Chapter 13 - The Clean Slate
Months passed.
The inch became a foot. The foot became a few steps with heavy leg braces and crutches.
I wasn't cured. I would never run again.
But I wasn't confined to the chair 24/7 anymore.
As my body healed, my mind shifted.
I called Luke into my office.
"I'm restructuring the business," I told him.
Luke looked confused. "Restructuring how?"
"We're going completely legitimate. Real estate, construction, logistics. No more loan sharking, no more extortion, no more blood money."
Luke stared at me. "The other families will see it as a sign of weakness."
"Let them. Anyone who steps on our legitimate businesses gets crushed. But we stop operating in the shadows."
"Why?"
I looked out the window. Emma was in the garden, pushing her mother in a wheelchair—Sarah was visiting for the weekend.
"Because I'm tired of the dark, Luke. I want to build a life she doesn't have to hide from."
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Luke smiled. "It's gonna be a massive headache, boss."
"Get it done."
