Page 70 of By Blade, I Love
“You know how to do that?”
I shrugged. “I can figure it out.” I was a smart guy who learned quickly. “We can live in the main villa if you want, but I assumed you would want to live here.”
She considered the suggestion before she gave a slight nod. “I do, actually.” She sliced her fork into another egg, and the yolk started to run. “That place will always feel like my dad’s house. I don’t mind working in his office, but I can’t see myself occupying his bedroom. I’m not sure what to do with it.”
“You don’t have to do anything with it,” I said. “That’s a decision for another day.”
“I’d ask Leo if he wants it. But I doubt he’d want it, and even if he did, I don’t think he deserves it.”
I gave a nod in agreement and took another drink of my coffee.
“What should we do with your place down the road?”
“I’ll put it back on the market,” I said.
“It’s a nice house, but I’m not sure how much we’ll use it.”
“We’ll need to prepare better boundaries around this property. You can just drive up to most of your vineyards, and that’s a problem.”
“That would cost a fortune,” she said. “We have so much land.”
“We can create boundaries in sections,” I said. “Build a smaller wall that encompasses our place and Leo’s. Put large gates that lead to other parts of the property. Something needs to be done, because it’s too easy for people to come for us. Will a wall and a gate stop them? No. But it buys you time.”
She nodded in agreement.
“I’ll start working on that tomorrow,” I said before I took a drink of my espresso, feeling the caffeine hit my bloodstream with every sip.
She finished her eggs before she took a drink of her cappuccino. “Should we talk about finances?”
“Sure.”
“I assumed we would just consolidate everything, unless you have a different suggestion.”
“My money is your money, and my salary for my employment is also our money, but I want the business to remain separate from our marriage.”
Her eyebrows immediately rose when she heard that. “What?”
“It’s separate property.”
“But it’s not. We own it together.”
“No,youown the business, and I work for you.”
She shook her head like she didn’t understand. “We’re husband and wife now.”
“I understand that, but I consider it separate property. It belongs to you, and—if you want to get technical about it—Leo. You’ll pass it to our children someday, and they can continue to run it or sell it. I want you to run this business as you see fit, without my opinion or solicitation in any capacity. My job is to help you and protect you, and you pay me for that, so we’re square.”
She continued to maintain her confused expression. “I’m just not sure why you feel this way.”
“Because it’s a family business—and I’m not family.”
“But you are.”
“Not by blood—and that’s okay. You know I have plenty of money, and I don’t need further assets. This is your business and your property, and I would like it to be separate from our marriage. But what’s mine is absolutely yours.”
“Well, that’s not fair.” Her voice started to rise. “Why do you get to share and I don’t?”
“Because I’ve earned my living. Yours is a business that originated over a hundred years ago. It’s a legacy. And out of respect, I don’t want anything to do with it except for a paycheck. It’s yours, and it should stay yours.”
