Chapter 2 Two

"Buonasera, Nonna!" said a man, stretching out his arms when welcoming an old woman wearing an expensive suit and classic sunglasses decorated with Swarovski crystals. "I miss you," he continued, then hugged his beloved grandmother warmly.

(Good afternoon, Grandma!)

Even though the woman's body has aged, her appearance still looks fit and agile. Her back is not too bent like other grandmothers who are already in their 80s in general. Beauty is still visible on her round face, except for wrinkles, even though she often undergoes monthly facial treatments using 24-carat gold. Her curly, white hair hung down to her shoulders and swayed in the wind.

"I miss you too, Jake. You're getting more handsome like your father," said the woman, patting the broad shoulder of the man called Jake. "What a Luciano derivative."

Jake chuckled and became embarrassed whenever he heard excessive praise from his grandmother, Barbara. However, it cannot be denied that everyone who meets or passes them always says that Jake looked like his father when he was young. His tall, straight body posture, sharp dark grey irises, jet black curly hair as dark as night, and a firm jaw framing his neat face were also inherited. Could it be because he was his first child? Jake guessed that most of Fabio Luciano's DNA flowed through his every vein.

Who knows.

Jake turned briefly towards the fuselage of the Boeing 787-8 BBJ with the LC logo on the tail painted in brick red as the symbol of the large Luciano family. It looked dashing and charming in the twilight when the plane moved slowly to park on the north side of Ngurah Rai Airport. Then, holding Barbara's hand while exchanging stories about news and things they had done while hundreds of miles apart. They were followed by several men in formal clothes and smooth hair dragging several large suitcases belonging to Barbara.

"You have a lot of stuff. Is Nonna going to spend time here until the end of the year?" Jake teased, to which Barbara replied with an annoyed chuckle. "Jeez, why?"

"You won't believe that this year's summer sucks," Barbara grumbled as the shiny black Roll Royce Phantom stopped right at the airport pick-up area. "And I agree with your suggestion; maybe I must stay here until the problem is resolved!" The lines of her lips smeared with red lipstick stretched briefly towards the bald man who greeted her politely.

"Just leave it to me, sir," Jake interrupted, holding the driver from opening the car door for Barbara. He wondered what happened to his grandmother to make her grumble like that. Does this have anything to do with the vineyards in Tuscany?

Behind the luxury vehicle was a white Alphard used by bodyguards to drive and store Barbara's belongings. Jake asked the grandmother to sit down immediately before continuing the story until her face became displeased. Then, Jake waved at the second car, telling the men to rest directly after the long journey from Bologna. He signaled the driver to leave first and take them to the family accommodation in Sanur.

"Thank you, Mr. Luciano," said one of the men before leaving.

"Relax while you're here," Jake said kindly. They bowed respectfully, said thank you again, and got into the car. It wasn't until Jake walked around the car and sat down on Barbara's left side that he asked, "What happened?"

"Crazy tourists from Germany are picking and eating my grapes, Jake!" Barbara grumbled in annoyance. Her face immediately turned red like a boiled crab, unable to hold back the anger already boiling to the top of her head. "Without clothes, too!" She massaged her forehead, feeling her blood pressure suddenly rise every time she remembered that disgusting and inelegant incident. She couldn't even sleep soundly due to the mischievous hands of irresponsible tourists touching her vineyard.

Not just this once. The incident that happened to Luciano's vineyard occurred repeatedly when summer arrived. Tourists from several neighboring countries, including Germany, always visit to see a short tour of how a bottle of wine is produced. It's a shame that a few unscrupulous people are so casual and innocent in stealing wine even though they are not tour group members.

There was even someone who dared to break into the fence and lay out a picnic cloth without the slightest feeling of guilt but even barked when reprimanded. If allowed to continue, this will affect the amount of wine production, where grapes are the primary raw material. Surely Barbara doesn't want to lose, right? Where there are tour tickets, that's where they can enjoy the wine in calculated quantities.

Barbara understands that people from the Panzer country enjoy recreation and eating fruit, especially in the spring. However, their target was very wrong because most Italians depended on the grape harvest at a time when demand for red wine had increased drastically. Meanwhile, ignorant tourists joke that if they have paid for a wine tour ticket, they can eat as much fruit as they like without even wearing a single thread. They argue that this is one of their rights as tourists. Isn't that wild? Are they humans or animals? Barbara grumbled to herself.

"How much did they spend?" Jake asked, worried. Maybe this is why his father couldn't come to Indonesia for his annual family holiday in Sanur.

