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🕑 Added 2024-10-08 19:31:01 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 17: How Long Do We Rely on Family?
When Dante arrived home, his sister Beth was smoking outside. She gave him a subtle look, the same kind she reserved for enemies or people she was trying to figure out.
"Smoking at this hour?" Dante glanced at his sister with a slight headache and sat down outside the cabin.
“When you talk about rules, you remind me of Jaime, and I hate that about you.” Beth tossed her cigarette aside, crushing it under her boot.
"I'm going to sleep."
“You should leave this place before it consumes you like it did with the rest of our siblings. You understand that better than anyone." Beth cared for her brother Dante, which is why she didn’t want him to become another casualty of their family’s wounds.
But despite her concerns, it was too late to turn back.
“If I have wounds, I owe them to all my dear siblings. One got lost after getting an Indian reservation girl pregnant; another buried himself in his studies and rarely spoke to me; Lee threw himself into work, and you drowned in alcohol.” Dante’s expression showed disappointment, but that was all it meant.
The weakness of his siblings was the number one reason why he needed to be the leader of the family. He wasn’t sure how much longer everything would stay together before it all went to hell.
Beth felt hurt by his words and retorted, "You talk like you're the most mature of all of us. Do you also plan to kiss Dad’s boots until he dies? Not studying, not carving out a future away from Dad’s grip seems impossible for you."
“Ha, ha, ha, always so witty, Beth.” Dante couldn’t help but laugh at his sister’s criticism, which was clearly aimed at provoking a fight. “You have no idea what your little brother has turned into, Beth, so watch that mouth of yours.”
As Dante turned away, Beth murmured, “Arrogant bastard, you have the same wounds as all of us, but you swallow the pain instead of letting it out like we do.”
Dante wasn’t proud of earning a living by killing people or selling drugs, but he knew it was that or let others with the same ruthless ambitions take what could rightfully be his.
Besides, he was grateful for life—everything he received, he gave back to the earth in some way.
He wasn’t the only one benefiting from his business; in a way, thousands did.
...
Early in the morning, Dante woke up and left the cabin with his luggage. He was heading to the ranch where he would meet Susie Glass, who had come for reasons still unknown.
Living alone was easy when you had money—at least, in that sense, the fear of the unknown diminished.
For Dante, who had been given a second chance, the fear of being left alone in the world was always there.
That fear was one of the reasons he’d died before, but not anymore. This time, things had to change.
Smiling to himself, Dante returned to his ranch, which was truly beautiful. The plants outside were thriving, growing well.
It seemed the soil here was particularly rich. Dante found himself facing a dilemma—what would he do with Susie Glass on this ranch? A small hobby like gardening or growing crops might be a pleasant distraction while dealing with such a dangerous woman.
Taking care of a farm might be a good problem to have, after all. He had never had an honest job before.
Lying on the bed, Dante chuckled to himself and said, “In that case, I could consider expanding a farm here. I could become a rancher. Ride horses, hunt, watch the clouds, roll around, and relax—a life I’ve always wanted.”
The thought excited him even more. “Even though the plants used to wither at home, there are too many possibilities here.”
But for now, forgetting about building an entire greenhouse for his crops, Dante could only focus on small, essential things.
That desire for freedom had awakened, but so had the feeling that he needed to protect his family.
...
Great Falls International Airport, Montana.
A well-dressed woman stepped through the outer doors after deboarding her plane.
She was Susie Glass, the one running her father Bobby’s criminal organization, which controlled a marijuana empire with Archibald Horatio Landrover Horniman, the twelfth Duke of Halstead.
“If only Dante hadn’t moved to this backward state, I could’ve enjoyed the city for a few weeks,” Susie murmured, slightly displeased, though still maintaining her elegance in every movement.
She was elegant by nature—sophisticated, sarcastic, and ruthless. Her beautiful face often led others to underestimate her, something that worked to her advantage against her enemies.
But Dante never underestimated her. He was different from any other man she had met, which is why Susie liked him.
The reason she was looking for Dante was that he had recently shown interest in moving back to Montana, and after investigating further, she realized that he was actually the son of the family that owned the largest ranch in the United States.
If Dante showed more interest, he might seek to expand his control, potentially cutting off Susie and her father from exporting the product, making Dante his own distributor.
She was here for business. If there was any doubt, she wanted to extinguish it. If not, she’d stoke the fire to open the possibility of them building farms on the vast land his father owned.
“Miss Glass, welcome to Montana. I’ll take you to the boss; he’s waiting for you.” A man in a black suit approached with four others, all impeccably dressed. Without waiting for her response, they took her luggage.
Susie, of course, wasn’t intimidated and responded with a faint, sarcastic smile, “It seems your boss took my fashion advice.”
The men said nothing, except for William, who smiled subtly at her joke and said, “If you have any concerns during the trip, feel free to ask. I’ll answer all your questions honestly.”
“Very well, take me to your boss,” Susie replied, following the suited men, fully aware of what awaited her.
