The Twelve Vitali Ch. 00

It had only been a year since everything had been lost to them, but in talking with them, you wouldn't know it. The Donati's lived, loved and laughed in equal measure and without restraint, despite the heartache of losing so many people in quick succession. He loved his family in the same way, he supposed, but he held a protective shield around his heart tightly. He knew only too well that family could hurt you even worse than a lover. The Donati's were a prime example of that, even if he hadn't had the memory and knowledge of what his mother had done to them when they were children.

He had planned to ask Dante about Nik, but it seemed the three leaders of the Donati family were inseparable. He'd have to go to visit them in Queensland, he suspected, where they weren't on constant alert and so overprotective of the woman they both clearly loved.

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The low-income housing project that Matteo had taken on as part of the philanthropic side of his business was nearing the end of the first phase of building, and he toured the site with his Uncle Frankie. He was proud to be able to point out the environmentally friendly features and works that would cut down considerably on heating and cooling costs for the families that would eventually live here.

Like most of his generation, Frank gave a lot of himself and his resources to pet projects. In this case, however, he had gone into one of the poorest areas of the city and tried to make a difference for the kids through sport. He volunteered as a junior grade coach and putting money into the local football club, as well as organising scholarships and tryouts for the wealthier clubs that fed into the A-league teams.

Frank had been over the moon when Matteo had approached him about the project, and had kept him close in an advisory capacity during the project. Tradesmen seemed to be everywhere now as phase two began, but Frank could easily see what was happening. In addition to the large building of high-density housing, there were two other gated communities of townhouses and a shopping precinct to be erected on the two block allotment. Matteo had been able to purchase the land from the government, as they closed down the derelict welfare housing that had aptly been named welfare alley and decided whether to refurbish or rebuild.

The project, he knew, now would probably run at a loss for his company, but they could afford to absorb the costs with all of the other projects the company was involved in, not just here but worldwide. They were world leaders in the use of environmentally friendly materials and energy saving features. Now he wanted to build a reputation in low-income housing areas as well and hoped that as they designed more of these types of spaces, they would be able to cut down costs and at least break even, if not make a small profit in the future.

Matteo was happy with the work to date and his manager's work on the build, but he knew he needed a break and a change of pace, so once Frankie had left he had picked up the phone and called Dante. He was grateful for the cheerful, welcoming voice on the other end of the line. Matteo suggested that he might fly up for the weekend and asked when it would be a good time. Dante had been happy about the visit and offered one of the town apartments the family owned for the duration of his stay, whenever he wanted to come, but if he delayed it for a month there would be several projects that he could consult on. Dante had also suggested that if he could extend his stay he could use some help designing a brand-new building he and Josh were considering putting under construction.

When he hung up he was still chuckling and regretting the time he had not wanted to continue his friendships with anyone in the Donati family. He enjoyed the droll dark humour that rolled off Dante's tongue that somehow matched his own. He picked up his phone again and made plans for some time off next month.

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