The new owner.
Selling it.
My stomach twisted violently, nausea rolling up my throat.
I stepped closer, heart pounding.
“Excuse me... Mr. Petros?”
All five men turned at once.
Petros met my eyes, his expression calm, unreadable, his face a mask honed by years of service to a man who tolerated no weakness.
“Does this elephant belong to...” I hesitated, the word catching. “...my husband?”
A ripple passed through the group—subtle but unmistakable. One man lifted his brows. Another shot a quick glance sideways, curiosity flickering before being smothered.
Petros did not react.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said evenly.
I swallowed hard.
“I don’t want you to take the baby from its mother,” I said. My voice didn’t rise. It didn’t shake. It surprised even me. “Look at them. They’re bonded. It will break her heart.”
Petros’s lips curved slightly—not into a smile, but something close to amusement. Or perhaps resignation.
“The buyer has already paid. Transport is scheduled.” He tilted his head a fraction. “And with respect, Mrs. Baranov... this isn’t about what you want. If Mr. Baranov gives the order to sell, it happens.”
I looked past him.
The mother elephant had sensed the shift. Her ears flared wide, massive and imposing, her trunk curling tightly around her calf. The playful sway was gone. Her body had gone rigid, protective, ancient instincts awakening beneath thick gray skin.
The calf pressed against her side, suddenly silent.
My throat burned.
“I’m asking you,” I said softly, the words scraping past emotion I refused to show. “Not as his wife. As a human being.”
Petros studied me for a long moment.
Not unkindly.
But unmoved.
Then he shook his head once—decisive.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. The decision isn’t mine.”
He turned back to his men.
“Prepare for transport.”
They moved immediately—ropes uncoiled, harnesses lifted, murmured commands exchanged with practiced ease.
The mother trumpeted.
Low. Long. Mournful.
