Chapter 16
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After that, the Moretti and Vasquez families maintained an uneasy peace for a very long time.
I specifically asked Antonio not to mention anything about Ethan or the Moretti operations to me unless absolutely necessary.
In my new family, I advanced quickly through the ranks, gained the trust of Don Vasquez, and kept myself completely devoted to my new loyalties.
The pain from before had already faded away.
I realized that my previous life, revolving around just one family and one man, had been incredibly limiting.
Thinking about it now, I surprisingly found myself agreeing with Ethan’s
perspective.
The world of family alliances was so vast, ambition could reach so far–why should
I tie myself to one man’s shadow so early?
I was grateful that I’d chosen a territory with more sophisticated operations. Though the hurricane seasons and corrupt local officials were headaches, and yes,
there were plenty of rival families to navigate.
But with beautiful coastal views and year–round sunshine, I quickly forgot what
northern brutality even looked like.
During a territory expansion meeting, a former Moretti soldier who had switched sides visited Miami, and Antonio and I took him to dinner for intelligence
gathering.
He casually mentioned Ethan.
Apparently, he and Sofia had broken up despite the engagement. With the Rossi alliance failing, the Moretti territory had been shrinking, one block at a time. “Ethan’s completely different from the controlled, strategic captain he was when you knew him. He’s like a totally different person now.
“If you saw him today, you probably wouldn’t even recognize him. He drinks constantly and has become reckless.”
I said nothing.
Antonio kept shooting me questioning glances until our informant changed the
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subject.
We celebrated a successful territory acquisition along the waterfront that night. During the celebration, Antonio told me to make a wish for our family’s future. After making it, I realized this was the first time I’d wished for something ambitious for myself and my new family.
For six long years of my short life, every single wish had been about being accepted by the Morettis.
I was happy–I had truly moved on.
During my first return to neutral territory for negotiations, I missed Antonio and my Vasquez brothers terribly.
As soon as the meetings ended in mid–December, I rushed back to our Miami compound for the holidays.
What I never expected was that Ethan would be waiting for me at our private airstrip.
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