Alessandra cared so much about her sister and would do anything if it means she's happy and when something threatens that happiness she'll risk everything, even her own happiness, to stop it.
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I stood listening to my father chat with the Medici's. My sister stood beside me, with a comforting arm wrapped around me.
I could feel my heart beating out of my chest and it only got worse when o heard footsteps stop behind me.
I sucked in a bit of breath and slowly turned around to make eye contact with a roguish man with stunning blue eyes.
"Alessandra de' Bardi, Cosimo de' Medici," Giovanni introduces us.
"Alessandra," Cosimo whispers his greeting. I give a small bow of my head in greeting.
"My son is delighted to meet you. You two should get acquainted," Piccarda, his mother, says as she pushes me forward towards Cosimo.
We stand there in awkward silence until he gestured for me to walk and I start to walk beside him. "Are you well, Messer Medici?"
"You may call me Cosimo if we are to be married," he says.
"Thank you, Cosimo. You've not answered my question," I comment.
"I think you know I am quite well, Alessandra," he responds back rather snappy.
"Then you are uncomfortable as I am," I continue.
"And you are as direct as I've been told," he grumbles out of his clenched teeth.
"I know you did not choose this union, Cosimo-" I start.
"I did not. I do not appreciate being mated like cattle," he mutters bitterly.
My eyes widen. "Cattle?"
"I'm sorry if the truth offends you," he shrugs.
"I did not choose this union either," I remind him aggressively.
"Then why go through with it?" He questions.
"Because it benefits my family, of course," I respond truthfully.
He turns and looks to his father and I to mine. Suddenly I'm grabbed by my worst and whisked away by him.
He pins me against the wall, his face close to mine. "The moment we are married, you will be a Medici. You will not act as an agent for your father's bank, you will not tell him our family's secrets. You will be my wife, and you will be loyal to me, and only to me. Do you understand?"
I was utterly speechless as I stared at the man who was to be my husband, I gave a small nod. He pushes forward and claims my lips with his own.
He pulls back and walks out, leaving me both breathless and scared for whatever was to come.
