Chapter 9 - The Unwritten Rule of the House
The transition of the Carbone estate from a syndicate fortress into a genuine home was celebrated quietly among the staff, though the enforcers and captains quickly learned the new unwritten rules of the organization.
Rule One: Never swear within earshot of the south wing. Rule Two: Always knock before entering the study, unless you are four years old and carrying a green dinosaur. Rule Three: Anyone who threatens the peace of the household answers directly to Dominic Carbone—and this time, there would be no warnings and no negotiations.
On a warm Saturday afternoon, the courtyard was filled with sunlight.
Luca Moretti stood near the stone fountain, watching from a distance as Dominic walked across the manicured lawn with Evie riding high on his shoulders, her small hands clutching his dark hair for balance while she giggled uncontrollably. Claire walked beside them, holding a small basket of fresh pastries, laughing as Dominic made a exaggerated grimace pretending to be attacked by a plastic T-Rex.
Luca took a slow drag from a cigar, shaking his head with a quiet, appreciative chuckle.
“Never thought I’d see it,” Luca muttered to himself.
One of the younger enforcers standing post near the iron gates glanced over, confused. “See what, Mr. Moretti?”
“The boss,” Luca said, blowing a ring of gray smoke into the spring air. “For twenty years, he carried the whole city on his back like it was a prison sentence. Now? He looks like a man who finally remembered how to breathe.”
The enforcer nodded respectfully, keeping his eyes on the perimeter.
Inside the grand house, the marble halls were filled with the sound of life—not the tense, hushed whispers of criminals and conspirators, but the ordinary, beautiful noise of a family growing together.
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In the study, the emerald velvet chair sat right beside the massive walnut desk. The inkwells were full, the ledgers were balanced, and the whiskey glasses were clean. But the true heart of the office was no longer the weapons hidden in the wall safe or the power wielded from the desk.
It was the little green dinosaur sitting on the blotter, guarding the boundary between a dark past and a remarkably bright future.
