Chapter 261


    Chapter 261 Chapter 9 Giving Up On Dream


    E


    “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 clientwyer


    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’swyer.


    “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 goodwyers… 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, E,” he said slowly, “ispletely legal. I’m branching out-finance, real estate, technology.


    My attempts to legitimize some parts of our family business.”


    That exined why he had so many seemingly unrted businesses. Moneyundering, 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


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    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 wasying everything out in the open? No


    euphemisms, no skirting around the topic? Just tant 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 nonchnce, 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 simplyughed. “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. 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, E. 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 ss 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 nned?”


    With a sense of finality, I snatched our contract from the table, tearing it up into shreds and letting them


    fall onto his te. A few shreds fluttered into his wine ss, staining them red. Red like blood.


    “I won’tpromise 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, E. 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 preciousw 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 ites 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 ncing 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 bitterugh escaped my lips. “Why, Moon Goddess?” I murmured, shaking my head. “Of all


    the people in this vast, overpopted world… why him? Is this a cruel joke? A test of some


    sort?”


    The night remained silent, the moon offering no answers and nofort. The uncertain dawn of


    tomorrow loomed ahead. But for now, I took sce in the one thing I was sure of: my


    unwavering resolve.