Among Stars by Nevi Bernard (best beach reads of all time txt) 📖

Its one thing to be a rich kid, but to be Vincenzo is an entirely different thing. Let me tell you about my life. My dad, Tamaso Patricio Vincenzo, the last of the Vincenzo clan, is an Italian multi-billionaire owner of the Vincenzo Royal Bank, Palazzo de Vincenzo hotel and contributes to the family’s Vineyard and Winery. He is a real eye candy. Mom says I look just like him. Uncle Giovanni Quincy (GQ) is the oldest and Uncle Romar Jazneil (RJ) is the second in the clan. My dad and uncles has lived a pampered life from the moment they were born. My grandparents Thiona and Giorgio were always on vacation, so my dad and my uncles grew up with their maid Maria Ruzza. Nonno, that’s what I call my grandfather, is the founder of Vincenzo Industries in Italy, while (Nonna) my Grandmother is the President of an all women’s book club and also help in running the Vineyard and Winery and owns her own charity called Precious Hands. My Uncle GQ is the top lawyer in Italy and the United States, and he is the head lawyer for all the Vincenzo companies as well. Uncle RJ is a cartoonist, he  writes comics and do sketches for animated movies, Nonno always complained that he should  do something better with his life, but he is in charge of all the advertisement for the Vincenzo family businesses.

  My mom on the other hand is Mexican never had the opportunities that my dad had but she and my aunt were happy. Her parents (my grandparents of course) came to America along with my mom whose a few days old and aunt Chaundra who was pretty young too. Aunt Chaundra is a chef, she and mom opened up their own family catering business, in from their mid-teens called Chow City Restaurant and catering, and my grandparents gave them all the support that they needed and it has been a successful business since then. My grandparents Maria Caldera and Rafael Caldera although were very supportive of my aunt and my mom, had a very hard time sometimes to make ends meet when they’d first came to the states, until abuelo (grandpa) got a job as a horse trainer and has been since then. Since they lived in Texas at the time it had little difference from being in Mexico, my abuelo says, but he loved the job. Then the rancher bought a new stable and decided that abuelo would be among the six trainers he would take with him and so the moved to South Carolina, where they live in Charleston. Abuela (my nana) opened a diner once she moved and this fueled my mom and aunts love for cooking. Soon they started their own thing. When they were ready to study for the different profession, they had money in the bank to help with college fees.

My Aunt’s husband Kent Houston is an architect, he is part owner of the McAllister and Houston Architectural firm. They have two kids Amanda and William, Mandy and Liam for short, even though they are not kids anymore. Amanda is a photographer and William is a videographer. Both always love the arts and they taught me all that they learned whenever I visited. They both work for my mom.

Now my mom, she is my number one hero. Why? She has never cease to always amaze me, how she juggles three jobs. She is part owner of Chow City Restaurant and catering, she owns a wedding planning company called Silvermoon and she is also a novelist, many edited and published by BLISS Romance, a famous Publishing company. She would use the names of certain couples that she had as clients, with their permission, to write a new romance novel. When the novel is out for the public to read she would give the first copy the couple as an anniversary gift. And they always love it. Now you see why she’s my hero?

  But I feel like an outcast, the black sheep of the family, well except for Nonno who always made me feel special and wanted. When I was younger I was the prize of the Vincenzo clan. Even my cousins spoilt me rotten, until Lola came along. You see Lola Peters was my dad’s girlfriend during his senior year of high school, unfortunately he got her pregnant. But she’d left without saying goodbye, where she was going or told him anything about the pregnancy known. Dad, somehow seem to have forgotten about her when he met mom that New Years Eve and fell in love or so mom says. But whoever fell in love with whom, they got married three years later.

 Then about a year, almost a year later rather, I was born. Then one sunny afternoon my worst nightmare began. Lola came to visit dad, she actually thought that I was his niece and was very surprise when I began yelling at the top of my voice, a very big one at that. Mr. Watkins always said I could wake up a whole town by just talking, but he was just joking. I was three at the time, so you can just imagine the noise I was making. “Daddy, there is a lady here to see you.” My dad came immediately knowing that I wouldn’t stop yelling unless he came right away.

