After an exhaustive search of his belongings, he was finally allowed to leave. That’s when he saw Mark’s message,
Mama’s asking for you. She’s not feeling too good. Come home.
A load crushed him hard. Not again. Mama was just better a while ago. He had nowhere else to go when he messaged Mark.
Coming home. See you for dinner.
First, Alex would take care of Mama. Then he would prove everyone at Schneider & Pratt wrong.
3
Arianna was staring into the distance when Sophie found her. The view from the balcony was stunning, especially in the summer. Theirs was not a huge estate; they only bottled some Cabernet Sauvignon and some Pinot Noir, which they sold to a few regular buyers. Their regulars insisted their wine was better than some of the ‘bigger estates’ but Sophie had never let that praise get to her head.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Sophie said, taking the chair beside Arianna. That movement broke her thoughts and she looked to see Sophie for the first time since the big reveal. Arianna’s eyes teared, and she nodded.
“Tell me everything,” she said, sniffing. “When did thi….these threats happen? Why would someone want our estate? We’re not even in the main town and there’s nothing but grape vines for miles on either side.”
Sophie nodded and got a folder with all the threats. Arianna leafed through it all.
“It all started around Easter…” Sophie looked up to see Arianna glaring at her.
“What? I didn’t think it was serious. I would have done something…” Sophie looked ashen.
She sighed.
“Papa got this phone call one afternoon, asking him to sell the estate and move away if he knew what was good for him. He dismissed the call and went about with his life. But the calls continued. It would always be one sentence. ‘Sell the Estate and move away.’ And Papa didn’t mention anything until…”
Arianna narrowed her eyes. “Until what?”
Sophie leafed through the folder till she found a piece of paper with the following text.
‘FRANCO DOESN’T PARDON DEBTS’
Sophie’s eyes misted when she saw the paper. She swallowed. Arianna was confused. Who was Franco? And what debt was he talking about?
“Papa…Ana, he had a gambling addiction.”
“NO.”
Arianna stood up in shock. Every cell in her body screamed in protest. This was not the man she knew. The man she knew was honorable and loved the estate and his family.
“Why do I not know about this, Sophie?” she said, looking furious. Her sister looked away.
“It was....a long time ago. I remember him and Mama had vicious fights about it. I just..I thought this was over till he mentioned this debt that had been hanging over him for several years.”
Arianna couldn’t take it anymore. This was too much to bear. Was she even a part of this family? She stood up to leave.
“Ana, wait,” Sophie said, running after her. She caught up to her and pulled her back. Arianna’s furious brown eyes met Sophie’s deep blue eyes and cooled.
“Papa came clean about the debt and how he had tried to turn the estate around. A part of our profits always went to pay off the loan, but the last few years were hard, and I wasn’t able to do much. I...I planned things, I set money aside.” Sophie’s eyes filled with tears.
“Finally, one day, a couple of Franco’s henchmen came home and threatened Papa. That’s when we decided to send him away. The winery isn’t making enough to pay off the debt by itself. The Bed and Breakfast I planned will take a few years to get off the ground and that costs money. We just didn’t know what to do. We had to sell.”
Arianna paced around. It was a lot of information to take in. She had never spared one thought for the estate, the winery, and the costs. She had big dreams in her mind when she got out of town and somehow, the winery never featured in those dreams. She’d let that part of her life slip away, and now it was leaving her for good.
“How much is the debt anyway?” She frowned. Maybe she could pull in some money from her investments. She owed that much to the place she had grown up in. She owed that much to Papa.
Sophie’s shoulders sagged. “$500,000.”
Arianna’s eyes widened. That was a lot of money. “I…I can probably pay, Sophie. Can we push the sale somehow? I can raise some money from my investments, probably get you 20% in a few days.”
Sophie shook her head. “Papa decided. He decided to sell out. Whatever Franco had on him, it’s serious enough to make him comply.”
“Are you sure this is how much we owe Franco? Who is Franco anyway? Where is the agreement that says we owe him that much?” Arianna massaged her head. A headache had begun to form.
