Business

"Are you thinking of expanding even more and becoming independent?" Susie asked, voicing what had been on her mind since she arrived.

She was here for business, realizing the possibilities that Dante's father's vast land offered. When she found out Dante had moved, doubts began to take over her mind.

That's why she traveled as soon as Dante returned home, and she wouldn't leave until she had an idea of what he intended to do.

Dante, hearing the question, looked at Susie intently, smiled slightly, and said, "The product you sell me is only enough for a city like New York. If I want to compete with businesses elsewhere, I definitely need to expand my product."

"Is that why you came here? Setting up a factory like the ones I showed you is extremely efficient for producing as much product as you can move," Susie said sarcastically but directly. She knew her power here was minimal, but she still had influence.

She knew all about Dante's business and, most importantly, she knew him. If Susie were betrayed, she could quickly expose all of his operations and discard him, which is why she hoped to reach an agreement that would continue to benefit them both.

"You're very direct, and I like that. If you were worried I might stop buying from you, you should stop thinking that right now. The product you sell me won't stop being purchased. You trusted me when I was a nobody, and I won't let you down now that I've reached greatness."

"I hope so. I think you're the only one I've really gotten attached to."

Dante frowned, understanding that subtle hint. In a situation like this, Susie was telling him that she wouldn't part ways with him so easily.

One issue he hadn't considered was that she knew his face and was dangerous, and those two factors were risky. That's why he wouldn't mention anything about the herb farms he planned to set up across his ranches.

He wasn't stupid. Would he really trust someone who could likely become his enemy?

With these thoughts in mind, Dante said in a calmer tone, "I can guess why you're here, beyond what you've already made clear."

"Can you give me a hint?" Susie wasn't going to be that open, especially since Dante hadn't revealed anything to suggest he was thinking of breaking their agreement.

When Dante killed his former supplier in New York, he promised Susie that he would control the whole city for her and her family. It's only been a year since then, and to her surprise, all of New York was moving her product.

Dante had followed Susie's advice not to get involved with the cocaine business, something he had been clear about in his criminal career so far. And although he was in the arms trafficking business, it wasn't his main inspiration.

This had generated significant profits for Susie. So she wouldn't let Dante leave their partnership.

"You know what I'm thinking before I say it." Dante stood up, walked to the wooden fence, and sat on it. "I'm your main buyer of herbs. Leaving your golden circle would drop your sales by 70% if we consider all the products I move."

Without waiting for Susie's response, Dante continued, "So, with New York as my domain, you'd think a man as ambitious as I am might be considering expansion. But you can't send more products. You've been sending everything you can smuggle this whole time, and it's still not enough."

Susie smiled, but it wasn't a smile of fragility or emotion. It was a smile that evaluated Dante's words as if she had expected them all along. "You're very intuitive, which is why you've succeeded so quickly in this business."

"You're not here to give me compliments, Susie. Let's stop hiding things from each other. You know that if I want to expand, the herb you send won't be enough, and that's why I would need to find a new supplier." Dante thought to himself that smoking at that moment would be a beneficial business trait.

"That, or open your own factories."

"Indeed, that's the only way out. But what if I don't want to keep selling, and that's why I came back home?" Dante posed a possibility that took Susie by surprise.

Abandon the empire Dante had created?

That was quite an attractive joke.

Susie set her coffee cup aside and said, "There's also the possibility that you're here to set up those factories."

"So, how are we going to solve this?" Dante asked seriously, expecting a clear answer from Susie.