Chapter 13 - THE MAFIA BOSS WHO LEARNED TO WAIT
Vincent and I became friends slowly.
He never asked me to explain my past before I was ready.
He never treated my gratitude as a debt.
We met for coffee.
Walked along the river.
Talked about books, music, and the city.
Sometimes he told me stories about his childhood.
His father had been a feared man.
His mother had been a schoolteacher.
He had grown up between two worlds.
“I spent years believing power meant nobody could hurt you,” he told me one evening.
I looked at him.
“And now?”
He smiled faintly.
“Now I think power is mostly about what you choose not to do.”
I considered that.
Then asked:
“Are you still involved in the family business?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
“Even the parts people whisper about?”
His expression grew serious.
“Some of those operations are being wound down. Others are under legal scrutiny. I'm trying to leave that life behind.”
I studied him.
“Trying isn't the same as doing.”
“No,” he admitted. “It isn't.”
I appreciated the answer.
Because I had spent too long with a man who always knew exactly what to say.
Vincent was different.
He didn't promise perfection.
May you like
He promised honesty.
And then he worked to make his actions match his words.
