By My Rules

Drake’s retaliation came faster and far more vicious than I expected. In just three days, all three of our West Coast arms routes were cut off. Two senior figures who had always remained neutral suddenly changed their stance, openly questioning my authority as the Godfather's acting representative. Even the two most stable cash flows in the port district ran into trouble on the same day.

I sat in my office and listened to the full report. When it was over, I only asked one question.

“What about the cemetery?”

My right-hand man lowered his head. “The olive grove… It’s been leveled.”

The pen in my hand snapped in half. That cemetery sat on the north shore of Long Island. It held the grave of my first child with Drake, Angelo.

By the time I arrived, the site had been sealed off. Several of the oldest trees lay toppled across the dirt, their roots ripped out of the ground. The row of trees that used to stand thickest in front of Angelo’s grave was now nothing but broken stumps.

Lina stood not far away, holding a set of estate blueprints, looking pleased with herself.

“The lighting here is perfect.” She turned back to smile at Drake. “When the new house is built, I want the nursery on the second floor. It’ll have a view of the sea.”

I walked over. I didn’t even glance at Drake. I simply raised my hand and fired a shot straight through the blueprint, tearing the paper apart instantly.

The workers froze in shock. Lina screamed and stumbled into Drake’s arms.

He stepped in front of her, his expression dark. “Violet, have you lost your mind?”

My second shot hit the front wheel of a bulldozer. The blast echoed so loudly that no one dared move.

“Get out,” I said, my gaze sweeping across the site. “Anyone who's still here in three minutes… will get buried here.”

No one thought I was bluffing, but Drake didn’t move. He stood at the edge of the graveyard, meeting my eyes across the scattered debris, his voice unnaturally cold.

“He’s dead. What’s the point of keeping the trees?”

Finding it ironic, I asked, “Then what were you doing back then, kneeling in front of his grave and planting them?”

He paused for a moment, but when he spoke again, his gaze had only hardened.

“Back then, I thought I’d spend my life guarding the past,” he said. “But later, I realized you can’t live forever tied to a dead child and a dead relationship.”

The words cut into my chest like a blade. My grip tightened around the gun, my knuckles turning white.

Lina suddenly leaned out from behind him, her voice sickly sweet. “Consigliere, if you’re so attached to this place, you’re welcome to visit anytime. When Drake and I have another child, they’ll call you–”

Before she could finish her sentence, I slapped her hard across the face. The force sent her crashing into the dirt, one side of her face swelling almost instantly. Silence fell over the entire site.

Drake’s expression changed sharply. He rushed forward and grabbed my wrist.

“Violet!”

“Let go.” I stared straight at him as I said, “If you don’t, my next shot goes into her stomach.”

He didn’t release me. If anything, there was a trace of cold satisfaction in his eyes.

“So you finally lost your composure,” he said quietly. “I thought you didn’t care about anything at all.”

I looked at him and suddenly stopped struggling.

“Drake.” One by one, I pried his fingers off my wrist and said, “You’re going to regret leveling this grove.”

Then, I personally moved Angelo’s headstone and ashes. And when I left, I didn’t look back, because I knew from this moment on, there was nothing left between us but winning and losing.