Chapter 9 - A DISPLAY OF REAL POWER
"She manages the horse, Victor," Alessandro said coldly, stepping forward to stand beside Elena. "And I suggest you take your hands off the gate."
Victor chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You've gone soft, Salvatore. Allowing a pregnant girl to stand in front of a beast that should have been broken with a whip weeks ago. This horse was bred for war, not for gentle petting."
Victor drew a heavy riding crop from inside his coat and stepped toward the stall door, intending to strike the wooden frame to prove a point.
Before he could raise his arm, Elena acted.
She did not flinch or shrink back. Instead, she stepped directly into Victor's path, her small frame blocking the latch entirely. She looked Victor straight in the eye, her voice icy cold and absolutely unwavering.
"If you strike that wood, he will kick through the iron hinges," Elena said clearly. "And when he does, you will be the first thing he lands on. Put it away."
Victor froze. The sheer confidence in her voice, combined with her total lack of fear in the presence of four armed men, caught him completely off guard. For three seconds, no one moved. The storm raged outside, rain slanging against the tin roof.
Alessandro stepped into the narrow space between Victor and Elena, his eyes fixed on his rival. "You heard her, Victor. You came here to negotiate the vineyard boundaries in the north. The horse is not part of the discussion. Step back, or this meeting ends now."
Victor lowered the crop slowly, a dark smirk spreading across his face. He looked at Elena once more, examining her small stature and her undeniable aura of quiet strength.
"You have strange taste in employees, Alessandro," Victor sneered, tucking the crop back into his coat. "But she has more iron in her spine than your whole security detail combined."
Victor turned and walked toward the barn exit, his bodyguards trailing behind him into the torrential rain. Owen Cain followed them out to ensure they left the perimeter grounds.
Once again, the barn returned to quiet stillness, save for the rhythmic sound of falling rain.
Alessandro turned to face Elena. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held an intensity she had never seen before.
"You stood in front of Victor Moretti," Alessandro said softly. "A man who has eliminated entire families for far less insolence."
"I stood in front of a man who didn't respect what he was dealing with," Elena replied, leaning back against the stall to relieve the sudden sharp pain in her lower abdomen. "He thinks power is about hurting things. He's wrong."
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Alessandro looked down at her, noticing her hands trembling slightly as she pressed them against her belly.
"Elena?" he asked, his tone shifting from cold authority to genuine concern. "Are you alright?"
