Chapter 10 - The Unbreakable RuleThe sun dipped below the horizon, painting the harbor in brilliant strokes of gold, amber, and deep violet.
Outside on the grand veranda, the river breeze carried the scent of salt water and blossoming jasmine. Abel Ferraro stood by the balustrade, watching the lights of the city flicker on across the water like a million tiny stars anchored to the earth.
He lit a cigar, taking a slow, contemplative drag before looking over at Rafe, who stood beside him leaning against the stone railing.
"You know, boss," Abel muttered, exhaling a thin cloud of blue smoke into the evening air. "When you broke off the wedding with Evelyn, half the syndicate thought you'd lost your mind. They thought a mafia family needed an alliance with a federal judge to survive the changing political climate."
Rafe watched the river current flow steadily toward the open sea, unbothered by the turbulence beneath the surface. "They thought the strength of this family depended on who sat at our dinner table or whose name was on our marriage license."
"And now?" Abel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Now," Rafe said quietly, tapping the steel pen in his breast pocket, "they know that a house built on fear and compromise will always crack at the first tremor. But a house built on absolute loyalty, where the weakest among us is protected with the same ferocity as the strongest... that kind of house can weather any storm."
Abel nodded slowly, tipping his cigar toward the glowing windows of the ballroom behind them, where laughter, music, and the unmistakable sound of genuine happiness echoed out into the night.
"The rule holds, then?" Abel asked.
May you like
"Always," Rafe replied without a moment's hesitation. "Always."
And as the night settled over the city, wrapping the waterfront in a blanket of absolute peace, the rule remained—unbroken, uncompromised, and absolute.
