Toast of Victory (2)
The Grand Hevilly Hotel stood in the city center, in the district that now belonged to Elena. It had once served as one of my father’s strongholds back when the central area was under our family’s control. In some ways it had been even more important than the Rufus Carlton Hotel, yet Elena had no intention of using it as her base. The fact that she had deliberately summoned the Lusso Family here made that perfectly clear.
“....”
Strangely enough, this hotel had its restaurant on the top floor. Usually the most critical facilities occupied that position. I gazed out at the glittering nightscape of the city beyond the windows and let out a satisfied hum.
“Hell of a view.”
“Right?”
Elena looked immensely proud of my reaction. After all, she had been the one to choose this location. But her expression shifted abruptly when Felicia spoke.
“When is Lusso getting here?”
“They’ve just arrived downstairs. They’ll be up shortly.”
“I hope nothing goes wrong.”
“If he has any sense, nothing will.”
“What do you think, Damar?”
The man who had come to deliver his boss’s message only to end up our hostage—Damar Lusso—wore a grim expression the moment my question landed on him.
“Hey, the boss is asking you a question.”
“...Even I can’t predict how my brother will act.”
If Damar hadn’t been by his side, Darius probably would have done something reckless. That was likely why Damar’s face looked so sour.
“Miss, they’ve arrived.”
Sarina, who had approached without a sound, announced the Lusso Family’s arrival.
The restaurant was decorated with deep red wallpaper, living vines twisting across the ceiling, tangled strings of bulbs, and a massive portrait of the Godfather, Vito Fellini, hung especially for tonight. Into that space strode Darius Lusso and his people. A peculiar helmet encased his head, containing the flames that constantly roared around it so the heat wouldn’t scorch everything nearby.
“....”
Darius stared at the enormous portrait of my father but swallowed whatever words had risen to his lips. He already knew exactly what he had to say here.
Elena, flanked by her Underboss and Consigliere, received him in a striking crimson dress that clung to her body and a luxurious white fur coat. The powerful, muscular lines of her shoulders—left exposed by the coat—were impossible to ignore.
“Damar.”
Darius looked at the younger brother who had been sitting with me only moments ago. Seeing that he was unharmed, some of the tension left his face. Damar, however, could not meet his brother’s eyes and lowered his head.
“Darius Lusso, shall we begin?”
At Anthony Salmo’s prompt, Darius prepared to swear his loyalty to the new boss of the Fellini Family. There was little ceremony to it, but the mental preparation must have been far more difficult.
“Donna Fellini.”
Darius dropped to one knee and pressed his lips to the back of the hand Elena offered. The expressions of the Lusso Family members in attendance were anything but pleased.
“....”
I watched their reactions closely. If it had been Elena kneeling before Darius instead, I probably would have worn the same look. But that was that, and this was this.
“Don Lusso. You may rise.”
Darius slowly stood at Elena’s command.
“Then let’s get straight to business. We’ll take only twenty percent of your tribute for now. As for the drugs, the next shipment will arrive soon, so you’ll begin supplying us immediately from then on.”
“...How generous.”
Though flames still raged inside his helmet, Darius spoke with a chilling calm that belied the fire’s menace.
“And....”
While Elena and Salmo continued their discussion with Darius, I returned to the table where I had been sitting earlier. Felicia and Damar were still there. I had deliberately stepped aside so the spotlight would remain on Elena. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
The moment I sat down, a waiter brought over the dish I had ordered before Darius arrived. A mouthwatering apple pie.
“What? When did you order that?”
“A little while ago.”
Apple pie—one of my favorite desserts in this world. Thinly sliced apples of various colors were layered and mixed with sugar, and the moment you cut into it the warm aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg flooded the air, mercilessly stirring my appetite.
Naturally, the first slice went to Felicia. The second I offered to Damar.
“No, I’m not really in the mood to eat right now.”
“Too bad.”
Turning down something this delicious. The pie had cooled to the perfect temperature—not hot, not cold. That was how apple pie was meant to be eaten, after all. A generous scoop of whipped cream crowned one section, while another held a perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream. As I debated which to try first, I asked Damar the question that truly mattered.
“Damar, do you have anything to say about my father’s death?”
“...What?”
This time his grave expression came from an entirely different reason. Felicia and I continued savoring the pie, but our reactions would change depending on what came out of his mouth next.
“....”
“Damar.”
When I pressed him again, he finally opened his heavy lips.
“Rita Carmen once approached us with an offer to help assassinate the Godfather. You may find it hard to believe, but we refused.”
“....”
Felicia’s face grew serious faster than mine. So Rita Carmen hadn’t limited her proposal to the Marinelli Family—she had made the same offer to the Lusso Family.
“Why did you refuse?”
“Because accepting would bring us little gain, while refusing guaranteed us something certain.”
“And that was?”
“Opportunity.”
Damar elaborated.
“Rita Carmen is not a woman to be taken lightly. The moment she made that proposal, our participation no longer mattered to the success or failure of the plot. At most, it might have affected how comfortable she felt until the assassination succeeded.”
“Go on.”
“Even if we refused, it seemed Carmen would not abandon her plan to kill the Godfather. In that case, it was far more profitable to wait for the fruit of his death to fall than to get involved and become targets of your and Donna Fellini’s revenge.”
“Well, you certainly got that fruit, just as you expected.”
Though the final result had forced them to kneel before my father’s biological daughter, Elena.
“....”
“You planned to grow stronger while the rest of us fought each other.”
“Exactly. But my brother’s impatience ruined everything.”
