Bruce leaned back in a sleek leather chair, the city glittering beneath him like a kingdom at his feet. In one hand, a glass of red wine. In the other, his phone—on speaker.
Zack's voice crackled through, smug and accented, full of London edge.
"So we're in agreement then? I bring in the supply, you distribute through your...channels. Zim's ripe, mate. Underserved. Ready."
Bruce chuckled, slow and deliberate. "Zim isn't ripe, Zack. You don't tell me how my Empire is from the sidelines. I determine how it is. You don't dictate how it goes, I'm yet to decide if the deal you're proposing is worth the risk. You know, The FBI and Echo have sent operatives here, the playground is becoming a shooting range"
A pause.
"Come off it, Bruce. You're a lawyer, not a kingpin. I know you, remember? Cambridge. Law school. That angry Zimbabwean with something to prove."
Bruce stood, walked to the glass wall. The city pulsed below—judges, ministers, cops, priests—every pawn exactly where he'd placed them.
"The same Zack you were before. You are the pawn, nothing more. You were my sidekick then being my second chair in all those mock trials, you don't have the guts to rule. Our difference is you're saying someone's words, mine are OG. Don't compare me to you loser. I proved it and I'm still the king. You're dealing in ounces and arrogance, Zack. I deal in people. In fear. In loyalty. I don't sell drugs—I sell silence. I don't threaten—I offer choices. Every cop that pulls a trigger? He answers to someone who answers to me. Every judge who signs a warrant? They do it with my ink. You think you're proposing a partnership—"
"—Then kneel. You've got a lot of guts talking to me like that. I gave you face by letting you talk directly to me. Not a lot get that chance. If you think you're too good then…."
"Still dramatic as ever. I'm not looking for a fight, mate. Just a market. Okay nine-and-a-half Bruce "
"Deal. Now remember your place. You bring your product. I decide if it breathes. And remember... I'm not your mate, your boss maybe, you're a pawn Zack. Remember your place"
Bruce ended the call and sipped his wine, smiling to himself.
Bruce said to his self, "They all forget. I don't play the game. I own the board. It's me who decides the last move from the first. Presidents and all have come and gone but I'm still here."