your father, he-"

Dad cuts himself off to take a deep breath. We've hit the point of no return. Where I get the privilege of seeing him at his most vulnerable. I've seen him get emotional before, more so than my siblings I believe. But it's never easy to see your dad like this. He closes his eyes before looking at me with tears in his eyes.

"He was an incredible person," he breathes out. "Top of his class, did volunteer work, and was the best damn soldier this family has ever had."

I swallow hard as tears prick at my eyes. I've never actually sat down and had this conversation before. I've never heard my father, Enzo, be referred to like this. There's a new kind of pain throbbing in my chest.

"He was smart; really smart. I wish I would've gotten him an IQ test because I swear he was a genius," he begins to rant. "One day, when he was in high school, he stormed into my office. Interrupted an important business meeting to demand that he be named my heir."

He chuckles, "he had some fucking balls, I'll tell you that. But he was also meticulous and was always able to see the bigger picture. So, I named him my heir and began to train him."

"Is that why you say I remind you of him?" I ask curiously.

"There are so many reasons, Elle," he gives a sad smile. "But, yes, that is one of them."

I nod and he takes that as permission to continue.

"When he was seventeen, I sent him to Italy," he says. "The bullshit with the Russians was getting bad and I needed someone back home. I trusted him with half our empire in that moment and he never disappointed me."

"He met your mom that same year, although he didn't tell me about her for a while," he continues on. "I think he was trying to protect her in his own way. But they got married and they had you right away."

"Everyone says I look like her," I state. Because it's true. Anyone who knew her says the same thing.

"You do," he laughs. "It's fucking uncanny. But that attitude of yours, that intelligence, that's all Enzo."

I find myself smiling at his words. I'm the perfect combination of both my parents. Smart and trustworthy like my father. And beautiful like my mother.

"I never expected them to die the way they did," he shakes his head. "Not once did it cross my mind that Enzo, of all people, would die so young."

"I hope you can understand a bit more why I was so opposed to giving you the title; the same goes for your aunt and uncle. Vincenzo was trained to completion and had been running a portion of the family for years when he died. You're still just a girl in school; you have to understand my hesitation."

"I do," I nod slowly. "You're not changing your mind, are you?"

"No," he leans his elbows on the desk and sits a bit straighter. "I'm telling you all of this so I can explain how your training is going to work."

Training; shit. Now that my dad has appointed me his heir I guess I don't need Rome anymore. What's the point of secret training when my dad is now willing to do so? I've been looking for an excuse to call it off and this is it.