Sold to the Capo-Chapter 44: A LESSON IN HUMILITY

VINCENZO’S POV

"This doesn’t make any sense" I heard her grumble as she sat on the mat, crossing her legs, her face set in a frown.

"We resumed training, so what?" I frowned at her, setting the punching bag properly.

"I want to learn to use the gun better instead" She huffed. "Not learn to throw punches. Last time didn’t end too well"

I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my lips. "Yeah, it didn’t end too well for you," I muttered under my breath, but loud enough for her to hear.

She shot me a glare, but I could see the challenge in her eyes. "If you weren’t such a cocky person who derived some sick pleasure in pinning me to the mat, maybe I’d have had a chance last time."

I chuckled. "That’s exactly the point. We’re training so you know how to throw me down next time. We’re not here for you to get comfortable."

I had brought her down to the gym as I didn’t want to take her out to the place where we had trained last time. That would mean she would have to see my "playroom" again as she termed it and right now, I had a guest.

Maybe I didn’t care if she saw him but considering how weak of a stomach she had, it was best she didn’t see his current state. I wasn’t nearly done with him anyway. He was hellbent on pinning it on my father but it felt off. My father wasn’t that stupid.

He was ruthless and reckless sometimes but stupid wasn’t a part of it.

Salvatore was leaning on the wall having said that he wanted to watch us train since he had nothing to do.

I set the punching bag in place and looked at her again. She was still sitting there, one hand resting on her knee, looking like she was about to argue. But instead, she just sighed heavily, pushing herself up.

"Fine. Let’s do this." Her voice was defiant.

Salvatore was still leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching us with mild amusement.

He hadn’t spoken much since he arrived, but I could feel his gaze on Adriana, sizing her up, no doubt. His eyes flicked from her to me, and I could sense a small, almost predatory grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Adriana stepped onto the mat, trying to hide the uncertainty behind a tough expression. She stood tall, squared her shoulders, and then adjusted her stance. I could see her glancing at Salvatore briefly, but she quickly looked away.

I took my stance too, arms raised, fists loosely held. "All right, let’s get started. You know the drill."

She nodded, but I saw her hesitation. I could practically feel her reluctance. She knew what would happen next. She knew I’d throw her down like I had the last few times. I didn’t mind that—it was exactly the point of the training.

She lunged at me suddenly, but it was sloppy. Her footwork was off, and she wasn’t fast enough. I grabbed her wrist before she could even come close, spun her around, and slammed her to the mat. The air whooshed out of her as she hit the floor with a solid thud. I heard her curse under her breath as she quickly rolled over, trying to get back up.

"Again," I said, my tone calm but firm.

She glared up at me from the mat, her eyes flashing. I could feel her frustration boiling. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to catch her breath, but there was no give in her eyes. She was stubborn. I’d give her that. That was also why she was failing. She was driving too much in anger. Attacking without thinking, she wanted to win but she wasn’t calculating.

"You’re not going to get it unless you actually try," I added, making sure my voice was loud enough to drill the point home. "What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" She snapped. "I’m not afraid of you."

She tried again, this time with more force, but it was the same result. My grip was stronger and more controlled. As she tried to pivot and break free, I swiped her leg out from under her, sending her crashing to the mat once again. She let out a frustrated growl.

I took a step back, watching her, waiting for her to rise again.

"Come on, Tesoro. You want to be stronger. You want to learn how to defend yourself. But this? This is the first step." I watched her struggle to her feet.

She huffed, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck, preparing for another attempt.

"Alright, let’s go again. I can do this," she muttered to herself.

I didn’t say anything. I just watched her, studying her every move.

She came at me again—faster this time—but I could see the weakness in her eyes. She was trying too hard to prove something, but she wasn’t present in the moment. I was three steps ahead. I caught her in mid-motion, throwing her down once again. The sound of her back slamming into the mat echoed through the gym. This time, she gasped, the air escaping her lungs with a sharp sound.

"Again," I barked.

