The next morning, Vito woke up to the sound of a car horn blaring outside.
Joe.
"Rise and shine, Vinny!" he shouted from below. "We got work!"
Vito got dressed quickly, his mind already focused. This wasn't like before. No more small-time jobs. No more harmless thrills.
This was different.
This mattered.
They drove across the city in silence at first, the early morning fog hanging low over Empire Bay.
"So," Vito finally said, "what's the job?"
Joe glanced at him. "Simple. Guy owes money. We go remind him."
"Remind him how?"
Joe smirked. "However he needs to be reminded."
The building was old, tucked between a grocery store and a laundromat. Paint peeled off the walls, and the staircase creaked with every step.
Joe knocked once.
Hard.
No answer.
He knocked again—louder.
A nervous voice came from inside. "Who is it?"
Joe leaned closer to the door. "Friends."
A pause.
Then the door opened just a crack.
Big mistake.
Joe pushed it wide open, and they stepped inside.
The man inside looked scared before they even said a word.
"That's good," Joe whispered to Vito. "Means we don't gotta work too hard."
"P-please," the man stuttered. "I just need more time—"
Joe cut him off. "You already had time."
Vito stood there, watching.
This was it.
His first real job.
Not stealing.
Not running.
Enforcing.
Joe turned to him. "Go on, Vinny. Show him you're serious."
Vito hesitated—just for a second.
Then he stepped forward.
The man backed away, hands shaking. "I'll pay! I swear I will!"
Vito grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Then you better," Vito said coldly.
The words surprised even him.
They came out… easy.
A quick search of the apartment turned up some cash.
Not enough.
Joe sighed. "Guy never has enough."
He looked at Vito again. "Alright. Send a message."
Vito understood.
He didn't like it.
But he understood.
A punch.
Then another.
The man cried out, collapsing to the floor.
Vito stepped back, breathing hard.
Joe nodded approvingly. "See? Not so hard."
But Vito didn't respond.
Because something inside him had shifted.
Again.
Outside, the city moved like nothing had happened.
Cars passed.
People laughed.
Life went on.
But for Vito… things were different now.
There was no pretending anymore.
This was who he was becoming.
Over the next weeks, the jobs kept coming.
Collections.
Deliveries.
Threats.
Sometimes worse.
Each job pushed Vito deeper into the life.
And each time… it got easier.
One night, after a long day, Joe handed him a drink at a bar.
"You're doing good, Vinny," he said. "Real good. They're noticing."
"Who?" Vito asked.
Joe leaned in slightly. "The top guys."
Vito frowned. "And that's a good thing?"
Joe grinned. "It's the best thing."
But with attention… came pressure.
And expectations.
A few days later, they were given a bigger job.
A robbery.
Not some small store.
Something bigger.
Riskier.
"Now we're talking," Joe said, checking his gun. "This is where the real money is."
Vito nodded—but his expression was serious.
He knew better now.
Bigger jobs meant bigger consequences.
That night, as they prepared, Joe looked at him.
"You ready for this?"
Vito paused… then nodded.
"Yeah," he said.
But deep down, he wasn't thinking about the money.
Or the thrill.
Or even the risk.
He was thinking about one thing:
How far this path would take him…
And what it would cost in the end.