Beranda / Cast Out as Old-Fashioned, I Watched the Mafia Fall Apart / Bab 1 - Bab 9

Semua Bab Cast Out as Old-Fashioned, I Watched the Mafia Fall Apart: Bab 1 - Bab 9

9 Bab

1

The comments scrolled past faster than I could read them."If you've left the Family, why not come to us? Whatever cut you were taking, I'll triple it.""Triple? You call that an offer? Iris, come to me and you can have as much territory and as many men as you want."Soren, an arms dealer I had worked with, messaged me as well."Iris, we closed a deal just last week. How are you gone already?"I wrote back."Sorry. The Family cut me loose. A new person will handle the account from here."He went silent for a full half minute before he asked in disbelief, "Iris, they cut you? Has the Vincent Family lost its mind, or is it trying to go out of business?"I didn't answer, and another message came through."If you're gone, then forget the deal."Looking at a screen full of messages, whatever irritation being cut had left in me simply drained away, and I smiled.A decade in the underworld had left me holding a great many channels, contacts, and business lines.Over the years, countless peopl

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2

My phone buzzed without stopping the whole way.I opened the Family's core operations chat, where messages were flying past.At the top was Kelly."The underworld should have changed the way it operates long ago. Digging in and fighting head-on are outdated, hidebound rules of the old guard."We younger people have more flexible methods and a cleaner way of doing business. From today, every post changes shifts on time. No one has to stay up all night guarding freight or risk their life on the front line."Under my leadership, you'll earn more and live better!"In the long string of agreement beneath it, Aiden's name came first."I support Kelly! The old rules should have been thrown out years ago!"The rest fell in behind him, all taking veiled shots at the old rules for being cruel and treating people like machines.Another message came up. I had been added to a private group.The first to speak was Robbie, who used to flatter me more than anyone."Kelly is a hundred times better than

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3

I woke that morning to the phone beside my pillow buzzing nonstop.When I checked the screen, I found more than fifty missed calls and a flood of messages.The port managers, the business contacts, even the police were looking for me.[Freighter Three is being held by customs. Come back at once!][Soren wants to end all cooperation!][Iris, where are you?!]The one at the very top was from Don Vincent.He clearly had no idea that his precious niece had thrown me out of the Family.I had barely answered the call before he was roaring at me."Iris, where did you go? I gave you the largest cut and the widest authority in this Family so you could drop everything and go have fun?"Nothing has gone this badly in all these years. How long was I gone for you to create a mess this big?"I started to speak. "Vincent, I've already been—"He cut across me. "I don't care what you're doing. Get back to headquarters and put all of it right! Whatever else there is, I'll settle with you when I return!"

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4

I had barely walked into headquarters before I felt something was off.Don Vincent was standing in the elevator with three of the Family's elders.I inclined my head to them."Iris." Colby, the most senior elder, spoke first. "I hear Kelly has been doing well lately."Before I could answer, Vincent swept me with a warning look."I'm sorry, Mr. Colby. I no longer run anything in this Family, so I don't know the details." My voice stayed level. "As for how she is doing, you would do better to go and see for yourself."Colby nodded."Kelly is quite capable," Vincent answered at once, sounding certain. "The Family was unsettled for a while after you left, but fortunately Kelly steadied the situation and even landed a major contract."In fact, she's signing a port transfer contract with Grayson from the West Side today."Grayson was the most powerful figure on the West Side and famously exacting and difficult.To land him in the first place, I pulled more all-nighters than I could count, an

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5

The room went dead silent, and every eye turned to me.Without changing expression, I continued."I really was cut from the Family. I came today only to deal with a private matter, and I never expected a misunderstanding this serious."I apologize for wasting your time, Mr. Grayson."Then I turned to look directly at Kelly and Vera beside her. "I am curious who had the nerve to invite you here to negotiate in my name. I will find out and give you a proper explanation."Grayson's face went cold, and open mockery sharpened his voice. "So this is how the Vincent Family negotiates."You cut the people who built you, trade on their names, and show no basic good faith."Every deal between us ends here."At that, Vincent and the elders' faces fell. They hurried forward to explain.Grayson refused to listen. He raised a hand to stop them and turned away. At the door, he paused, looked back at me, and softened his voice."Iris, the Grayson Family will always have a place for you. Name your term

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6

The first thing I saw was Robbie.He sat at the bar with his legs crossed, turning a half-full glass of whiskey in his hand while telling the man beside him how generous the new boss was."Relax. No more freezing at the docks all night. Kelly says doing the bare minimum is enough, and we'll still get every cent. Once we clock out tonight, I'll take you all to the club."Beside him, several of the new people Kelly had brought in were either huddled over a card game or leafing through fashion magazines and chatting.Some of the long-serving men were slacking with them, cleaning guns and chatting about their families, while a thin layer of dust settled over the stack of manifests nearby.The entire hall sounded like a tavern, without a trace of real work being done."Clack!"At the head of the group, Colby brought his cane down hard on the marble. The sound was sharp and piercing.The noise died instantly. Everyone turned in unison, and the moment they saw the group in the doorway, their

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7

I felt nothing as I looked at her, only a trace of bitter irony.Four years ago, when she was new to the Family, she took another crew's shipment and was cornered in an alley by the docks, covered in wounds.I happened by, rescued her, took her under my wing, and taught her everything step by step.I taught her the contact codes, how far she could push customs, and how to handle the old foxes running each district.I valued her drive and quick mind. She reminded me of myself when I first entered this life.She had delivered results over the years and made a name for herself among the younger generation.But the insecurity and calculation deep inside her had never changed.I said none of that out loud.Whatever path she took now had nothing to do with me.I pulled my wrist away and kept my voice flat. "We both live by the rules of this world. Spare me the act. Trusting the wrong person was my mistake, and I've learned from it."I will not forgive you. If we meet in business, I will trea

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8

The room was silent and no one dared answer.Robbie's hand froze in midair, and he could neither pull it back nor leave it there.I didn't look at any of them again. I walked out.Outside the Vincent Family headquarters, the afternoon sunlight touched my face.I took out my phone, found Grayson's number, and called.He picked up almost instantly."Made up your mind?" There was a smile in Grayson's voice."I have." I hailed a car at the curb and opened the door. "The port arrangement. I think we can talk."The car pulled away, and the headquarters building receded behind me.The mess in there had nothing to do with me anymore.And my life was only beginning.In fact, Grayson had called me days earlier.He had repeatedly invited me to join the West Side alliance, and he had been blunt about it."Iris, I won't promise you an easy win here. What I can promise is that on the West Side, no one's relatives are parachuted into top jobs, and no subordinates are waiting to stab you in the back.

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9

He stepped closer, triumph filling his eyes, as though he had already branded me a thief."Well, Iris. I thought you were above it all, but it turns out you're a common thief. All those trips back to headquarters, and you were after the Family's secrets?"I froze for a second, then understood.So that was his game: frame me with his own crime and lure me into a trap.He meant to destroy my reputation throughout the underworld so I could never compete with him for business again.Watching his smug certainty, I laughed out loud.A second later the triumph froze on his face.The person standing in that office was not me.A courier in gray work clothes looked in bewilderment at the men who had burst in."What is all this? I'm running an errand and delivering something. How does that make me a corporate spy?"Whatever secret list of channels your Family has, I wouldn't take it even for free. It would only take up space."From the shadows of the corridor outside, I laughed again.It had felt

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