"I had nothing to do with the letter, Don Dante," Cristian says. "But can you truly blame your sister?"
Alessandro's eyes narrow dangerously. "Careful, Bonetti."
"With all due respect," Cristian continues, ignoring the warning, "Valentina has shown nothing but loyalty to this family. She agreed to sacrifice her life all for the Dante name. And how do you repay that? Doing nothing when Maksim disrespects her by touching her. By interrogating her after she was nearly kidnapped or killed instead of going after the man who ordered it."
Panic grows within me.
No one speaks to Alessandro this way. Not if they want to live.
"If Maksim had succeeded," Cristian presses on, "he would have violated her in the worst ways possible. Are you telling me you're okay with that? That your sister deserves such treatment?"
Alessandro’s eyes are like lasers as they bore down on Cristian. "You're developing a bad habit of overstepping, Bonetti."
"And you're developing a habit of forgetting what matters," Cristian fires back. "You charged me with protecting Valentina, which is exactly what I did last night when Maksim's men killed our driver and tried to take her. I led her through the woods, hotwired a car, and got her to safety while Bratva soldiers hunted us."
I watch in stunned silence as Cristian holds his ground. Is he trying to get himself killed?
"Now you're essentially telling Maksim his behavior is acceptable," Cristian continues, his voice hardening. "You're showing weakness when you should be showing strength. The Dante Don I've served my entire life would never let someone touch his family and live to see another day."
Alessandro's face darkens with each word.
He comes around the desk, stopping inches from Cristian.
"Are you finished?" he asks, deadly quiet.
"Nearly," Cristian says.
“Be careful. The next words out of your mouth, you might come to regret.”
“The only regret I have is that I didn’t kill Maksim when he touched Valentina. And I promise that the next time Maksim tries to take Valentina, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in his head. And if that decision costs me my life afterward, so be it."
The air between them crackles with tension. I step forward, placing my hand on Cristian's arm.
"That's enough," I say.
Alessandro's gaze drops to where I'm touching Cristian, and something shifts in his expression. To my mind, it’s a flicker of suspicion.
"Leave us," he commands Cristian. "Wait outside."
"Alessandro—" I start.
"It wasn't a request," my brother cuts me off.
Cristian hesitates, his eyes meeting mine.
In that brief exchange, I see his fear for me, his regret at leaving me alone, his silent promise to be just outside the door.
Then he's gone, and I'm left facing my brother's lethal stare.
But I fight back my fear and continue to stand in defiance of him. "We both know he’s right. If you don't care that Maksim made a move against me, then why wait? Just hand me over now." My voice grows stronger with each word. "Let him do whatever he plans to do with me. I'm sure it'll be quick once he gets bored."
Alessandro's jaw tightens. "Valentina?—"
"I want to be cremated, by the way." I cut him off, enjoying the flash of shock in his eyes. "If they find my body at all. Have my ashes scattered somewhere nice. A beach, maybe."
I feel rather than see Adriano shift beside me, but I keep my focus on Alessandro.
"But don't bury me in the family plot," I continue. "I'm clearly not worthy of that. Not when my own brothers value a business alliance more than my life."
