Chapter 10

A year passed.

I was thirteen now.

I was taller. Stronger.

I was doing well in school.

I was the star of the soccer team.

I had great friends.

My parents were happy.

Still in love.

Still happy together.

Life was good.

Really good.

One day, my father told me he had a surprise for me.

"Get dressed up," he said. "We're going into the city."

I got dressed in my best clothes.

My father drove us into the city.

We went to a big, fancy building.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"You'll see," my father said, smiling.

We went inside.

We took the elevator to the top floor.

My father led me to a big office.

The name on the door said:

**MORETTI & SON**

I stared at it.

"Dad?"

My father opened the door.

Inside was a beautiful office.

Big windows overlooking the city.

A desk.

And on the desk...

A nameplate.

It said:

**ANTHONY MORETTI**

**VICE PRESIDENT**

My name.

I looked at my father.

"What is this?" I asked.

"This is the legitimate side of the business," my father said. "Real estate. Construction. Investments. All legal. All above board. And I want you to be part of it. I want you to learn the business. The legal side. The honorable side. So that someday... someday you can take over. And you can make this family completely legitimate. You can give our name a good reputation."

He paused.

"I've done things I'm not proud of," he said. "Things I had to do to survive. To protect my family. But I don't want that life for you. I want you to have a better life. A cleaner life. A life you can be proud of. Can you do that for me, son?"

Tears filled my eyes.

I nodded.

"I will, Dad," I said. "I promise."

My father smiled.

He put his arm around me.

We looked out the window at the city below.

"This is our city, son," he said. "And someday, it's going to be yours. And you're going to make it a better place."

I looked out at the city.

At all the people. All the buildings. All the possibilities.

And I believed him.

I was going to make my father proud.

I was going to make this family legitimate.

I was going to give our name a good reputation.

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