“Papa said Franco is someone he grew up with. He’s someone who lives over in Sonoma. I’ve....If Papa wants to sell, I’ve got nothing to say.” It was clear Sophie was defeated. Arianna’s mind whirred.
She leafed through the folder and found what she was looking for. There was an executed document dated thirty years ago with a lot of legal mumbo jumbo that she had absolutely no idea about. No, something wasn’t right. Every alarm bell in her mind was ringing. There was no way her father had put the estate on lien, and she couldn’t figure out anything from plain reading. She had to investigate.
A determined look came over her face.
“I’m going to fight this. There is something not right about this. I’m going to go to a lawyer and have someone explain this to me.”
There aren’t too many lawyers this side of town.
Sophie looked frightened. “No, don’t do that, Ana. Papa didn’t want to blow this any bigger. Don’t risk this. Please don’t. Papa isn’t here, and we’re losing the estate. I can’t risk losing you too.” Overcome with emotion, she hugged Arianna tight.
Arianna hugged back. Sophie was the eldest of them all, and she managed to control her emotions pretty well. But seeing her so distraught really put off Arianna. She was determined to save her home, no matter what it took.
I will do whatever I can to save the estate. There was no way she was letting someone intimidate her into selling her childhood home.
4
Arianna woke up to a beautiful St. Helena morning. The summers here were so gorgeous. And it felt great coming back to her room. Of course it wasn’t her room; she shared it with Sophie for as long as she remembered. Now, of course, Sophie had her own room, even though this one was kept just as it is. All those posters she had put up when she was a teen still adorned the room’s walls. A worn out journal sat on the dressing table beside a vase of bright red roses.
Arianna smiled. Sophie was so thoughtful; she’d kept roses so that the room would smell fresh. She’s the perfect host, Arianna thought. A Bed and Breakfast here would be perfect, especially in harvest season. But there would be no harvest season this year, and no estate. That realization crushed her. She pushed the comforter out of the way. There was no way she was letting this go without a fight. Something about the whole incident didn’t sit right with her.
Sophie was brewing some coffee when she entered the kitchen. Oreo was sitting in a corner and he trotted over to her chair, hoping for a treat. It was so cute the way he would look with his big brown eyes. It melted Arianna, but she knew Sophie strictly controlled Oreo’s diet and she just laughed.
“Oh, Oreo, I don’t have any treats for you. Look, I’m drinking some coffee,” she said, letting him sniff her morning drink. Oreo wrinkled his nose and decided he didn’t like it and went back to his seat by the window.
“So,” Sophie said, bringing a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast to the table. Arianna raised her brows. Sophie put her hands up in mock surrender.
“Don’t give me that look, Ana. I just want to know what you’re planning to do.” That was Sophie’s way of keeping tabs on her. Arianna rubbed her forehead. What was she going to do?
“I think I’m going to start from the agreement, the sale, and the loan agreem
ent. I need to be convinced that we’re doing the right thing. And then maybe…” She looked out of the window. The grapevines looked beautiful. She turned and stared at Sophie.
“I know you told me not to interfere, but I don’t know everything about this. I was too young when all this happened. I don’t know what has got you so scared that you’re not getting into this, but I am. I’m going to find a lawyer in St. Helena, or back in Cupertino. I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
Sophie frowned. “I’m not scared, Ana. You weren’t here to deal with everything, none of you were. I was at home with Mama and Papa when those goons came. I’ve never been so afraid before.” Her eyes flashed terror. She gulped.
“I’ve been trying to get Papa to tell me everything, but it’s not working.” Her face fell. “Do you know how painful it is for me to see the estate being sold off?” Her voice was laced with anger. Her eyes flashed. Arianna shrunk back. This was a side of Sophie she had never seen.
“I’ve been working here for so long, year after year, growing wine, sustaining the business, finding clients. And not because it’s some duty or obligation, but because I want to. I love this, I love my job. It’s tiring, thankless, and I’m penniless at the end of it. None of you wanted this.” She glared at Arianna.
