Chapter 14
Three years later, Dominic came home from prison under supervised release.
Not as a boss.
As a felon under conditions.
No contact with known criminal associates.
Financial monitoring.
Travel restrictions.
Regular reporting.
No weapons.
No managing trust entities.
He moved into a modest apartment owned by no Falcone company.
Agnes visited him there once.
She looked around and said:
“Your father would hate this sofa.”
Dominic said:
“Good.”
They drank coffee from chipped mugs.
Neither mentioned Clarice for almost an hour.
Then Dominic asked:
“Do you think Michael knew you would stay silent?”
Agnes closed her eyes.
“I think he feared it.”
That hurt.
Dominic nodded.
“I used to think loyalty meant silence.”
“I taught you that.”
“Father did.”
“I helped.”
He looked at her.
She did not look away.
That was new.
Agnes was eighty-one now.
Still elegant.
More honest.
Clarice remained in prison.
She appealed.
Some financial counts were narrowed.
The core sentence remained substantial.
She sent one letter to Agnes.
Agnes did not open it.
Her attorney stored it.
Dominic asked why she kept it.
Agnes answered:
“One day I may want to know whether she can tell the truth without needing something.”
“And if she can’t?”
“Then I will know that too.”
The family banquet tradition ended.
On holidays, relatives now gathered in smaller groups.
No throne seats.
No formal order.
No whispered decisions over roast meat and wine.
May you like
Some people missed the grandeur.
Others breathed easier.
