April is always easy to find. The second I start to look for her, she always appears. Maybe she's magic.

"April," I say, waving a hand to get her attention. 

She notices me and walks over with a smile on her face. "Lelia, are you all packed and ready to go? I can bring your things to the door if you are."

"I am, but I just wanted to spend some time with you." She looks at me, slightly confused. "My grandfather told me to say goodbye to anyone I had become friends with, and I knew I wanted to at least get to talk with you before I left. You've been so kind to me since the moment you met me. I wanted to thank you."

April gives me a soft smile. "Oh, well, you were easy to befriend, and you're very sweet yourself. It's no wonder the young master took such a quick liking to you."

I blush, and she giggles. "Well, he hasn't even said hello to me today, so I think we're in a weird place."

She nods, still smiling. "Teenagers tend to find themselves in odd predicaments when it comes to love. Can I offer you a piece of advice?" I nod and she walks me over to the couch. "Here, sit." We turn to face each other and she takes my hands. "Men tend to think they need to prove themselves to earn a woman's affection, but the young master already feels that he has to prove so much to everyone else. Maybe you should prove to him that you're a strong young woman, and that you can handle yourself. It may take some time, but you're both still very young. Plus, I don't see the young master accepting any arranged marriages any time soon." She smiles at me. "Make use of your grandfather's lineage, and become his heir. Show the young master that he doesn't need to worry about you."

I look down at our hands, and she squeezes them. "I don't even know how to speak Italian."

April sends me a half smile half smirk. "You understand it well enough, I've seen you keep up with the conversations that the young master and the master have in Italian. I'm sure your grandfather would love to teach you."

Maybe I should become his heir, then I could do whatever I want, and be whoever I want.

She stands up and gives me a hug. "I'd love to continue and chat, but I have to go make sure everything is ready for your departure. I'll see you again before you leave, so don't say goodbye, yet." I nod and she walks away from me, leaving me deep in thought on the couch. 

Noon arrives quicker than I thought it would, and soon, I'm arm in arm with my grandfather, walking out the front door of the Giordano household. Everyone is outside, even the servants. This is way too grand of an exit. I figured we'd just be saying goodbye to the Giordanos themselves, but no. This is what April had meant by getting everything ready.

My grandfather walks me over to Lorenzo. "Lorenzo, I thank you again for taking care of my granddaughter. If ever you need the assistance of the Vittori family, don't hesitate to ask."

"Of course." Lorenzo says, bowing his head deeply. "I hope she finds happiness with you in Italy." He smiles at me. "Don't forget me too quickly. I'd love to hear from you about how you're doing there."

I smile at him. "I'll be sure to write every now and again." He nods, and next is Gabe.

Gabe immediately pulls me into a hug. Sometimes I swear he doesn't know if he's a child, or a mischievous teenager. "I'll miss you, Lelia. I won't have near as much fun picking on Alex without you here." I laugh. 

"Of course you'd only want me to stay so you'll have ammo." I hug him back. "Behave, okay? I want to hear that you've grown up into a fine young man one day."

Gabe pulls away and scoffs at me. "I'm always going to be the rascal of the family. Someone's gotta do it, and it definitely isn't going to be Alex."

I laugh again, and turn to Alex. He looks at me in a way I can't quite comprehend. "I'll call you every once in a while." He says. "I may need help with my Algebra." I smile.

Sure, cause that's why he'll want to talk to me. "Sure, I'd be happy to help." Alex holds out his arms, and I give him a hug. It's an unspoken goodbye. I know he probably won't call. He'll be too worried about other things here to even have time to worry about me. "Do your best here." I say, pulling away from him.

He nods at me, and crosses his arms again. My grandfather, who's been silent this whole time, turns to speak to Alex as I move away from him. "I'll be speaking with your father frequently about your progress. He's told me several times that you will exceed him in many ways, and I trust his word. I hope to see you again once you've taken over the family, and discuss our alliance again."