“I put every bit into the business. I’ve not taken a break since the time I took it up. And it’s so hard because it’s the only thing I have. I don’t have a life to go back to. I don’t have a home to go back to. Mama and Papa, well, they will manage at Tina’s, but what about me? Where do I go?” Her anger evaporated and was replaced by pain. Tears filled her eyes and she looked at Arianna.
“Ana, where will I go? You have your own life, Tina is living her life in Anchorage, and Vana, well, I don’t know what Vana is up to these days. I am nobody without this. I’m nobody.” She sobbed.
It was very evident Sophie had been holding all this inside for too long. Arianna hugged her from behind. Sophie continued sobbing.
“And trying to talk to Papa was impossible. He just shut me down. I had to work so hard to convince him to let me run this place, and it was as if all the progress I made had evaporated. Papa treated me like a small child. After all this time, he didn’t think I could do something about this. Don’t you dare tell me I didn’t try,” she said, raw emotion in her voice.
“I’m sorry, Sophie, I’m so sorry,” Arianna said, hugging her and rocking. It was a thing they did when they were children, hugging and rocking. It had always calmed her down, and she hoped it would help Sophie calm down too.
“I’m going to help you. You’re right, I’m not letting this go without a fight either. Papa can think whatever he wants to,” Sophie said, wiping her tears. A determined look passed between the two sisters.
“Soph, how much has been going to this Franco character over the years? Did you not know about this when you were running the accounts? You must have known if a sum kept vanishing every month.” Arianna said, furrowing her brow.
Sophie nodded. “Let’s go to the office. I can look it up. I’ve not had a dedicated payment go to any party I’ve not known about. I did know that Papa had asked me to honor payments on a few contracts when I took it up, but I never looked into them in too much detail.”
They entered the estate’s office. It wasn’t a proper office; her father’s study had been converted into one a long time ago. Sophie had continued to use the office when she took over from her father, and one of the first things she did was introduce computerized accounting and records.
Arianna looked at the books stacked in the bookshelf. They covered every aspect of winemaking and also a fair number of business and hospitality topics. Sophie was really studying everything she could to make this place a success. Sophie typed something and a list flashed on the computer. She beckoned Arianna.
“These are all the parties I’ve made recurring payments to, or the estate has. I can recognize a few of these; they’re some of the vendors I’ve worked with,” Sophie said, striking those names from the list.
Arianna peered into the screen. None of the names sounded suspicious. But perhaps when they scanned agreements that each payment was backed by, they would uncover more clues. She continued scanning the list and the payouts every month.
“Wait a minute, Sophie, here’s something funny. There’s a monthly payout every month to a company called Ezee Securities. Doesn’t Livingston from town manage the estate’s finances and investments? His company isn’t called Ezee Securities,” she said as realization dawned on Sophie’s face.
Arianna stood up and crossed her arms. “I think it is time we get ourselves a lawyer, Sophie. I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell want to know why we pay Ezee Securities a sum of $3,000 a month and why we’ve paid them that sum for the past five years.”
Sophie frowned. How did she never question what her father had told her all these years? Why hadn’t she dug deeper into the accounts?
Arianna could see Sophie’s eyes look away into the distance and knew she was holding herself responsible for all of this. She put her hand on Sophie’s shoulder to break her chain of thoughts.
“You know this town better than I do, Sophie. I need names of lawyers or law firms right now. I’m going to talk to them as soon as possible.”
Sophie nodded and browsed through some magazines. One of the best parts about St. Helena was that it had a book of the residents and the professions they practiced. The idea was that this would help improve business within the town. Everyone would have someone from their hometown to count on if they ever needed it.
There were quite a few names under the Lawyer profession. One of them stuck out to Arianna and she almost stumbled, taking a step back. A name she hadn’t thought of for years was on that page.
Alex Garner. The one who didn’t keep his promises. Her lips thinned. His name brought up painful memories she didn’t want to relive. Especially their last night together. The memory of their broken promises cut her deep, but she knew she could trust Alex with this.
