By My Rules - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 He jerked his head up. "After we lost our first child." I met his gaze as I said, "You were in the cemetery then, holding me, saying that once the storm passed, we'd go down south to Italy, buy a house by the sea, and leave this filthy world." His eyes flickered. That memory was so old that he had almost forgotten it. "But later, I realized that what you said about leaving was a lie. Behind my back, you were expanding your warehouses and shipping lines. You never wanted to leave; you wanted the family to belong to you." I leaned back in my chair. "From that moment on, I knew...

we'd never make it to the end." Drake stared at me, and his Adam's apple bobbed noticeably. It was a long while before he finally asked, "What if had stopped back then?" "Then you wouldn't be sitting here today." "Would you still have rejected me?" I paused for a moment and said, "Yes." He seemed taken aback by that answer. "Why?" "Because I can tolerate ambition, but I cannot tolerate betrayal." I stood, ready to end the meeting. However, Drake suddenly grew desperate. "Violet!" he shouted. I stopped in my tracks.

"here are still people in the port district who haven't been weeded out yet." He stared at me, his voice urgent. "Finance has a guy named Bain. He's Anthony's man. And on the dock security list-" Iturned to him. "So now you' re selling someone out just to stay alive? Alas, it's too late." Iwalked to the door, glancing back at him one last time. "You lost," I said. "Not to me, but to yourself." Before the door closed, I heard him whisper my name behind me.

It wasn't 'Consigliere' or 'Miss Violet' but the name he had first learned to say years ago, ona rainy night at the docks -careful, hesitant, and almost fragile. However, I didn't turn back. When I left the holding facility, Arthur Morrow was leaning against the car, waiting. "What did he say?" he asked. "Nonsense," I said as I opened the door, my tone flat. "But the last thing he said was useful." Arthur raised an eyebrow, and I handed hima list I'd just received from the lawyer. "Look into these people," I said.

"From today on, you'll manage New Jersey and the offshore shipping routes for me." He didn't take it right away. He just looked at me. "Consigliere, do you really trust me with this?" "This isn't about trust," I said, getting into the car, and looked at him. "It's because I can tell what you want." Arthur finally smiled. It was a faint smile, but sharp ina way Drake never was. With that, he took the list and closed the car door for me. Before the window went up, I heard him say, "I won't let you down." On the drive back to the estate, fog was rolling over the sea.