C446 You Want Us To Do Drugs

On the way back to the hotel, Destroyer remained unusually quiet. Hanna noticed it almost immediately. She sat in the back seat, staring through the window at the passing streets while Destroyer drove. The conversation with Charlie had clearly left him with questions, but he seemed unsure whether he should ask them. Eventually, he could not hold it any longer. “Boss,” Destroyer said carefully, keeping his eyes on the road, “you want us to get into the drug business now?” Hanna slowly turned her head toward him. “What do you think?” Destroyer hesitated. “You know what I mean, Boss. We have always followed the rules of the Gupta family. What we are doing now… it is different.” Hanna smiled faintly. “Different?” "Yes.” Hanna looked back through the window. “She has Gold and Diamond.” Destroyer said nothing. Hanna continued, her voice becoming more serious. “So tell me, Destroyer. What future do you think we have in the Gupta family if Alicia keeps that dagger? Do you expect me to bend my knee to her?”

Destroyer frowned. “But, Boss, we would be defying the family rules.” Hanna turned toward him again. “If you know so much about our family rules, then perhaps you can tell me what it means when someone possesses Gold and Diamond.” Destroyer opened his mouth, but no words came. Hanna smiled when she saw his silence. “Exactly.” She leaned back in her seat. “Then let me tell you what you apparently forgot.” Her voice became quieter. “Long ago, before our family became what it is today, there was only one leader. My great-great ancestor.” Destroyer listened carefully. “He was a warrior,” Hanna continued. “He fought wars when our family was still small. Enemies came after him with guns, swords and archers. They believed they could defeat him because they had numbers and weapons.” Hanna paused. “But he had Gold and Diamond.” Destroyer glanced at her through the mirror. “He used that dagger to fight them,” Hanna said. “And he won.”

She looked down at her hands. “But he was severely injured. Those injuries eventually took his life.” The car became silent. “Before he died,” Hanna continued, “he left one final order for the family. He said that one day, Gold and Diamond would choose its owner.” Destroyer listened without interrupting. “And whoever the dagger chose,” Hanna said, “would become the leader of the family. That person would unite everyone and lead the family to victory.” Destroyer swallowed. Hanna's expression hardened. “Now it has chosen Alicia.” The words hung heavily in the car. “If I do nothing,” Hanna continued, “then Alicia becomes the leader. My army will eventually bend a knee to her. My father's army will bend a knee to her. Everyone in the Gupta family will eventually follow her.” She leaned forward slightly. “So tell me, Destroyer. Do you want that?” Destroyer remained silent. Hanna watched him for several seconds before letting out a quiet snicker. “That is what I thought.” Destroyer finally spoke. “But what if the family finds out what we are doing?” “They won't.” “And if they do?” Hanna's eyes narrowed. “Then we deal with it.”

Destroyer looked uncomfortable. Hanna smiled again. “This is my secret plan. If things really don't work out at the Gupta family, I need a backup.” “A backup?” “A way to survive without them.” She looked directly at him. “If I control the cartel, I will have money, influence and people of my own. I won't have to depend on the Gupta family.” Destroyer remained silent. “This stays between us,” Hanna said. “No one else needs to know.” She paused. “And if you tell them…” Her smile disappeared. “I will hunt you down myself.” Destroyer looked at her through the mirror. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Eventually, he gave a small nod. “I understand, Boss.” Hanna leaned back. “Good.” The rest of the drive passed in silence. But Destroyer was still thinking about everything Hanna had said. When they finally arrived at the hotel, Hanna stepped out of the car. “Come with me.” Destroyer followed her inside. They went directly to Hanna's room. Once the door closed behind them, Hanna walked toward the table and sat down. Several blank sheets of paper were already lying in front of her.

Destroyer stood nearby. Hanna picked up a pen. “Now,” she said, “let me show you my plan.” She began writing. “The first part is Charlie.” Destroyer nodded. “She will be our front.” Hanna wrote Charlie's name on the paper. “Charlie wants revenge for Willy. That makes her useful. She already has a reason to rebuild the cartel, and people will believe she is doing it because of her uncle.” She drew a line beneath Charlie's name. “While everyone is watching her, we will work behind her.” Destroyer leaned closer. “If we can take control of Willy's old network while everyone believes Charlie rebuilt it herself, then the world will see Charlie as the boss.” “And you will control everything from behind the scenes,” Destroyer said. Hanna smiled. “Exactly.” She continued writing. “Charlie will have the face. She will deal with the business publicly. She will believe she is rebuilding her uncle's empire.” Hanna looked up. “But the real structure will belong to me.” Destroyer nodded slowly. “And the Gupta family?” “They cannot know.”

Hanna's voice became firm. “My army cannot know. My father's people cannot know. No one.” She pointed at Destroyer. “You will recruit criminals quietly. Not large groups. Small numbers. People who can be trusted to keep their mouths shut.” Destroyer nodded. “And the South Americans?” Hanna smiled. “We will start there.” She wrote another name on the paper. “Alvaro Gonzalez.” Destroyer looked at the name. “He sent those four men to help Willy. They were killed, but that doesn't mean his organization disappeared.” Hanna put the pen down. “Tomorrow, we fly to meet Alvaro.” Destroyer nodded. “Understood.” Hanna stared at the plan on the table. Everything was beginning to take shape. Charlie would be the face. Destroyer would build the hidden network. Hanna would control everything. Hanna slowly turned toward Destroyer. “There is one more thing.” Destroyer looked at her. “In order for you to keep this between us…” Hanna stood and reached for her coat. Destroyer watched her carefully. He had expected another warning. Instead, Hanna stepped closer to him.

The meaning of her actions became clear, and Destroyer froze. He had never expected Hanna to use this kind of leverage against him. She leaned closer and kissed him. For a moment, Destroyer simply stood there, caught completely off guard. Hanna pulled away and looked into his eyes. She had said everything she needed to say. They remained together in Hanna's room. Destroyer was still shaken by what had happened. But Hanna was not. As she looked at him, she knew exactly what she had gained. It was not simply his loyalty. It was his silence. And now Destroyer had another reason to make sure her secret never reached the Gupta family. Hanna turned toward the window. Tomorrow, they would meet Alvaro Gonzalez. And her secret empire would begin. Eventually they fell asleep.