“Well, we’ll make sure you do it justice in her honor,” Sergio said, squeezing Mandi’s shoulder. “She’d be very proud of you.”
Mandi smiled. “So, what’s first on your docket, Sergio?”
“I’ll give you a tour of the city as we drive out to Benvenuto, the family villa. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and unlike anything you can find in the city. It overlooks the ocean.”
“Isn’t benvenuto Italian for welcome?” Mandi didn’t know a lot of Italian, but she had a grasp on a few words.
“You’re absolutely right, it is. My grandmother used to always entertain and invite everyone into her home. She was a lively and generous woman who appreciated the beauty in everything and everyone. She named it and that was that. What she said also went, according to my parents and grandfather.” Sergio laughed, and Mandi noticed something relaxed and joyful in his eyes, and then it quickly disappeared after he continued talking.
“Then I have to go to the factory and the office this afternoon, and you’ll be getting a tour of Ostia Lida while I tend to business. It’s a wonderful small town and I think you’ll really enjoy it.”
Obviously Mandi liked the thought of going out and exploring Italy a bit more, but she was disheartened that Sergio wouldn’t be with her while doing it. She quickly reprimanded herself, knowing that Sergio was a business man and that the factory’s fiftieth anniversary celebration was an important event. She was being silly and that was no way to start off this week.
“Well, hopefully you’ll be able to join back up with me for the evening,” Mandi said. Inside her head it was a hint that she wanted more of the bliss she’d experienced on the jet, but she also wanted to get to know the man Sergio in an emotional sense, not just physical. That was the part of him that was most mysterious to her.
“I’ll be back for a late dinner if you wish to wait and join me,” Sergio said in a rather monotone voice, not showing any enthusiasm.
“I didn’t mean to invite myself,” Mandi countered, feeling instantly awkward about the entire conversation.
“Oh no, it’s not that. It’s just that my schedule is usually so sporadic and unexpected things come up when I’m traveling. I hate to keep people waiting, but it’s necessary when there are business dealings to address.”
“I understand,” Mandi said. “We’ll just play it by ear.”
“Now that is a brilliant plan.”
A half hour later Mandi and Sergio were through customs, and on their way to the front, where a chauffeur was to be waiting for them. Sergio would get his own vehicle when he got to the villa, a Ferrari 599 GTO that was black and sleek—Sergio’s words. His eyes lit up more talking about that car than they seemed to at the thoughts of dining with Mandi. She was struggling trying to stop the negative thoughts from flooding her mind.
The drive through Rome was minimal because the airport was on the outskirts of the city, and you didn’t need to go through the entire city to get to Ostia Lida. Mandi thought the outline of it looked impressive and as they drove down the highway toward the coast Sergio pointed out the silhouette of where the factory was, describing a bit of what the environment was like there, number of employees, employee loyalty, etc. Business was another thing that lit Sergio up apparently because his enthusiasm was equal to that of a child’s going to Disney World.
Once they pulled into the front driveway of Benvenuto, Mandi couldn’t believe the exquisite beauty of the villa. She’d only seen things like it in pictures and they couldn’t compare to the real deal. It had grand columns on it, a Mediterranean style roof with the clay tiles, and large windows with black wrought iron accents. To the right you could see the family’s vineyard that was used for creating their own private label wine too—something that Sergio said was a family hobby. It was so spread out, and two stories high. There was a giant fountain in the middle of the front driveway that was decorated with statues and had Benvenuto carved into the stone around its base.
“Sergio, how many rooms are in this place?” Mandi asked, not even being able to grasp the breadth of the villa. Apparently there were small quaint villas and then monstrous villas.
“The main house has thirty rooms total, and the servant house has eight.”
“Wow!” Mandi shook her head, putting the Leon family financial status into an entirely different category. She’d obviously known that they were very well off and had been to their magnificent properties back home, but this…this was unbelievable.
Before her and Sergio could get into the house they were greeted in the front driveway by a whole group of people—Sergio’s relatives. There was his Aunt Diedre and Uncle Marcel, plus Angelica and Frederic, Sergio’s eight and ten year old cousins. They were all so nice and eager, happy to see Sergio and curious about his companion. Mandi smiled at their welcoming manner, befitting of the villa name, and let them take her around and explain everything.
After about ten minutes Sergio must have decided that Mandi was okay because he told her that he had to get going and would see her later. He didn’t hug her, kiss her, or do anything to indicate that he’s just rocked her world hours before. What was the deal? He was definitely serious when it came to business.
The tour of the villa was delightful and every room told a unique story about the history of the Leon family and what they’d been through in their lives. Mandi briefly thought of her own small family and could barely relate. She had one aunt who lived on the west coast and two cousins, who she’d only seen a handful of times. Closeness wasn’t part of the Jenkins family plan, except for Mandi’s mother. She embraced their relationship and ensuring that they were as close as could be.
Mandi couldn’t believe the guest room she had either. It had its own bath, fireplace, and overlooked the ocean too. It was amazing. The doors opened up to a veranda overlooking the ocean and Diedre told her to enjoy the fresh ocean air as much as possible during the daylight hours because it brought a rather big chill when nightfall came.
“We’ll give you some time to shower and relax before we take you into Ostia Lida to look around, sound good?”