Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
I could even see ripples of delight spreading across the faces of countless brides as they unwrapped their gifts.
“It’s all about branding.” Leo brought me back to reality. “You tie something to your name and it becomes part of your identity.”
I shivered at the intensity in his eyes.
There was no doubt that Leo was brilliant, but there was a ruthless edge to him too.
It felt dangerous and exciting all at once.
“You want a Tiffany box? You can’t just buy one.” Leo shook his head. “You can’t just walk in and ask for one, no matter how much money you have. That box is only given with something they sell. And that’s how they made it coveted.”
“I see.”
His hands moved swiftly, rolling the joint tight. “It’s like how I branded the East. We don’t just let anyone in, do we? We have rules, exclusivity. People want in because not everyone can get in. It’s the same idea.”
He finished rolling and held it up, admiring his work.
The joint had a faint blue tint, almost glowing in the soft moonlight.
“I like Tiffany's. The color, the box, the idea. It’s all about making people want something they can’t have.” He looked at me. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
The hum of the helicopter was almost soothing now.
Below us, the city stretched out as a vast sea of blue and silver lights twinkling in the night.
Leo placed the joint between his lips and lit it.
Seconds later, he took a deep drag, held it for a moment, and then exhaled slowly.
To my surprise, blue smoke curled around him.
“Very nice.” He handed it to me.
I hesitated. “No, thank you.”
“You’ll need it.”
“Why?”
“My lessons are hard ones but the ones I will give in this helicopter should be enjoyed with a nice joint.”
“Okay.” I reached out, taking the joint between my fingers. The air around us seemed to still as I brought it to my lips. I took a slow drag, feeling the warmth fill my lungs.
He watched me the whole time as if assessing my every move.
The first thing I noticed with this Tiffany strain was that the flavor was sharp, with a slight sweetness that lingered on my tongue.
The strain was good, too…strong.
Jo is going to love this.
I tried to hand it back but he shook his head. “Take another hit.”
I obliged.
Smoke filled my lungs.
He leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms above his head like a man settling in for a story. “At first the Four Aces’ color was white. Then, I changed it to black but that didn’t stick in my mind either.”
Song frowned. “I liked when it was black.”
“Yeah, but there was no vision with black.” Leo smiled. “Back when I first formed the group, there was no color, no symbol. We were just a bunch of guys—thieves, murderers, outcasts, selling guns to whoever would buy them. I had a vision. I knew we needed more than just violence and weapons. We needed identity. Something that would set us apart, make us legendary. Something like Tiffany Blue.”
Leo stared off in the distance. “I bought a bracelet for my wife in Tiffany’s. It was my first expensive gift. I got it after a big gun sale. I was so. . .proud to be able to walk in that store and get her something. However, I never knew that moment would change my life.”
“How?”
“When I saw that color on the box, I knew what I had to do for the Four Aces.”
I exhaled smoke and handed it to him.
He took the joint back from me and inhaled deeply.
Thin clouds of smoke drifted toward the helicopter ceiling.
“Charles Lewis Tiffany took something that was just a shade of paint and turned it into a status symbol. It means something now. People see that color, and they think of luxury, of exclusivity. It’s not just about the jewelry; it’s about the experience. That box isn’t just a box. It’s a promise of something greater.” Leo winked. “You get a Tiffany Blue box and you know you’ve made it. And most of all, you know your husband or boyfriend isn’t cheap.”
“I see. So you wanted to bring that same sort of marketing to the Four Aces?”
“Exactly,” he passed the joint back to me. “I created a legacy.”
I took a slow drag.
“Blue is the color of loyalty, of calm control. It’s the color of the sky, the ocean. You look at blue and you feel steady. Safe.” Leo held up one finger. “But it’s also cold, unyielding. It has an edge to it, like the ocean in a storm. It can be serene but it can also drown you and drag you to your death.”
I widened my eyes.
“That’s what I wanted for the Four Aces. I wanted us to be the calm in the chaos. The ones who could move through the storm, untouched. Unshaken.”