"And sells a woman into what? Being my prisoner?"
"Being your wife," Roberto corrects. "The daughter could prove useful.”
“Yes, but to whom? If she is as clever as rumor has it, Marco will use her against us. If she’s not, she’s just a shiny object Marco hopes will distract me.”
“She’s still just a woman. You can keep her from her father. Perhaps use her against him.”
“He won’t give a shit what I do to her.”
“But she’ll have information. Women usually see and understand more than men give them credit for.”
He’s not wrong. My sister, Valentina, is observant and intelligent.
“You don’t have to act like a married couple, although I hear she’s quite beautiful?—”
“She’s eighteen,” I snap. It feels perverted.
“That makes her an adult. The point is, she’s under your control, whatever you want to do to her.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“It means you don’t have to be a husband if you don’t want to. Just give her room and board. Use what she knows against her father.”
I see the wisdom of this, even as the idea of marrying anyone, but especially the daughter of a man I can’t trust, makes my skin crawl.
“Another thing to consider is that the alliance gives the appearance that Don Vitale is beholden to you. No man gives his daughter unless he’s groveling. This makes you look stronger to all the other families.”
Of all the arguments, I like that one best. “What do we know about her?”
He pours another finger of whiskey. "Only that she's brilliant. Educated. Speaks multiple languages." He takes a sip. "And rarely seen in public."
It’s clear that from birth, Marco saw her as a commodity.
It probably galls him that he has to offer her to me instead of someone else who might be more advantageous.
"Your father would understand this choice," Roberto says. "He made many marriages within the families to secure peace."
"Not his own," I counter.
"No. But he didn't inherit an empire on the brink of collapse, either."
My father's death at the hands of the Bratva left a vacuum.
Luca was already ostracized and building his own business in Chicago, although he’d returned briefly at the request of mysister, and in the chaos that followed him, as it usually does, he killed several Bratva and rediscovered the love of his life.
A life he still lives in Chicago.
Adriano has been a perfect second in command, but he has other commitments in his life now.
"Fine," I finally say, nearly choking on the word. "Make the arrangements. Tell Marco I accept his offer."
Roberto doesn't smile, but I do see relief in his eyes. "It's the right move, Alessandro."
"The necessary one.” I finish my drink. “But make my terms clear. This marriage is business, nothing more. I won't be manipulated through her. And if Marco tries to use this connection to undermine me, I'll put a bullet in her skull myself and send her back with a promise that he and Enrico are next.”
"Of course." Roberto nods, already standing to leave. "I'll make the call."
Left alone, I rub my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. The great Alessandro Dante, committed bachelor, is now being dragged into marriage.
