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“Mm-hm. All three of their families became investors in the same business. That’s their connection. Not sure why they decided to band together and start these rumors now…” Celia muttered. “But I’m guessing it had something to do with Dad pulling out of the deal.”
“Sorry, which business is this again?” Ana’s brows furrowed.
“Oh, the wineries. You know–Vitello’s company.”
Static filled her ears.
Echoing shrilly around her.
“Vitello,” she repeated hollowly.
“Yes.” Celia laughed. “He was laying it on so thick that day, name-dropping everyone who’d invested in him–as if that would convince us.”
She continued chattering away, but Ana’s thoughts raced wildly ahead.
The three sources who’d named Celia as the culprit for the texts were all tied to Vitello. How could it be?
There is no such thing as coincidence…
Gio’s words floated back to her.
Had Vitello engineered these rumors as an additional attack on the Don? She rubbed her mouth, utterly overwhelmed by the discovery. How many ways had this monster screwed them over?
“Vitello must’ve been pissed that we’d backed out of the deal, especially now that his business has hit rock bottom,” Celia continued, oblivious to Ana’s shock. “I can’t figure out why he targeted you in these rumors, though…”
Oh, she knew exactly why.
Vitello had become increasingly desperate as his fraud and machinations began to come undone, and he’d done everything in his power to cripple the Don from taking action. Including dismantling his reputation and image.
But the extent of his treachery was mind-boggling. Only someone who was utterly unhinged and greedy could stoop so low.
“…I always assumed you were close to Vitello.”
“Why?” Ana blurted, startled.
“Well, he is friendly with the Mancinis.”
“Him and about a hundred others.”
“True,” Celia ceded. “But his biggest investment comes from your family.”
Ana stilled.
“You knew that, right…?” Celia asked. “I mean, that was part of Vitello’s whole sales pitch that day, bragging about all the elite investors he’d acquired. He told us all that the top investor in his business was Francisco Mancini.”
Ana trudged back to the waiting area on leaden feet, weighted by the pit in her stomach. The old man came into view around the corner, where he was grumpily watching the news on TV. Reggie was sitting a few seats away.
When she emerged, he relaxed.
Ana nodded distractedly at the guard, clutching the phone in her hand.
What Celia had shared was nothing new. Grandfather was friends with Vitello, and because of that friendship, he had invested in the wineries.
But Vitello was just one of many such friends. Grandfather was well-connected and schmoozed with all the elite families. He’d invested in many of their ventures as well. Until Ana had started her fashion line, and Antonio had become involved in the gold business, the Mancinis had survived purely on those investments.
So Grandfather having a stake in Vitello’s business meant nothing. But his being the largest stake completely changed things.
With that much money at risk, there was no way that Grandfather would have remained a passive investor.