Alex bows his head. "Of course, sir. I'd be honored."

My grandfather puts out his arm for me to grab, and I send everyone one last look. April steps out of the line up and I give her one last hug. "Don't forget what I said." She whispers into my ear, and I nod.

"Goodbye." I say with a sad smile. 

She waves as we pull away from the house. I notice Gabe waving like a maniac, and Alex slapping his back, probably a bit too hard, to make him stop.

"Are you excited to be going back to Italy?" My grandfather asks. I turn to look at him, and he looks very happy.

"I haven't been there in a while, so it will be nice to be back." I wonder what his home looks like. I don't think I have any memories of it.

We drive in silence to the airport, and then get onto a private jet that my grandfather apparently owns. I end up sleeping almost the whole nine hour flight to catch up on sleep.

My grandfather wakes me up before we land. "Would you like to look out the window?" He asks, gesturing to the one next to me. 

I sit up and rub my eyes, then turn to look out the window. The view is of lush green hills, and a city off in the distance. It looks like such a beautiful place. I forgot how spectacular it looked from so high up. "It's beautiful." I let out with an amazed sigh.

We land only twenty minutes later, and my grandfather walks me to a car that's waiting for us. A man steps out, holding the door open. "Lelia, This is Giuseppe. He is my personal guard, and now also yours. You will see him often."

The man bows to me. "It is a pleasure to meet you miss Lelia."

I nod my head at him. "The pleasure is all mine." I say with a smile. We get into the backseat and Giuseppe drives. 

The drive to my grandfather's house is quiet as I watch out the window. The rolling hills pass by, and we enter a winery. I see lines and lines of grape vines. There are a couple of miles of grape vines, and then a large villa appears on the top of the hill. "Welcome to the Vittori Winery." Giuseppe says, a satisfied smile on his face as he looks back to see me staring in awe. My grandfather also seems satisfied with my reaction. 

We get out of the car, Giuseppe offering me a hand as I step out, and onto the stone driveway. "Wow." I say, getting a better look at the large house. It's so beautiful.

"This house and winery have been in our family for over two hundred years." My grandfather says, walking to my side. 

I follow the walls all the way up to the roof with my eyes, and my head tilts back. "We must have had very rich ancestors." I say, still in awe.

My grandfather laughs, nodding. "Yes, we did. They worked very hard to give us the life we have now, which is why we must work just as hard to maintain their legacy." I nod, looking at him now. 

I clear my throat. "I understand now why you were hoping to gain an heir in my father."

He clears his throat. "Yes, well he is now no longer your concern. Try to forget about him, because here, he can't touch you." I smile at him, and he breaks out into a smile too. "You remind me so much of your mother each time you smile at me." 

My head dips, suddenly feeling bashful. "I remember my mother being very kind, and beautiful. It's a compliment to be compared to her." I say, trying to thank him.

"I'm glad you're so much like her. I know that it will take some time for you to adjust here, but I also don't have many english speaking attendants here, so it may be difficult for you to communicate." He says, turning to Giuseppe. "Giuseppe will be teaching you Italian from here out, along with several other things. I will be putting you into school starting this week." 

I clear my throat. "I actually believe I could graduate already. I've completed what's necessary to graduate from a liceo classico, and only need to pass the maturità."

My grandfather looks at me, surprised. "Well, this is unexpected." He says.

"I was forced to study what is required, in case we moved back to Italy, along with my brothers. We just couldn't get our diplomas since we had to do an oral test to be able to pass it." I watch as the wheels turn in his head. 

"I see." He turns to Giuseppe. "Test her to make sure she's prepared first, and if you believe her to be capable, then set her up to take the test. If needed, state that she's been home schooled here up until the time she takes it." He turns back to me. "I don't want you to stress over this. We can always put you into a great school here in Vittoria, so don't feel pressured to pass. I will not look down on you if you do."

"I'll pass." I say, confident.

He nods, taking note of my resolution. "I look forward to it." He says, and with that, we go inside to my new home.