AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t intend to charm you,” he answered softly and I raised one eyebrow, which caused his lips to pull up into a sideways smirk. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“This is quite a contract. I am mildly impressed.”
“Well, that means a lot coming from the Queen of negotiations. I studied your peace treaty document beforehand to gain some ideas.”
“Did you now?” I couldn’t help but smirk as he grinned at me. He really was a smooth operator, but that wasn’t going to convince me that he was truly in love with my daughter. “Well, it is very well-written and covers nearly all the bases. You have made sure most of our problems will go away if we sign our allegiance to you.”
“Which problems will not?”
“You, for one.”
He chuckled a little, dropping his head back to look up at the chains before he returned his gaze to me. “You have me right where you want me. You can make me go away if you really want to.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” I tilted my head to the side to study him carefully. “Kill you? We are not stupid, Don Barbieri. We know what harm killing you will cause. So, perhaps there is something else we can offer you, instead of my daughter?”
He shook his head, his eyes hard with finality. “Please. Call me Alessio. There is nothing I want or need from you. Except your blessing to marry Elenora.”
“And why is that so important to you?”
“Because it is important to her. I don’t want her to have to choose between me and her family.”
I kept my face void of emotion but secretly, his answer warmed my heart. It was honest and showed he knew Elle to the core. Family was everything to her.
“I am intrigued as to why you put yourself through this torture. Why did you give yourself to the ruthless hand of my son, knowing he would show you no mercy until he was satisfied?”
“Because I deserve it.”
“You deserve to be tortured?” I narrowed my eyes on him as he smiled, pain flicking over his features briefly as he shuffled on his knees.
“More so than anyone I love. My decisions led me here.”
“You mean Finn? The man you sent here to spy on us?”
“Not to spy. To protect Elle. I know what this life can be like for women and I didn’t want that for her. He made sure she was safe.”
“And what would have happened if she wasn’t? If she was to be forced into a marriage alliance or was being treated poorly by the men in her family?”
“I would have stepped in,” he answered seriously as I licked my lips. The genuine concern and devotion I could see in his eyes took me by surprise. He really would have. “Just like I stepped in when she was taken by Lorenzo. The moment I saw her, I knew I would protect her until my dying breath. I knew it then and I knew it when I was sixteen. Just like I know it now.”
“So, you are in love with my daughter?”
“More than I will ever be able to express.”
We held intense eye-contact for a long, loaded moment and I could see it all over his face. The same look my Vinny used to have when he looked at me. The same look Gio has when he looks at Olivia. Profound, unbreakable love.
“I know I have a lot to prove to you and your family. Which is why I will take whatever Giovanni throws at me. I never meant to hurt her, but I did, so I will take every beating. I will hang from this ceiling for days if that is what it takes for him to see it. But if he thinks I will change my mind on Elenora, he will be disappointed. No matter what, I will not give her up.”
I leaned forward, holding the contract in my hands as I looked into his eyes. A tug of empathy pulled at my heart. He talked with so much passion, every word held meaning, but Giovanni really would make him pay. Maybe he deserved it, maybe he didn’t. I guess it depended on whose version of events you sided with.
“I think you are a very admirable man, Alessio. And I believe you love my daughter. However, love is not always enough in this world. You have done quite some damage to this family. But Elle told me everything. I know all about what really happened between you both and I can see in your eyes it is as real for you as it is for her. I blame others for her pain, not you.”
“And I have made them all pay for it.”
“The man from that video?” I questioned.
“My cousin. I slit his throat.”
“Lorenzo Leone was the one who kidnapped her,” I raised my eyebrows, knowing he couldn’t have killed his biggest ally in the North.
