Chapter 22
Thunder split the night sky, rattling windows across the island..
In their bed, Cosimo pulled Noemi closer, covering her ears until the storm passed. Once she’d drifted back to sleep, he carefully slipped from beneath the covers, threw on his robe, and stepped. onto the rain–soaked terrace.
Through the downpour, he spotted a figure standing beyond their gates–exactly where his security team had reported.
Still here.
Cosimo De Medici hadn’t built his empire by being soft. His gentleness was reserved for exactly one person, and she was sleeping safely upstairs. For everyone else, he was the man who made governments tremble and rival families pray.
Time to remind this Moretti pup why the De’Medici name had survived five centuries.
Outside, Alessio stood drenched and shivering, oblivious to everything except those iron gates. His body shook with cold and exhaustion, but his eyes remained fixed on the house where his wife now slept in another man’s bed.
A gate creaked open. Footsteps approached through the rain.
“Noemi!” Alessio lurched forward desperately.
But the figure under the umbrella wasn’t his wife. It was him. The man who’d stolen everything.
Lightning illuminated Cosimo’s face, and suddenly memories crashed over Alessio like waves. This bastard at their door after his “death,” that relentless matchmaker who kept showing up….
Wait. Mrs. Conti..
The realization hit like a punch to the gut. The matchmaker who’d practically stalked Noemi, who’d ignored every refusal, who’d seemed to know things about their family no outsider should… She’d worked for the De’Medicis before. Of course she had.
Their spy. In our own house. For years.
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And before that–Rome, five years ago. The annual Cosa Nostra summit at the Palazzo Medici. This
same man hurrying down the grand staircase, barely acknowledging the other families before rushing out like a man with urgent business.
He was already hunting her. Even then.
“You fucking snake,” Alessio snarled. “You’ve been planning this for years.”
Cosimo’s smile was winter itself. “Twenty–five years, actually. Since high school.”
“You had spies in my house!”
“Insurance.” Cosimo shrugged elegantly. “Your family’s impulsiveness is legendary. We prefer…
preparation.”
This wasn’t the anxious suitor from the wedding. This was Cosimo De’Medici–heir to five centuries.
of power, ruler of his own nation, the man who made kings nervous. Even soaked by rain, his presence radiated the kind of authority the Morettis could only dream of
“She’s My wife,” Alessio spat. “We’re still legally married in Italy-
“Italy?” Cosimo’s laugh was genuinely amused. “Look around you. This is Virella. MY island. MY laws. And here, she’s Mrs. De’Medici. Carrying my heir.”
The words hit like bullets. “You’re lying-”
“Eight weeks along. Due in spring.” Cosimo stepped closer, voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “While you were playing dead, I was learning everything about her. Her favorite flowers. How she takes her coffee. The way she sighs in her sleep. And now? Now she sighs MY name.”
Alessio lunged forward, fists clenched. “You fucking-”
In that moment, Cosimo caught his wrist, twisting just enough to show his strength without breaking bones. Yet.
“Careful, boy.” His voice was silk over steel. “Your father may rule street corners in Sicily, but the De’Medicis? We’ve been running empires since your ancestors were shepherds. One word from me, and your entire bloodline disappears.”
“Big talk for a kidnapper,” Alessio snarled, trying to wrench free. “At least I didn’t have to steal another man’s wife-”
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Chapter 27
“Steal?” Cosimo released him with a contemptuous shove. “She CHOSE me. Walked into my office and asked me to marry her. Want to know what she said?”
Alessio’s fists clenched tighter.
“She said she needed someone who’d never lie to her. Never betray her. Cosimo’s smile turned cruel. “Never fake his own death and watch her grieve.”
“I was protecting her!”
“From what? Reality? Truth?” Cosimo shook his head. “You Morettis are all the same. You think love
means ownership. Control. But real love? It’s what I’ve done–waiting twenty–five years just to see
her happy.”
“Happy?” Alessio’s voice cracked. “She’s pregnant with your bastard-”
The words died as armed guards materialized from the shadows. Not street thugs like the Morettis employed, but professional soldiers who moved like ghosts.
Cosimo’s eyes had gone cold as arctic ice. “Insult my heir again, and they’ll be fishing pieces of you.
out of the Mediterranean for weeks.”
Something in Cosimo’s voice made Alessio step back involuntarily. This wasn’t empty posturing–this was a man who’d actually made people disappear.
“You think you’ve won?” Alessio hissed. “This isn’t over. I’ll get her back-”
“With what power?” Cosimo’s smile was almost pitying. “Haven’t you heard? Your father’s already disowned you. This embarrassing display has cost you your inheritance. Word is, that bastard brother of yours–what’s his name, Givanno?-he’s already moving into your office.”
Alessio’s face went white. “You’re lying-”
“Call home and check. Though I doubt they’ll take your calls anymore.” Cosimo adjusted his umbrella, rain drumming steadily above them. “Funny how quickly loyalty evaporates when you become a liability. The Morettis always were fair weather friends.”
“My father would never-”
“Your father’s a pragmatist. Choosing a woman over family honor? Chasing after someone who publicly rejected you? In our world, that’s weakness.” Cosimo’s voice was almost gentle now. “And weak sons don’t inherit empires.”
Chapter 22
The truth of it hit Alessio like a physical blow. His father’s cold voice on the phone. His brother’s
sudden confidence. The way his own men had started avoiding his calls.
“You did this.” Alessio snarled. “You turned them against
“I did nothing. You destroyed yourself the moment you decided to lie to that woman upstairs.” Cosimo glanced back at his house, where a light had come on in the master bedroom. “She’s looking for me. I should go.”
“This isn’t over!”
“Yes, it is.” Cosimo’s voice held finality. “Go home, Alessio. If you still have one.”
He turned to leave, they
paused. “Oh, and next time you want to play dress up? Maybe don’t use. Santiago Navarro. My people made that identity in ten minutes.”
White–hot rage exploded through Alessio’s chest. This smug bastard had taken everything–his wife, his child, his future. And now he stood there dispensing advice like some benevolent king?
His hand reached for the gun he’d hidden in his jacket–a decision made in the depths of his despair.
If he couldn’t have Noemi, no one would.
“Turn around,” Alessio growled, drawing the weapon.
Cosimo paused, not turning. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“TURN AROUND!”
Slowly, Cosimo faced him, seemingly unconcerned by the gun pointed at his chest. If anything, he
looked… amused.
“You think I didn’t expect this?” Cosimo asked so That I’d meet you alone, unprotected?”
A red laser dot suddenly appeared on Alessio’s forehead. Then another. And another. From the shadows, the trees, the rooftops–at least a dozen snipers had him in their sights.
“One more step,” Cosimo said calmly, “and they’ll turn your head into modern art.”
Alessio’s hand shook, rain and tears blurring his vision. “You’ve taken everything from me!”
“No, boy. You threw it all away.” Cosimo’s voice was almost kind. “Go home. Live your life. Find
someone who actually wants you.”
2024
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Chapter 22
“She DID want me!” Alessio screamed. “Before you poisoned her mind-
“She wanted the man she thought you were. Not the liar you turned out to be.” Cosimo shook his
head. “There’s a difference.”
Rage, grief, and humiliation boiled over. Alessio steadied his aim at Cosimo’s heart.
“You want to die for her? Fine. You can die for her!