"Four baskets per pair," grumbled Barbara. "If every day? Can you imagine our company could experience a wine crisis, right?"

Jake nodded in understanding, holding Barbara's tiny hand tightly. "I'll try to find a way out, Nonna."

"Lo paparazzo tanto. You can always be relied on, Jake," said Barbara, lovingly kissing her grandson's cheek. "It's not wrong that Fabio has great trust in you."

(I appreciate it)

"Come on... my brother Ezio also helps me a lot, Nonna," said Jake, not wanting to get big-headed.

"That's right. But, you're the main heir, Jake," whispered Barbara, poking her beloved grandson's sharp nose with pride.

###

Jake hung up the phone after giving his father several ideas regarding disturbing tourist actions. He thought, if necessary, to limit the number of tourist tours and install wire fences in vineyards in Tuscany, Italy. All this time, Jake knew that Fabio had always let them come during the summer, until unknowingly, the ignorant people took advantage of this opportunity to steal grapes ready to be harvested. However, if Fabio still wants foreigners to arrive to attract consumers to taste the best Tuscan wines, special measures must be taken by sorting them based on their passports.

"That doesn't make sense to me, Jake," said Fabio, firmly rejecting his son's idea. "They will protest and criticise because they feel limited access to visit here. I don't want our rating to go down."

"So, what's the solution if we don't give strict rules, Papa?" asked Jake, tapping his left fingers on the work table. "Since yesterday, Nonna has been complaining a lot about the thieves. If Papa isn't firm, they will be arbitrary again."

"I'll think about it, Jake. But I prefer your first idea. At the same time, we're here to limit the number of arrivals. I feel sorry for our farmers overwhelmed by those stubborn people."

He took a deep breath to fill his chest cavity, which felt tight as he had to step in to help with the problems in Tuscany. Next, Jake leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes, feeling the blood vessels in his temples twitch. On the one hand, it is fortunate that the Tuscano subsidiary led by Jake has never had any problems. Maybe local and foreign tourists maintain their manners better, considering that every corner of Bali is sacred.

Moreover, foreigners may behave more carefully if they do not want to be deported. Furthermore, Jake's vineyard tour offered facilities for picking fruit and tasting processed Lagom that had become wine. So, it's impossible for them to suddenly be so greedy that they want to fill their stomachs, right?

The classic Patek Philippe Calatrava watch with gold plating and a tan alligator strap on Jake's left hand read 10:30. He remembered that he had to get ready to accompany Barbara on a tour of the vineyards in Buleleng. Last night, his grandmother wanted to see how far the Lagom company had developed since Fabio bought the fifty-hectare plantation in 1988. He added that it was not in vain that his son came to Indonesia to spread the wings of the Luciano family's hereditary business and marry one of the beautiful women here.

"You come here yearly, Nonna," Jake said at dinner. "The change is that our exports are increasing. Lagom received an award in Hong Kong last year, right?"

Barbara nodded while giving a proud thumbs up. "But I don't tire of observing your success, Jake," said Barbara. "You are the life of Lagom."

"Without my farmers and employees, I'm nothing, Nonna," said Jake, not wanting to get big-headed.

Driving a stunning jet-black Audi R8 under the hot Sanur sun, Jake took Barbara through the empty streets of the Ngurah Rai Bypass before ending up on Jalan Ir. Soekarno as far as 19kilometress. It took about three hours to arrive at the destination because the location of the vineyard was in the rural area of Sanggalangit.

Barbara commented that Bali was a second home that she said she would never get bored of visiting. Bali offers the warm hospitality of the local people, sunny weather almost all year round, a beautiful environment, and even a hidden paradise.

Apart from that, Barbara said all the food full of Balinese spices pampered her taste buds endlessly. Moreover, many Kintamani dogs were cute and obedient, as if they had known each other for a long time when Barbara said hello. Until now, Barbara still likes visiting holy places with all the history behind them and continuing to sit silently or do yoga. Where else can provide luxury like Bali? she thought.

"But you haven't forgotten your homeland, right?" Jake joked as his car entered the plantation area.

Barbara laughed until the tops of her cheeks turned red. "Tuscany is in my blood, Jake. I can't replace it with Bali. But, you... you have both."

"I know." Jake got out of the car wearing a hat and sunglasses, then opened the door for his grandmother. Extending a hand helped Barbara straighten up after the long journey.

"Welcome to Lagom gardens, Nonna."