PROLOGUE : Encounter

DEITRICK ALEXANDRO De MEDICI

Being the duke of Florence in a powerful country Italy, is not a bit easy, even with my herculean exertions. I had set a blueprint for my everyday life to follow with... My diet...My schedule... even my sleep and wake times, if not I would've been gone mad till now. 

Don't get me wrong,  I've got mad respect for my position and title but leisure, in my life, isn't there for me anymore. To put it in one sentence, my life is not a bowl of cherries.

Like now, I have a meeting in fifteen minutes, and I am sitting in my office to prepare for it ahead of time... Let me say it clearly; I want everything perfect in my life when I'm the one doing it...

Perfect...

"It's time... Your Excellency!" my irritating assistant brought me back to the world of living from my thoughts by announcing that it was time for the meeting. I ended my quality times with the files in my hands and rotated my chair to get a load of his regular lineaments.

"Flavio, have you prepared the documents that I needed and... What about the amendments I asked you to do in the presentation?" I asked authoritatively.

"Si, Eccellenza!", he strode towards me.

When I pointed towards the documents, he picked them up and stood there. Since it would have been rude for him to walk ahead of me, he only followed me when I walked out of the office.

We went to the meeting room because my office is in the palace, but it is away from the Duke's residential quarters... I handle all my work, including the meetings, from here...

When I stepped in the meeting room, I found myself looking at the people who were very mesmerized by the architecture of the meeting room as their tour here for the first time... Most of them were looking at the golden framed paintings of my ancestors hanging on the wall with their noble temperament and cold faces, which is the preferred look for an official portrait. 

When they noticed me, they bowed a little to greet me, as it is the tradition... I started meeting at sharp 1'O clock pm as per planned by the schedule.

Meeting ended up to the good, and all the details of the project were excellently shared with the members of the meeting, and I successfully signed the deal... This business plan is another milestone in the success of Italy.

I made my way to where my mother's room, Dowager Duchess Anisha, was located... I entered the room and found my mother staring at my father's painting, the former Duke Damien Alexandro de Medici. I can see the tears like beads of pearls in the corner of her eyes, which happens every time she takes a walk down memory lane with her days with my father...

This makes me hurt every time to see her like this... I changed my face from a cold, aloof businessman to a good son and approached my mother with long strides.

"Buonasera, Madre!", I greeted her. She looked back at me before that, she wiped away her tears so that I could not see them, but I saw them already.

"Deitrick, when did you come?.... I didn't notice you." she kissed me on my cheeks.

"I came just now... How are you doing, Madre?" I asked as casually as I could, settling on the chaise lounge.

"I'm doing fine... And I'll be finer if you get married and let me see my grandchildren before I die," she said with a gentle smile on her face when she took the chair beside me.

"Marriage is not included in my plan, Madre... And I don't want a woman to be included in my life and put her life in danger along with me.", I said with a chuckle to sound like a joke but let me tell you, it's not a joke... It's the bitter truth of my life...

The woman who is going to be a part of my life will get it along with the shining title of duchess.

This is the truth from which I cannot run away despite how much I struggle in this matter...

"Stubborn like your father. What can I do?" she said, and a hint of sadness flashed in the depth of her eyes.

"I'll marry... Don't worry about this matter too much.", I assured her. "I'll do it when I'm good and ready."

She smiled in my direction and said, "I already know that it's no good arguing with you, but I want to tell you that a delegation from San Francisco is expected to arrive at night time... And it is mandatory for the duke to have dinner with them."

"I didn't become a duke just to do that. Did I?" I just don't like the idea of having dinner with some people I don't know, and they keep talking about two things, first their business proposal and second their daughters, before we part ways.

"Deitrick!" My mother gave me an openly dangerous look. 

"That's unexpected, and I think it is unnecessary for me to have dinner with them. Besides, it's just a formality." I replied. I wanted to get rid of this dinner meeting at any rate. The reason is that I already have had enough of my work for today, and I want a good night's sleep in my bed.

"You cannot deny it. Deitrick!" My mother exclaimed, looking like a Duchess in every sense, crushing my pipe dreams to get a sound sleep. she added," You cannot turn your back on the traditions of your ancestors."

My mother is dragging my poor ancestors resting in Abraham's bosom. This matter is to be frowned upon. Why is she trying to push me to this principal meal? She usually doesn't weigh upon my business matters.

"If you have some bad intentions in sending me away to have a meal with them." I firmly told her, "Then don't."

"Bad intentions!" she revealed hurt expressions, for what I would've believed if I didn't know her. "That's what you think of me?"

"You are flogging a dead horse, Madre, if you think I cannot get through this act of yours." I brought down the curtain on her performance.

"Ah! what an undutiful son I gave birth to." She reckoned me because she couldn't succeed.

I brushed aside her allegation that she threw on me a while ago and asked suspiciously, "Is there perhaps a girl in that delegation for what you are excited to match me with."

That is something I'm afraid of the most.

"I heard of two very beautiful young girls in that panel." Her eyes beamed with joy, giving me a million-dollar smile.

"I'm not going." I refused in a single go without thinking any further.

"That's not it." She shook her head, "If you do not go there, then be ready to meet a daughter of a friend of mine tomorrow."

My extremely intelligent mother devised an idea to get me in a tight corner.

Looks like I cannot get away with any excuses, so I simply agreed to the dinner meeting. "Alright, if it's the case, then I have to leave now to meet them at the destination point arranged in our villa."

"Then hurry up and go... There is not much time left in their arrival." she urged me to go where I didn't want to go.

However, I cannot do anything, "OK, take care, Madre... I hope I'll come back early in the morning and join you at breakfast, hoping to be single then."

"Take care, Mio Figlio... And be safe on the way," she said before I left her room.

Flavio arranged everything as I told him to do, and we started our journey to Medici Villa... For the dinner meeting.

Now, I'm sitting in the car, and we are going at the fasted speed to be mentioned on the speed limit since I don't want to be late.

Suddenly Flavio said, "Your excellency! You had a schedule of inspection of the mines next week. Now that we are going to the villa, that area will come in the way. So, it'll be a suggestion to inspect them now."

Flavio is my most loyal employee. "That's a good idea, Flavio. Stop the car when the area comes."

"As you wish, your excellency!" he replied.

The car stopped at the mine area, and it took me one hour to inspect the area. Now it is dawn. Darkness is spreading through space... I started to walk in the direction of the car on a rocky path in these mountains, hoping to reach the villa on time.

On the way, I heard a 'thud' sound, and something heavy fell from the small dune. However, that looked like a human, so Flavio and I approached the person...

Porca Puttana...

A woman was lying on the stones with her clothes ripped and numerous wounds on her body... She was groaning in pain...

I looked at her almost naked body, took off my coat, then wrapped her injured body in it, carried her in my arms, and walked towards the car.

"To the Hospital... Hurry." I commanded as we settled her in the car along with me.