Chapter 335: The Choice
"An actor who built his career selling muscles can become a congressman—even a governor," Frank said evenly. "So what do you think you're lacking?"
"Opportunity. That's all."
"In this society, everything runs on money. Especially if you want to climb. Climbing takes serious capital."
"A Brazilian drug lord," Frank continued, "do you understand what that means? A man like that can drown people in money if he wants to."
Tony's jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't interrupt.
"If you seize this chance," Frank pressed on, "whether you like that Brazilian girl or not, you can leverage the connection. With enough money behind you, you can rise."
"And even if you don't want to climb? Even if you just want to stay where you are? You'd still walk away with compensation that a lifetime in uniform could never earn."
"All it costs you is two years."
Frank leaned forward slightly.
"How much do you make in a year? Over two hundred thousand? No. Probably not even one hundred thousand."
Silence.
Tony didn't argue.
He didn't agree either.
But he was listening.
That was obvious.
"You two should go," Tony finally said, his voice tight. "I need time to think."
Frank nodded.
"Think carefully. Opportunities like this don't come twice. In life, the most important thing… is the choice you make."
That last sentence wasn't just persuasion. It was reflection.
Life is made of choices.
If Walter had chosen differently all those years ago—if he had taken another path instead of the one he did—maybe he would already be a billionaire, admired and respected, instead of walking the edge of a knife.
Now Tony stood at his own crossroads.
If he reached out and grabbed this opportunity, his future would widen.
More doors.
More leverage.
More control over his destiny.
Or he could let it pass.
And remain exactly where he was.
If he turned it down—if he let this opportunity slip—then maybe he would end up like Walter White: fading into obscurity, spending his entire life as a small-time cop, retiring without ever escaping the South Side—that swamp capable of swallowing a man whole.
"Do you think he'll agree?" Jimmy asked on the drive back.
"He will," Frank said from the passenger seat, eyes closed.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because he's dissatisfied with his life. And he wants change."
Frank opened his eyes and turned to Jimmy.
"What about you?"
"Me?" Jimmy blinked.
"If Tony agrees, you're free. Out of respect for me, Nando won't bother you again—as long as you don't provoke him. So what do you plan to do with your life?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I'll think about that when it actually happens."
Classic Jimmy. Live for today. Tomorrow can wait.
"Oh, and I meant what I said," Jimmy added quickly. "After two years, once she gets citizenship, we divorce. I'll marry Fiona. If Tony agrees and I'm free earlier, I'll marry Fiona right away."
Frank gave him a sideways look.
You think you can just say "marriage" and it happens? Fiona might not even agree. He's already picturing the wedding.
"If you do get married," Frank continued coldly, "how are you going to support her? Got a steady income? Or are you going back to stealing cars?"
"I'll figure something out," Jimmy said casually.
Right now, Jimmy was living off the money Nando had provided for his daughter. Once that marriage ended, that money would disappear. Odds were, he'd fall right back into being a car thief.
"I hope you understand something," Frank said bluntly. "I've never liked you. That hasn't changed."
"I'm helping you this time entirely because of Fiona. Otherwise, if Nando chopped you up and dumped you in the ocean, I wouldn't even blink."
Jimmy winced.
"So have some self-awareness."
"Uh… my feelings for Fiona are real," Jimmy said awkwardly.
"I know. And her feelings for you are real too. That's exactly why I'm helping you. That's why this is difficult."
"I don't interfere in my kids' relationships. But if you keep drifting through life like this, I will have to reconsider you and Fiona."
Frank's voice hardened.
"I may not live much longer. And even if Fiona ends up hating me, I won't let you drag her into the mud."
"I won't let my daughter end up a widow."
He didn't soften the words. The meaning was clear: if Jimmy kept living recklessly, he'd either end up in prison or disappear from this world.
Jimmy had once fled Chicago because a little pressure from a cop scared him. He ran to Brazil and ended up provoking Nando. If Nando hadn't needed his identity, Jimmy would have vanished long ago.
Brazil was chaos—arguably worse than Mexico. And Nando had clawed his way up from the favelas. When he dismembered his daughter's lover, he did it personally—calm, steady, as if slicing cake.
For someone like that, killing Jimmy would be effortless.
Jimmy had survived purely on luck. Otherwise, weeds would already be three meters tall over his grave.
This time, the matter was settled. But with Jimmy's talent for creating trouble, another disaster was only a matter of time.
"You said before you wanted me to work for Heisenberg," Jimmy said suddenly. "I can take your place."
"Don't be ridiculous," Frank replied flatly. "I won't let you."
"Why not? You said I could take over. Heisenberg must've given you the authority to choose your successor."
"Whatever Heisenberg does is dangerous. You wouldn't want your own kids involved. That's why you picked me, right?"
Jimmy wasn't stupid. His brain worked fast—that's how he'd survived this long.
Frank had once casually mentioned succession. Even though he never followed up, Jimmy had read between the lines.
Frank must have significant trust within Heisenberg's organization—enough autonomy to select his own replacement.
And in Frank's household, there were candidates. Sammi. Fiona. Even Lip or Ian.
After all, this was the legendary, mysterious Heisenberg they were talking about.