Chapter 23 - Maximilian Without the Myth
People called me feared.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
Some of that came from my surname.
My grandfather had organized-crime convictions.
My father had operated businesses that mixed legitimate work with illegal intimidation before eventually leaving that world.
I had spent twenty years cleaning what could be cleaned.
Hotels.
Distribution.
Restaurants.
Real estate.
Licensed security.
Audited books.
Independent compliance.
The Mafia label remained because labels are sticky.
The fairground incident showed why reputation can become dangerous.
People cheered online when they heard I slapped Colton.
A twelve-year-old.
They called the cake shove:
“boss justice.”
I hated that phrase.
Nothing about losing control around children was leadership.
I addressed my senior staff directly.
“No employee uses my family reputation to intimidate anyone involved in this case.”
No calls.
No visits.
No:
you know who you’re dealing with.
Anyone who violated that would be fired.
May you like
Nobody tested me.
Real control sometimes means refusing the theater people expect from you.