He was very surprised to see her. But was more shocked later when he found out that the kid with her was his child. She told him if he didn’t believe her that he was always welcomed to taking a DNA test. He did and found out that it was true. When mom was told about it she was very confused, she didn’t know what to do. Then she told him that she was okay with him taking up his responsibility to be a father to his new found son. But when he started to spend too much time with both Dremaine (my older half brother) and his mom and spend less time with us, which felt like he’d practically abandoned us, mom got frustrated.

 That was when they began to argue a lot. It was horrible. Then one night while asleep I heard then arguing about the separation between them, who wasn’t spending time with whom and who is never interested in what kind of activities. I went downstairs very carefully and quietly, and then crept toward the living room where I heard everything even the most horrible part,

“Then we could get divorced since you want them over us.” Mom practically screamed in tears.But dad didn’t stop to think of why  the woman that he had always known to never back down so easily, who was always ready for a fight, and looked at life as a challenge was backing out. She had been trying to challenge him, but he didn’t see it that way, he just thought she was quitting on their marriage. Mom thought she’d been fighting a losing battle and she didn’t want to be the one embarrassed, so she backed out, but he didn’t fight for her or tried to fight for her.

After the divorce was final mom began to tour a lot. She would take me everywhere she went. So we’ve been to Paris, Italy, Russia, Germany, Jamaica, just to name a few places. And when she couldn’t take me she would leave me with my nanny Jacquelyn Holmes or Lyn for short; she too would travel with mom and me a lot. Then one day, while in France, I told my friend Francesca, who’d become close become very dear to me, who my dad was. She’d been so excited, but had promised to not tell anyone. Unfortunately she told her mom, who blabbed to the press at a price. A price that I paid as well, so you can just imagine how horrified I had been when I opened the door the next morning to find paparazzi all over your front lawn.

Mom had taken me inside and got me to calm down. Then I told her that I had told Francesca about dad was and it was my fault. She’d rocked me until I felt better, then she made some calls. During the time she’d been dating dad, she found out that Pedró (Pe) and Enrico (Rico) Rodón, identical twin brothers who grew up with mom, had retired from the army and was currently working as part time bouncers at a club called SENSATIONS. After speaking with them and agreeing that my safety was seriously necessary, they were hired to become bodyguards. They recommended a few other persons who were recruited with them in the army that they knew would work well. Alexander Wong (Alex), now a martial arts master who owns his own dojo, Daleon Campton (Leon) a serious and risky driver, who also trained with Pe and Rico in the army, he was to become my personal driver. He would take me where I want/need to go while being on the look out for and photographers. Kevin McMaster is my Big Brother, my mentor. He’s a retired marine Lieutenant and retired spy agent for the US government. I was a real hand full then and somehow he broke through all the barriers and attended to my needs. He own a new Community Centre in Culver City called CRAZY TOWN. Then last but not least there is Austin Daniels (Aus). He is our computer whiz; he can hack into any system in a few seconds, program and repair a computer if they are broken. And so he has taught me a couple of stuff.

Since mom had always tried many different ways to manage the paparazzi on her own the she would only pay them for certain big event and no one had ever tried to hurt her. So when mom told them of this special situation then they’d come to our rescue. They’d all kept their normal jobs so that things wouldn’t look too obvious or anything and so that way they could keep track of me in their own ways at different times

My dad did help us out of that little problem but that didn’t change any thing. Dad had married Lola; they had five more kids. A pair of twins: Davari and Drevin, and the triplets: Davoni, Dynea and Dashae. So whenever I’m around, I’m the odd one. I never fit in, I was never treated right either, so I try to avoid going to my dad. But I can’t escape visits on holidays like, Christmas or Thanksgiving. One thing with being the black sheep and all, I am normally invisible. And who am I? I am Damira Jaxsonia Olivét Nicolaidia Vincenzo Caldera and this is my life.”

With that I stop the camcorder and took out the disc. I placed it in the small cupboard among the other disc in the closet, in the library which I kept locked. You see my diary is different than most people. Why? Because it’s they are video recorded. That’s what I would use my camcorder for mostly and I would store the discs in the cupboard. Not really a fan of writing stuff. I turned around just in time to see Dremaine was making a beeline for the key to the closet. I hadn’t heard when he’d entered.

“Get out, you spineless jerk!!!” I yelled grabbing the keys and stuffing the vigorously into my pocket. He laughed as he made a U-turn out of the room.