Page 158 of Brutal Heir

“I can protect her.”

“Every moment of every day?” he countered, his tone sharp.

“If that’s what it takes.”

Barone rose abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor.

He walked around the desk and stood toe-to-toe with me. “Sebastian, I’ve always thought of you like a son. So I’m speaking to you like a father. That man—he has no conscience. He does not consider her his true flesh and blood. She is a liability. A threat to his power. Antonia was not the first time he took extreme measures to kill off a mistress and his unwanted, unborn child.”

“I’m aware,” I said through gritted teeth, stepping away from him to create space.

“And you’re willing to risk her safety?” he pressed, following me. “There must be another way to protect your family without destroying such an innocent girl.”

I turned on him. “Another way would require me giving her up, which I’m not even willing to consider. I told you. I will protect her.”

Barone studied me for a long moment, his eyes narrowing.

Finally, he nodded. “Benedict wanted me to inform you that your little stunt last night worked. The judge saw Sabrina. He’s not happy. He’s likely to act—and soon. No doubt that’s why he moved to dispose of Antonia as well.”

“Are you blaming me for Antonia’s death, Barone?”

“No,” he replied. “The judge’s actions are his own, but you can’t say your hands are clean in the matter. Antonia had her faults, but she didn’t deserve to be thrown away like garbage.”

“That won’t happen to Sabrina,” I said, my tone hard. “She’ll have the protection of my name.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

Sabrina and I would marry within the next week if I had to drag her before a priest, tied and bound.

“And there’s nothing I can say to change your mind?”

“No.”

Barone sighed, stepping closer. He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, the weight of it grounding me.

“You’re a stubborn bastard, Sebastian, just like your father.”

Fuck.

“Barone,” I said quietly, “you’ve always been the man I’ve looked up to more than my own father. But I’m not him. I won’t make the same mistakes.”

Barone sighed, his hand slipping away. “No, you’ll make your own mistakes. And I pray to God they don’t cost you the one thing you’ll regret losing.”

I stiffened. “Sabrina isn’t a mistake.”

“No, but how you handle her might be. She’s not something you can control or manipulate like a piece on a chessboard,” Barone said. “If you don’t realize that now, you’ll lose her before you even have her.”

I clenched my fists at my sides. “I know who she is, Barone. I know her better than anyone.”

He spun back to face me, his movements sharp. “Do you? Do you really? Because all I see is a man so consumed by his plans, his need to win, that he doesn’t realize what he’s gambling with.”

I braced my hands against the desk, leaning forward slightly, the tension coiling in my shoulders. “You think I don’t know what I’m doing? You think I haven’t considered the risks? I’ve sacrificed everything to protect my family, to keep this dynasty alive. Do you really believe I’d throw Sabrina into this without understanding the stakes?”

Barone shook his head, his expression resembled pity. “Understanding the stakes isn’t the same as respecting them. She’s not like us, Sebastian. She’s not built for this world. She doesn’t play by its rules.”

“That’s why I have to protect her,” I snapped. “Do you think I’m blind to what’s coming? The judge will come for her, but he’ll have to go through me first.”