Chapter 10 - THE FINAL SURPRISEMonths passed. The threats faded into the background. I had stepped down from the head of the family, letting my younger cousin take the reins.
I was sitting on the porch, reading a book, when Mia ran up to me. She handed me a drawing. It was a picture of me, Rex, her, and her mother. We were all holding hands.
Elena came out behind her. She looked at me, and for the first time, there was no maid’s uniform. She was wearing her own clothes. She was free.
"I have a confession," she said, sitting next to me. "My husband didn't just witness a shipment. He was the one who stole the manifests. I have them. They’re in a safe deposit box, and they can bury every Mafia family in this country, including yours."
I looked at the manifests, then at the girl playing in the grass.
"Burn them," I said.
She stared at me. "Why?"
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"Because," I said, taking her hand, "I’m done with the war. I just want to be the man who smells like coffee."
We weren't Mafia anymore. We were family. And for the first time in my life, I had everything worth dying for.
