Jio did. “It’s just a building,” he shrugged.
His grandfather chuckled lowly, shaking his head to disagree.
“Nooooo,” he said. “It’s never just a building.”
He crouched down, bringing himself eye-level with Jio.
His eyes were sharp… they’d seen way too much and, yet and still, he managed to survive anyhow.
“One day,” he said slowly, “All of this is gonna be yours.”
Jio blinked. “All of it?” He wasn’t too sure.
“All of it.”
The words hung in the air, sounding like a promise and a prophecy simultaneously.
“But you gotta understand something,” his grandfather added, his voice switched to a serious tone.
Jio leaned in closer.
“It’s more than just having something attached to your name,” he stated. “The hard part is keeping all this shit. Son, trust me, that will not be easy.”
Jio frowned. “Why not?”
His grandfather smirked.
“Because everything that comes with it…” he paused, tapping Jio on his chest. “It’s going to live right here, but if you’re not strong enough to carry it, it’ll break you from the inside out.”
Jio didn’t fully understand but he nodded anyway. “Yes sir.”
Because something about the way his grandfather said it made it feel important. He would try his best to remember this conversation when he was his age.
“Think you can handle that?”
“Yeah,” he said, with all the confidence a child could muster.
His grandfather studied him for a moment.
“Yeah or yes sir?”
Jio corrected himself quickly. “Yes sir!”
“Good,” he said, standing back up. “Because one day, you’re not going to have a choice.”
The present snapped him back into place like a rubber band against his skin. He’d missed his exit fuckin’ around in la la land.
“Damn,” he muttered as he switched lanes.
The weight in his chest was heavy. Jio exhaled slowly and his jaw tightened.
“One day done came,” he said to no one other than himself.
The words echoed louder now than ever…
Because now, he understood. He finally fuckin’ got it. It was more than having the last name and the power. Jio had to carry the responsibility of monitoring it all. He was the protector. The leader. The boss. The made man. The one they all looked to for the right answers.
Every decision. Every risk. Every move that could either build the empire higher or bring it crashing down was on him. He was anxious yet ready to take things up another notch. If more discipline was required, he was about to tighten up in every aspect of his life.
