Chapter 261 Chapter 9 Giving Up On Dream
Ella
“I’m the son of the city’s most influential mafia boss.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had stepped into this city with a single purpose-to fight against the malignant tumor that was the mafia. Not with them And now, here I was, face to face with the son of the most influential mob boss in the area. And he was my client.
“Well?” he asked, his lips curling up into a smirk at the corners. “We have client-lawyer confidentiality. You know the truth now. I told you that there was more to worry about than my infidelity.”
“Oh god,” Ema said, sounding surprised. “A mafia boss? Can it get any worse?”
“At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does somehow get worse,” I replied. I swallowed. My mind raced. I knew how the mafia worked, at least to a certain extent. I knew, at the very least, that it was dangerous to go against them. That was why Mr. Henderson was so insistent on me taking Logan on as a client. He was afraid.
Logan did bribe my boss with that nice Rolex watch, but he also intimidated him. And now I was trapped in the middle of it all. I had a choice to make: risk my life and my job and pull out of the case, or risk those things anyway and stay working at Logan’s lawyer.
“I won’t do it, Logan,” I said firmly, drawing upon every ounce of resolve I had. “I won’t work for the mafia. I came here, to this city, because it needs good lawyers… not crooked ones. I can’t let myself be caught in your webs of deceit.”
He just leaned back, a hint of a smirk touching his lips, making the room’s ambient lighting seem a tad dimmer.
“This case, Ella,” he said slowly, “is completely legal. I’m branching out-finance, real estate, technology. My attempts to legitimize some parts of our family business.”
That explained why he had so many seemingly unrelated businesses. Money laundering, likely. I didn’t believe for a second that he wanted to ‘legitimize’ anything.
I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “And I’m supposed to believe you’ve turned over a new leaf? I’m sure you have a plethora of other illegal businesses as well.”
With a swiftness that came from years of refined instinct, I discreetly activated the recording app on my phone. If Logan gave me anything incriminating, I wanted to catch every word of it.
Logan simply smirked again, his blue eyes
flickering with a new fire within them.
“Do you mean illegal activities like drugs, murder, human trafficking, loansharking, protection rackets, and sex trafficking?” he questioned openly, his voice eerily calm.
My heart raced. This was not what I expected. He was laying everything out in the open? No euphemisms, no skirting around the topic? Just blatant admittance?
But before I could react, he reached across the table, swift as a striking snake, and snatched my phone, turning off the recording.
“There are illegal operations, yes,” he admitted. with an air of nonchalance, tossing my phone back down on the table between us. “But mostly, it’s my father and brother who are managing them these days. I’m like you, in a sense.”
I sneered, keeping my phone in my peripheral vision. “You’re nothing like me, you slimy weasel,” I hissed.
Logan simply laughed. “But you’re wrong,” he said. “I, like you, am trying to pave my own way. I could easily fall into my family’s safety net. I could turn to the illegal side of things. But I want to be different.”
I grabbed back my phone, frustration boiling over. “You think you’re being clever?” I spat, barely keeping my voice level.
Logan fixed me with a cold stare. “Don’t try to outsmart me, Ella. Right now, I’m just your client. As long as we’re still in business, you’ll answer to me. And it won’t be just once.”
He paused, the intensity of his gaze softening slightly. “Look, I just want to be upfront with you. I still hold hope for us, you know? The Moon Goddess wouldn’t have paired us otherwise.” I shot up from my seat, nearly knocking over the untouched glass of wine that sat in front of me.
“Don’t bring the Moon Goddess into this!” I growled, feeling my fangs begin to bare themselves. “It wasn’t her help-it was her misjudgment. My goal in this city was to stand against the likes of you. I refuse to be your puppet. And I reject you as my mate.”
The air between us was electric, the tension palpable. Logan, too, stood up, his tall frame casting a shadow over me.
“Dreams? You came to this city for your dreams? For justice? So, what now? You’re leaving just because things aren’t going the way you planned?”
With a sense of finality, I snatched our contract from the table, tearing it up into shreds and letting them fall onto his plate. A few shreds fluttered into his wine glass, staining them red. Red like blood.
“I won’t compromise with the mafia, Logan. Even if it means giving up my dreams. Even if it means leaving.”
His voice was menacingly low. “Tearing that contract isn’t the end, Ella. There’s a penalty-a hefty one. And trust me, battling the mafia here? We have ties deeper than you can fathom-with the police, the courts, even your precious law firms. You can’t fight here. The war has already been won, and my side was victorious.”
I took a deep breath, steadying myself.
“I’ll pay your penalty. And if it comes to it, I’ll leave this city.”
He watched as I made my way to the exit, a mixture of amusement and admiration in his eyes. But as the door swung closed behind me, I could feel my hands trembling. What had I just done?
Emerging from the restaurant, the cold night air hit my face, a stark contrast from the now- stifling atmosphere that I had just escaped. The streets were emptier now, a haunting silence save for the distant echo of footsteps and voices.
I was already paranoid. As I walked, I kept glancing over my shoulder, as though Logan. would have already sent goons after me to do his bidding. I had disobeyed a son of a mafia boss, and I had seen plenty of movies and heard plenty of stories about what happens to people who dared to do that.
“I’m worried,” Ema said. “He’s not trustworthy. Men like him…”
“I know,” I answered, shaking my head. “I’ve heard the stories.”
However, no one ever came. Not yet, at least. As I walked, a weight in my chest and a whirlwind of thoughts in my head. A few blocks away, I slipped into a small alley and leaned back against the brick wall, staring up at the crescent moon in the sky as my racing heart began to settle.
It was like a smile, a jeer from the Moon Goddess. I wanted to shake my fist at it and yell for being given the fate of such a horrible mate.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Why, Moon Goddess?” I murmured, shaking my head. “Of all the people in this vast, overpopulated world… why him? Is this a cruel joke? A test of some sort?”
The night remained silent, the moon offering no answers and no comfort. The uncertain dawn of tomorrow loomed ahead. But for now, I took solace in the one thing I was sure of: my unwavering resolve.
