Rafael grinned. “This isn’t America.”
Anna gave a thin smile. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her father being mixed up with Mafioso types.
“You see Giovanni also had a tough childhood. He worked his way up the ranks with nothing but tenacity and brains. He had no benefactor. Most of his first clients were old acquaintances, from the wrong side of the tracks. When he expanded, he took on more respectable clientele, including some prominent Government officials , but by that stage he had already made a name for himself in the business.”
Anna soaked up the information. Rafael was giving her a rare insight into her father’s life. Despite never meeting him, she felt proud to be his daughter. “ He sounds like an impressive , if not a little scary, man. I wish I’d got ten the chance to meet him.” She took a deep breath. There was no point in wishing for what could never be. Focus on the present, she told herself sternly. Don’t dwell on the past. It gets you nowhere.
“ I assume you’ve taken over the firm now that Giovanni’s passed away ?”
“Not entirely. I’m a partner in the firm. I specialise in trusts so I manage the Capri subsidiary, in addition to my larger clients in Naples. The Capri branch caters mostly for private clients on the island.”
“I see,” muttered Anna, impressed despite herself. Rafael was way out of her league. He was a glamorous, jet-setting lawyer living in a high-flying world that she knew nothing about . Giovanni had been too, by the sounds of things . Her reality was the maternity ward at the hospital. It was strange to think she could be related to a powerful man like Giovanni, and indirectly to Rafael. In fact, if someone had told her she’d be whizzing along the Amalfi Coast on a 50 foot yacht with a guy that made Brad Pitt look ugly , she would have laughed in their face .
But as interesting as all this was, it didn’t provide any clues to why she was here. Rafael’s reason for her to accompany him to Naples was still a mystery. “ So what has all this to do with Mancini?”
“I’m getting to that,” remarked Rafael , taking a deep breath .
“Once I was financially secure, I decided to open a charity for street kids like myself. Somewhere that could be a haven, where they could get a decent meal, an education or work advice, if needs be.”
Anna stared at him, filled with admiration. “What a great thing to do.”
Rafael shrugged off the compliment. “It seemed like a good idea. I could have done with a place like that when I was a kid. God knows how I would have turned out if Giovanni hadn’t rescued me.”
There was a brief pause while Rafael contemplated what could have been. Anna kept respectfully silent, waiting for him to go on.
“It’s called Streetwise,” he told her after a beat. “And it currently supports in excess of forty kids. Some only come to eat and sleep, while others talk to advisors and use the training facilities to get into schools and colleges.”
“That’s amazing,” commented Anna. “I had no idea you were so involved with the community.”
“You don’t know me,” replied Rafael quickly.
“No, I suppose not,” mused Anna, realising that there was so much about the enigmatic lawyer she did not know. Here was yet another level to his personality.
“The point to this story,” said Rafael more forcefully, “is that Streetwise is about to be demolished.”
“Demolished? Oh no. Why?”
“Because it stands on prime development land. A wealthy industrialist has bought up the surrounding buildings in order to build an office block and he wants the property Streetwise stands on. He’s got ten permission to demolish the site. It’s going ahead next week.”
“My God,” whispered Anna. “Is there nothing you can do?”
Rafael shook his head. “No . N ot up until now. It seemed hopeless. I’ve been running around trying to find an alternative location for the shelter, but even if I d id find
Anna gave a thin smile. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her father being mixed up with Mafioso types.
“You see Giovanni also had a tough childhood. He worked his way up the ranks with nothing but tenacity and brains. He had no benefactor. Most of his first clients were old acquaintances, from the wrong side of the tracks. When he expanded, he took on more respectable clientele, including some prominent Government officials , but by that stage he had already made a name for himself in the business.”
Anna soaked up the information. Rafael was giving her a rare insight into her father’s life. Despite never meeting him, she felt proud to be his daughter. “ He sounds like an impressive , if not a little scary, man. I wish I’d got ten the chance to meet him.” She took a deep breath. There was no point in wishing for what could never be. Focus on the present, she told herself sternly. Don’t dwell on the past. It gets you nowhere.
“ I assume you’ve taken over the firm now that Giovanni’s passed away ?”
“Not entirely. I’m a partner in the firm. I specialise in trusts so I manage the Capri subsidiary, in addition to my larger clients in Naples. The Capri branch caters mostly for private clients on the island.”
“I see,” muttered Anna, impressed despite herself. Rafael was way out of her league. He was a glamorous, jet-setting lawyer living in a high-flying world that she knew nothing about . Giovanni had been too, by the sounds of things . Her reality was the maternity ward at the hospital. It was strange to think she could be related to a powerful man like Giovanni, and indirectly to Rafael. In fact, if someone had told her she’d be whizzing along the Amalfi Coast on a 50 foot yacht with a guy that made Brad Pitt look ugly , she would have laughed in their face .
But as interesting as all this was, it didn’t provide any clues to why she was here. Rafael’s reason for her to accompany him to Naples was still a mystery. “ So what has all this to do with Mancini?”
“I’m getting to that,” remarked Rafael , taking a deep breath .
“Once I was financially secure, I decided to open a charity for street kids like myself. Somewhere that could be a haven, where they could get a decent meal, an education or work advice, if needs be.”
Anna stared at him, filled with admiration. “What a great thing to do.”
Rafael shrugged off the compliment. “It seemed like a good idea. I could have done with a place like that when I was a kid. God knows how I would have turned out if Giovanni hadn’t rescued me.”
There was a brief pause while Rafael contemplated what could have been. Anna kept respectfully silent, waiting for him to go on.
“It’s called Streetwise,” he told her after a beat. “And it currently supports in excess of forty kids. Some only come to eat and sleep, while others talk to advisors and use the training facilities to get into schools and colleges.”
“That’s amazing,” commented Anna. “I had no idea you were so involved with the community.”
“You don’t know me,” replied Rafael quickly.
“No, I suppose not,” mused Anna, realising that there was so much about the enigmatic lawyer she did not know. Here was yet another level to his personality.
“The point to this story,” said Rafael more forcefully, “is that Streetwise is about to be demolished.”
“Demolished? Oh no. Why?”
“Because it stands on prime development land. A wealthy industrialist has bought up the surrounding buildings in order to build an office block and he wants the property Streetwise stands on. He’s got ten permission to demolish the site. It’s going ahead next week.”
“My God,” whispered Anna. “Is there nothing you can do?”
Rafael shook his head. “No . N ot up until now. It seemed hopeless. I’ve been running around trying to find an alternative location for the shelter, but even if I d id find
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