"I'm Rome D'Angelo. Your son. The one you gave up on."
"No. Rome was weak. Unfocused. Incapable of basic discipline. Whatever happened to change that—"
"Nothing happened. I just stopped pretending to be what you wanted and started becoming what I needed to be."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
Another long silence. Then, slowly, Vito smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. It was the smile of a predator recognizing another predator.
"Interesting," he said. "Very interesting."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"It's an observation. You've grown teeth, Rome. I wasn't sure you had it in you."
"Lots of things you weren't sure about. Doesn't make them less true."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city below. "Vanguard will try to lock you into a long-term contract. Standard practice for promising recruits. They'll offer signing bonuses and performance incentives and make it sound like the opportunity of a lifetime."
"I know."
