All Chapters of By My Rules: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

My name is Violet. I was the consigliere to the Leon mafia family in New York, the woman who drafted every rule in this underworld. Yet Drake Leon, the man I held close for a decade, was now defying them all.The Godfather’s winter banquet was the most exclusive event in New York’s underworld. Anyone seated at the main table held the power of life and death over half the city, and the seat to the right of the head chair—the one that should have been mine—was now occupied by a girl in an out-of-place white dress.Her name was Lina. One of her hands rested lightly over her still-flat stomach, and around her neck hung the blue diamond necklace I spent three full years searching for—my mother’s keepsake. She looked up at me and smiled, innocent and vicious all at once, like a songbird that’s just learned how to lift its head.“Consigliere, I heard this necklace used to belong to you?” Her fingers traced the diamond. Each word she spoke was malicious. “But Drake said… old things should a

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

The wedding was set for two days later. The venue was a newly built seaside estate on the north shore of Long Island, the same plot of land where the olive grove had once stood before it was cleared for construction.Every mafia family in New York received an invitation. To outsiders, this was Drake’s declaration of independence—his first grand event. It was a way to tell the world he was no longer just a blade raised by the consigliere, but a man capable of making his own rules.I didn’t stop it. In fact, I made sure the cash gifts, floral arrangements, and security details were handled flawlessly. My right-hand man didn’t understand. He asked if I was really planning to swallow this.I was sitting in front of my vanity mirror, trying on a pair of black lace gloves. When I heard that, I just smiled.“How could I possibly swallow it?” I said. “I just want him to stand a little higher… so the fall is harder.”The night before the wedding, I received a video. In it, Lina stood in a

When Lina was dragged to the center of the hall, her legs were already giving out beneath her.Her makeup had run from crying. Her veil hung crooked, and the once-pristine white wedding dress now looked crumpled. She tried to move toward Drake, but he stepped back. That single step was enough to break her.“Why are you backing away?” She grabbed his sleeve, her voice trembling. “Drake, you said you’d protect me for life! You said as long as I played my part, once you took the consigliere’s power, we could finally be together publicly!”The hall exploded. Some people gasped. Others cursed under their breath.Drake yanked his arm free. “Shut up!”“Why should I?” Lina let out a tearful, bitter laugh. “Now you care about your dignity? Where was that when you were lying to me?”I raised a hand, and the room fell silent almost instantly.“Let her speak.” I looked at Lina and told her, “Everything you say today might buy you another chance to live.”She froze for a second, then clung

After Drake was taken away, the Leon family didn’t immediately settle back into calm. On the contrary, the real shockwaves only began the next day.Several members most closely tied to him severed ties overnight to save themselves. Some burned ledgers, some fled out of state, and a few rushed to the Godfather first, hoping to weep and lay all the blame for Drake at his feet.The Godfather’s men came to see me, saying the council of elders wanted to hold an early meeting to reconsider control of the port district. I knew they weren’t here to help me; they were testing me. Once Drake was out of the picture, they started coveting the power I held. So, I went.The council met in the underground chamber of the old estate. There were seven chairs, but six were occupied. The empty one had always been Drake’s seat.The moment I entered, someone spoke up.“Consigliere, this mess has gotten out of hand.”“The family needs stability right now, not more bloodshed.”“Violet, we all know how