They say the youngest child is the strongest in the family.
From the outside, everyone assumes they have everything: a carefree life, unconditional love, and a path paved by those who came before them. They see them as the spoiled one, the one who never had to fight as hard as the rest. But few stop to think about the invisible burden they carry on their shoulders.
The youngest always arrives when the stories have already been written, when the rules have already been set. They are expected to adapt without complaint, to fit into the remnants of what remains, to take their place without question. Their battles are rarely told, their feelings fade into indifference.
But younger siblings feel. More than anyone imagines.
From their quiet corner, they observe the cracks in the family, the ones no one wants to admit or repair. They watch as, little by little, everyone leaves, abandoning a home that is falling apart. And when the voices fade and the house falls silent… They are the ones who fight to keep everything together.
"My lady, our boss, has arrived in Montana."
Susie, who was reading a book, looked up to see a man in a suit standing beside her, delivering this message. He was her head of security, responsible for keeping the ranch safe.
She knew that few things could seriously harm her, as Dante's identity had always been kept hidden. However, everyone knew the Dutton family, and from what she could see, many wanted them dead.
But she also recognized that whoever dared to attack them would be dead by the end of the day.
"Yes, I knew he would be back today," Susie said, refocusing on the book in her hands.
She couldn't say she lived a boring life. In addition to managing her future husband's businesses, she was in charge of establishing any kind of enterprise in Montana that was needed or caught her interest.
All this work was giving the Dutton family a good reputation—after all, she was increasing jobs for the locals.
"Well, I should inform Dante…"
…
Montana, near the Dutton Ranch.
A convoy of armored trucks sped down the highway, pursued by several local police vehicles.
Anyone looking at this convoy might think they were transporting the mayor of Montana, but no one would imagine that it was merely the youngest member of the Dutton family.
Inside one of the trucks, Dante—his face still bearing visible wounds, parts of his body wrapped in bandages—gazed outside with nostalgia in his eyes.
"We were gone for just a month, and everything looks new…"
At this point, Dante didn't care about appearances—not after investing millions into Montana's police force.
The off-road trucks, the armored vehicles, the new weaponry, and even helicopters had all been provided by him.
Not only that, their facilities were brand new, and more than half of the police force now consisted of SAMCRO operatives who had been underutilized.
"Your brother accepted the position of Attorney General. The law firm will be handed over to him as you requested," said William, reviewing additional reports concerning the most exceptional member of the Dutton family.
"Do you have any updates on what I asked you?" Dante asked, shifting his gaze to William. His long, curly hair and beard gave him a truly distinct appearance.
"Your brother Jamie Dutton's biological father is Garret Randall, born in 1948. But there's something you should know."
Dante patiently awaited his assistant's findings.
"Garret was convicted of murdering his wife when Jamie was a young child. After being released from prison, he lived alone on his farm. He blamed drugs for his wife's death and the reason behind it."
"Tell me the details if we have the records."
Dante knew Jamie wasn't his biological brother—one only had to look at that hair color to realize that at least his father, John, wasn't his real father.
But, wanting to avoid digging into the past and discovering that his deceased mother had been unfaithful to his father, he had put the investigation aside. However, now that he was about to grant Jamie power beyond his wildest dreams, he needed to clear any obstacles from his brother's future before they became insurmountable and destroyed everything he had worked for.
William nodded, put on his glasses, and said, "Arrested on 6/16/1980 and convicted on 8/12/1980, Garret was sentenced to 30 years to life for murdering his wife, Phyllis."
"They were raising their young son, Michael. According to Garret, one day he returned from work and found his little son, Jamie, crying and trying to suck on a crack pipe while his wife prostituted herself with a random man."
"Enraged that she allowed this to happen, Garret allegedly killed her and was later convicted of murder. Conveniently, his version of the story framed the killing as a necessary sacrifice to save Jamie, despite the fact that it condemned him to a life of struggle and instability—if the Duttons hadn't adopted him."
"According to recorded reports, Phyllis had been warned that Garret was a bad influence, which she ignored, and their union led her down a path of drug addiction. Garret killed her for that."
Dante raised a hand to stop William from continuing. He had learned enough about the hidden past his own brother Jamie didn't even know.
"What should we do with him?" William asked, waiting for instructions on how to handle this man who could easily destabilize Dante's weakest brother.
"I'll kill him myself. Let's just say I'll be justice for my brother's real mother."
At this point in his life, Dante wouldn't allow these small matters to disturb his plans.
Whether this man was truly evil or not, Dante would remove him from his brother's path or do whatever was necessary to keep him away. Right now, Jamie didn't need distractions—he only needed to focus on becoming what he had always wanted to be.
"Alright, then let's move on."
…
Dutton Ranch.
It was late afternoon when, unlike the original convoy Dante had traveled in, only a single truck arrived at the ranch, drawing the attention of some workers finishing their day.
John, who was watching his workers train the horses, saw a black truck park and didn't need to guess who it was—he already knew it was his youngest son.
"He's always liked this kind of entrance…" John murmured, lowering his head.
Lee, standing beside him, smiled and said, "He's a Dutton. Of course, he loves a little mystery."
When Dante stepped out of the truck, he looked at his father in the distance and asked, "Did you miss me?"
"I'm not your wife to answer that question." Lee quickly responded to his brother, who had disappeared who knows where.
John smiled and asked, "Did you finish what you were doing?"
"I believe so, and I've gained a lot from it."
"Yes, we need to talk about that."
John glanced at Lee, silently signaling that he wanted to have a private conversation with Dante.
Lee understood his father's request and said, "I'll take care of everything. You can go with him."