Chapter 15
Leo stopped flinching when Nolan entered rooms after about a year.
Not because anyone ordered him to forgive.
Time.
Behavior.
Nolan kept distance.
Asked before touching.
Never joked about succession again.
Then one afternoon Leo requested Nolan’s help learning boxing.
I said no at first.
Not because Nolan could never change.
Because physical training between them carried history.
Leo argued.
Annoying.
Correct.
So we arranged supervised sessions.
First lesson, Nolan said:
“Rule one. We stop when you say stop.”
Leo looked at him.
“Even if I’m losing?”
“Especially then.”
Good.
A year earlier Nolan had pinned him to prove power.
May you like
Now he taught control by requiring consent.
That mattered more than any speech.
