Cast Out as Old-Fashioned, I Watched the Mafia Fall Apart Chapter 07
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 treat you strictly as a business associate. I won’t honor old ties, but I won’t go out of my way to make trouble for you either.”
Vera wiped her eyes, her face white, clearly aware that we could never return to what we had been.
And it wasn’t over. The others exchanged a look and closed in together.
“Iris, come back!” Callen, who had followed me for years, spoke urgently. “We can’t do this without you!”
Several of the long-serving men joined in.
“Iris, we know we were wrong! We were out of our minds to believe their lies!”
“Every time something went wrong, you carried it for us, and you always fought to get us the highest possible cut, Kelly knows nothing, and in a matter of days, our share has already been slashed by thirty percent!”
“Come back. We’ll do whatever you say!”
Even Vincent, standing off to the side, cleared his throat and softened his stance. “Iris, this was my oversight. Kelly was reckless and foolish. You are a veteran of this Family, and I remember everything you have done for us over the years. Come back, and the head of operations is yours again.”
For once, the whole room was remarkably united.
I watched them with amusement and laughed. “Please don’t. My thinking is outdated, and I don’t understand reform. If I stay, I’ll only obstruct the Family’s expansion and hold back all your bright futures.
“The position should stay with the young. Count me out.”
“You can’t leave!”
Someone pushed through the crowd. It was Robbie.
The fawning was gone from his face, replaced by a hard, domineering look, and he reached out to block me.
“We all have families to feed. You just walk away, and what are we supposed to do?
“You control so many channels and contacts. Can’t you help us out? After all these years, are you really that cold -blooded?”
A few others murmured agreement, all accusing me of abandoning old loyalties and leaving them to sink.
My eyes went over him, over everyone in the room, and came to rest on Vera.
“Vera, when your enemies cornered you at the docks, I was the one who pulled you out from under the knife. For four years, I gave you the safest routes and the biggest clients. I built your standing one step at a time. Then the moment I left, you were the first to claim I had kept you down, and you turned around and traded on my name. If it succeeded, the credit was yours; if it failed, the blame was mine. Is that what you call having no way out?
“Robbie, last year, when you were caught embezzling payment for a shipment, I buried the matter and protected you. Then, on the day I left, you were the first to start a group chat calling me an old woman and stirring up trouble. And now you remember me?
“And the rest of you.” My gaze swept over the long-serving men. “Whenever rivals wrecked one of our places or customs seized a load, wasn’t I always the one who took men out overnight to settle it? When did I ever give you less than your share? Kelly handed out a few small favors, and you turned around and kicked me while I was down. Now that everything has gone wrong, you come begging?
“And now you’re using so-called brotherhood to guilt me into helping you?”
I gave a cold laugh. “Honestly, I think they cut me too late. If I had known what you were all made of, I would have left ten years ago.”