She growled in frustration, trying to push herself up again. She was mad, but I could tell she was also getting tired. I wasn’t being merciful. I wasn’t here to baby her. She could hate me all she wanted, but it wasn’t going to change anything.

"Come on, you’re not even trying," I said, voice low but biting. "What’s stopping you? Think you can’t beat me?"

I saw her jaw clench and heard the angry hiss of air as she stood up.

"I can and I will," she bit out.

I crossed my arms, leaning against the ropes now, my eyes locked on her. She was panting harder now, sweat beading on her forehead, but the fight hadn’t left her eyes. Yet. She still had a long way to go.

She looked at Salvatore, who was still leaning against the wall, watching us with the same bored expression. "Why don’t I spar with him instead? I bet he can actually show me something useful." She was now sizing him up.

Wrong move. I was going easy on her, Salvatore would gladly knock some sense into her.

Salvatore’s lips curled into that familiar, cocky grin of his, and I could practically hear his brain calculating how he was going to enjoy this. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked, his voice smooth like silk, predatory in a way that made my muscles tighten.

"No, I don’t think that’s a good idea," I cut in quickly, not wanting Adriana to go anywhere near Salvatore.

But Salvatore wasn’t about to let that go. "Come on, Vincenzo," he said, stepping forward, almost teasing now. "Maybe she’ll learn something from me that she’s not getting from you."

I shot him a glare, the tension rising between us. Salvatore was no fool. He knew exactly what he was doing, and damn it, it was working. Adriana’s defiance was only growing, and the challenge in her eyes was unmistakable.

I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath. "Fine," I growled, reluctantly stepping aside. "But if anything goes wrong—"

"It won’t," Salvatore interrupted, already moving toward Adriana with that infuriating smile on his face.

Adriana stood there for a second, glaring at me before she finally turned to face Salvatore. "You better not go easy on me," she said, her voice as tough as she could manage.

Funny, did she think that was how I fought with others? If I wanted to, I could have her bones broken by now. She left too many weak spots that I could exploit and Salvatore... Well, Salvatore wouldn’t care.

Salvatore’s grin widened. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

Before she could even react, he was on her, moving in a blur of motion. He wasn’t playing around. He grabbed her by the shoulders, shoved her back, and slammed her into the mat with brutal precision and little to no effort.

He looked down at her groaning figure and he scoffed. "How weak... I’m out" Then he turned on his heels and walked out of the gym, clearly realizing that he couldn’t have his fun sparring with her

I didn’t even have time to react. Her body lay there for a split second, limp against the floor, breath knocked out of her. The sound of her groan of pain made my jaw tighten.

"Shit," I muttered, my fists clenching involuntarily. I was already moving toward her, stepping forward quickly, my boots thudding against the floor.

But before I could even reach her, she was already pushing herself up, her face contorted in pain.

"Goddamn it," I hissed, getting closer. But before I could kneel to help her, something unexpected happened.

In one swift motion, Adriana rolled onto her back and shot out her arm. A jab. A sharp, precise jab right to my chest.

I didn’t expect it. Didn’t see it coming.

The punch landed hard, catching me off guard. My breath was knocked out of me, and for a split second, I was frozen, stunned by her sudden attack. I staggered backward, and my chest burned where the punch had landed.

"Son of a..." she hissed through gritted teeth, her voice still seething with rage.

She wasn’t done.

Before I could recover, she sprang up, her arm shooting forward again with another jab, this time aimed at my face.

Instinctively, I reacted—slamming my hand out, and grabbing her wrist before the punch could land. My grip was firm, tightening with each passing second as her face twisted in frustration. Her arm jerked against my hold, but I held on tighter.

I twisted her wrist, forcing it behind her back. She gasped, the sharp pain from my hold making her body tense. I yanked her toward me, dragging her back against my chest so that her back was pressed tightly against my chest.

Her body stiffened in my grasp, but I held her tightly, controlling her every move.

Anger rushed through my veins as I could still feel the pain from where she had hit me.

Bringing my mouth to her ear, I whispered a single word, my tone hard.

"Again"