Chapter 12 - I Sold the Empire My Father Built and Used the Money to Give Leo and Maya the Childhood Ethan Wanted for ThemI sold everything.
The clubs.
The warehouses.
The illegal businesses.
The properties connected to the old network.
I kept only legitimate investments.
Then I created a trust for Leo and Maya.
Their father had wanted them safe.
I would make sure they were.
We moved into a quiet house outside Austin.
No armed guards in hallways.
No locked basements.
No secrets.
Maya planted flowers.
Leo learned to ride a bicycle.
His leg healed.
Slowly.
Completely.
One afternoon, he asked,
“Uncle Thomas?”
“Yes?”
“Are you still scary?”
I laughed.
“Probably.”
He smiled.
May you like
“Not to us.”
That meant more than any empire ever had.
Related Stories
Chapter 13 - Three Months Later, Leo Took My Hand at Ethan's Memorial and Said Something That Finally Let Me GrieveWe held a private memorial.
Chapter 14 - On Leo's Seventh Birthday, He Gave Me a Drawing That Proved Ethan Had Finally Been Right About MeLeo turned seven.
Chapter 15 - My Brother Asked Me to Keep His Children Out of My World—So I Destroyed That World and Built Them a Better OneThree years ago, my brother died.