“Don’t forget your own carelessness. The relationship between our two families had already crossed the river, yet you walked into our territory completely defenseless.”
“That happened during the Godfather’s time too, didn’t it?”
Felicia kindly added the moment I finished speaking. Damar had nothing to say. Or rather, he couldn’t say anything.
“Damar, you’re more rational and intelligent than your brother. But his instincts are far sharper.”
My warning to the enemy was brief. The Lusso Family might now be under us, but they were not perfect allies.
“And you should be more grateful to your brother.”
“What?”
Felicia and I explained the conditions the Lusso Family had accepted upon their surrender.
“You’re ordering us to subdue Englewood?”
“In exchange for returning the southern part of Haywood to you.”
“Look, we still have to rebuild our forces, and those damn Poison Snakes are right behind us....”
Damar seemed unable to believe his brother had agreed to such terms. How comical that the brother who cherished him so much had never been understood by him.
“You can handle the Poison Snakes somehow, can’t you?”
“Besides, once you start selling the drugs you’ll receive, money won’t be a problem.”
Felicia jumped in the instant I mentioned the Poison Snakes.
“And we’ll be taking Granada as well.”
“....”
Damar seemed to have nothing to say about losing Granada.
“Luke.”
“Yeah, I know.”
The moment Elena finished her discussion, she called my name. I hadn’t quite finished the apple pie, but I rose from my seat and led Damar back toward Elena and Darius.
“All right, you can return to your family now.”
Damar gave Elena and me a slight nod before walking to his brother’s side. In front of everyone, Darius pulled his sibling into a tight embrace. For a brief moment the flames around his head dimmed, revealing his bare face. It was surprisingly serene.
“Here. We’ve brought the man you wanted.”
“Hmph.”
Besus Lusso, the youngest of the Lusso brothers, delivered Belcastro Granada to us. It felt like a straightforward exchange of desired goods. Granada, however, clearly hated being treated like an object being traded from one side to the other.
A dwarf vampire. Seeing such a rare specimen up close stirred the collector’s instinct deep in my heart once again. I brought him to the table where Felicia sat and offered him some apple pie.
“....”
Amusingly, Granada did not refuse the slice I offered. He clearly knew good taste when he saw it.
Having fully enjoyed his reunion with his brothers, Darius spoke to Elena.
“Donna Fellini, may we withdraw now?”
“Of course. But we still need to discuss practical matters, so I’d like someone to remain in your boss’s place.”
“I’ll stay.”
Arta Lusso volunteered to remain in place of the departing Darius and Damar. Besus Lusso, the youngest brother, stayed as well. Elena did not see the two older Lusso brothers off, but Salmo and I did it in her stead. This was far more important than savoring apple pie.
“Don Lusso, I wish to express my respect for your decision.”
“...Is this the victor’s mercy?”
“I know exactly how it feels to suffer a defeat.”
The despair of losing the family’s boss, no less. Darius probably hadn’t grasped the full meaning behind my words, but the fiery temper he had displayed at the Five Families meeting was nowhere to be seen.
“....”
He simply gave a small, silent nod in reply.
The moment the Lusso brothers and their entourage disappeared into the elevator and left the top floor—
“Whew....”
“Salmo? Were you nervous?”
“Huh? Ah… honestly, yes, I was a little tense. That was my first time seeing Darius Lusso in person.”
Salmo still acted like an ordinary lawyer who happened to defend mafiosi. Though it was true that the overwhelming presence of a massive, flaming-headed vampire wasn’t something one saw every day.
“A Consigliere shouldn’t be so easily shaken.”
Fortunately, I had something to ask of him. There were still matters to discuss with the Lusso side, but the most critical moment of the night had already passed.
“Go ahead and start talking to the Caporegimes about territory distribution.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Salmo immediately headed toward the family’s Caporegimes seated throughout the restaurant. I returned to the table with Felicia and Granada and resumed enjoying my apple pie, all while keeping an eye on Salmo and the others.
Their reactions were varied. Viola and Lumini responded positively. Giovanni looked troubled about being assigned the northern port district. Vanella burst into hearty laughter no matter what she heard. Armo and Carini wore serious expressions, clearly deep in thought.
“Luke, you have something to say to this side as well, don’t you?”
“Hm?”
Granada paused mid-bite at Felicia’s gaze and looked up at her.
“Ah, right. I did. Granada, there’s a reason I invited you into our family.”
“Invited? Isn’t this more like treating me as a slave?”
Contrary to my expectations, Granada made an effort to remain formal and polite toward me.
“Depending on your perspective, I suppose it could look that way. But who would give a slave an important role?”
“...?”
“There’s a district I want you to take. If you’re willing, you’ll become a Caporegime of our family from now on.”
“...!”
The change in Granada’s expression was instantaneous. Naturally—from slave to family executive in the blink of an eye.
“Which district would I be responsible for?”
“The area south of Lumini’s territory and west of Armo’s.”
Since simply saying that wouldn’t be enough, I gave him more precise coordinates.
“Is it still not fully pacified even in the central district?”
“Correct. But with your skill in handling explosives, cleaning it up without the police noticing should be easy.”
“...You’re stating the obvious.”
His response was quite positive. I extended my hand, and he took it. The deal was sealed. The city’s greatest bomb expert now belonged to our family.
While Elena and I were occupied with these important discussions, the boss of the Solomon Family, Dom Solomon, was en route to the Grand Hevilly Hotel to congratulate us on our victory.
At least until the unidentified pursuers targeting him appeared.
“Step on it! Fuck! I said step on it!”