Sophie saw her eyes fixed on one name.
“You’re thinking of talking to Alex, aren’t you?” Arianna blushed.
Sophie nodded. “I’ve heard he’s good. And I’ve heard he’s come back in town for a holiday.” She looked at Arianna, who had gone white.
“I don’t really know what happened with you two. You guys used to date, right?” Arianna just nodded. Sophie bit her lip. Arianna looked lost. Her mind was spinning. The prospect of meeting Alex again was daunting, but so was the prospect of losing her home. Arianna felt stuck. Finally, the desire to save her house trumped the awkwardness of meeting Alex. She searched for his profile on Facebook and saw his brother Mark had tagged him in a photo. She quickly made a decision.
“I’m going to see him, Sophie. I haven’t seen the guy in ten years, but I don’t care if it helps me get the estate back.”
Her phone showed her the date: August 1. The day they had promised to come back to each other.
Ten years later, they were both strangers to each other. And now, on this very day, they were in St. Helena together. Arianna brushed that errant thought. She had an idea about where Alex would be and she grabbed the folder with all the agreements and made her way to town.
“All the best,” Sophie called out. Arianna huffed and walked to her car.
After so many years, the past was calling. And for the first time, Arianna wanted to indulge the past.
5
Alex entered his mother’s room with a breakfast tray. He’d made her some porridge and a side of toast. His mother looked up when he entered and tried to sit up. He placed the tray on the bed and smiled at her.
“How are you feeling today, Mama?” he asked, searching her face for any signs of fatigue.
His mother smiled at him. She took a few bites of the porridge and leaned against the wall.
“I’m much better today.” Her hand reached out and took Alex’s. She was recuperating following a bout of pneum
onia, but fatigue had been really draining on her. The doctors had always been wary of her poor immunity, and the pneumonia had left her feeling fatigued for several months. Alex had been there when she was hospitalized, but the recent case load meant he hadn’t been home for a while.
Alex looked at her enjoying her breakfast. He got up and opened the curtains. It was a beautiful day. He looked at the hills in the distance. They stayed in a residential area in town, but St. Helena was a wine town, with small boutique wineries and huge estates like the DeLucas. The thought of wineries brought up memories he hadn’t thought about for a long, long time. A beautiful woman flitted in his thoughts.
Arianna Belmonte.
He hadn’t thought about her for years. His eyes hovered to the calendar his mother hung in her room.
August 1!
Well, at least now he knew why Arianna had suddenly entered his mind. His mind filled with memories, and their last memory together made him draw in a sharp breath. Their night under the stars, this very day ten years ago, before they went off to college, her to Penn State and him to Berkeley. They’d promised to come back to St. Helena and pick up, but even when he promised, Alex knew it wouldn’t be a promise he’d be able to keep. He wanted to be a successful lawyer and Arianna, she just wanted to get out of St. Helena and make something of herself. Was it just a coincidence that he was here on the exact same day that he had promised her he would? Did the promise hold good even if he kept it ten years after it was made? Would Arianna remember their last night together?
His mom’s cough broke him out of his reverie. He turned around to see an empty bowl. That was good. It meant his mom had an appetite today. A full tummy was always a good sign.
He was about to clear the tray away when she stopped him.
“How are you doing, Alex? How is work? I’m sorry I called you back home. I just wanted you around.” She smiled at him. It had been a long time since they had spoken about anything else except her illness. Alex didn’t want to elaborate about work, or holidays. He didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily. He composed himself and replied, “It’s all going fine, Mama. Don’t worry about that; I had some time coming and I took it.” He took the glass by her bedside and handed her some pills. His mother looked at him quietly. He turned. He didn’t want her to read him, and he certainly didn’t want to talk about work. Getting suspended was one thing, but getting fired for leaking information was worse. If he couldn’t prove anything to the contrary, he would be unemployable - nobody would hire him, and he’d be stuck. The thought made his heart pound and he gulped.
St. Helena Vineyard Series_Promise Me Forever_A St. Helena Thriller Page 2