Chapter 4 - The Final Threat
Late that evening, the estate's perimeter alarms chimed. Alexander’s security chief rushed into the study, his face tense. "Sir, we have a vehicle at the front gates. It’s Javier Robles. He’s alone, and he’s demanding to see his wife."
Sofia, who had just walked downstairs wrapped in a heavy robe, turned completely pale. She grabbed my arm, her breath hitching. "Don't let him in, Mom. Please."
"He won't step a foot on this property, Sofia," Alexander said, checking a sleek black pistol hidden beneath his jacket. "Elena, stay here with her."
"No," Sofia said suddenly, her voice shaking but carrying a sudden, fierce spark of defiance. She wiped a tear from her swollen cheek. "I want to see him. I want him to see what he did to me, and I want him to know I'm not afraid anymore."
Alexander looked at our daughter, a flash of immense pride breaking through his cold demeanor. "Alright. But you stay behind the security glass at the courtyard gate."
We walked out into the humid Texas night. Standing outside the massive iron gates of the estate was Javier. Gone was the polished, pristine attorney. His tie was loosened, his hair was messy, and his face was twisted in a mixture of panic and fury. The media backlash had ruined his life in less than twelve hours.
"Sofia!" Javier yelled through the iron bars, seeing her approach. "You need to drop this lawsuit right now! You're ruining my career! My mother was just trying to secure our future! You provoked her by being stubborn!"
Sofia stopped ten feet away from the gate, protected by two armed security guards. She pulled down the collar of her robe, exposing the dark, ugly bruises circling her neck and shoulders.
"I provoked her?" Sofia's voice rang out, clear and steady across the courtyard. "You stood outside the door, Javier. You told her not to hit my face too much so people wouldn't notice. You are a coward. You and your mother thought you could beat me into silence because you thought I was alone."
She stepped closer, looking straight into the eyes of the man she had loved just twenty-four hours ago. "But I am a Whitmore. And you are nothing."
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Javier lunged against the gate, screaming obscenities, but Alexander stepped into the light, drawing his weapon and aiming it directly at Javier’s chest. "One more step, boy, and I won't wait for the trial."
Javier froze, looking at the laser sight painting his chest, finally realizing that the family he had tried to extort possessed a ruthlessness that completely eclipsed his own.
