Good News, Bad News (2)
The Solomon Family had made a truly momentous decision. Naturally, it would not be now but sometime in the future before that decision became known to the underworld of Hevilly. While Little Dom drifted off to sleep, already looking forward to tomorrow, the top floor of the Rufus Carlton Hotel was alive with energy even in the depths of night.
“Haa…”
“What? Tired already?”
Elena and I had finally thrown off the convenient pretense of being siblings. Thanks to that, our luxurious suite had already transformed into a den of lust where a man and a woman tangled together. The spacious room was, of course, saturated with our mingled scents.
Was it the intoxicating rush of victory after forcing one of the Five Families to its knees? Or was it Elena’s jealousy over the news that Felicia was pregnant?
“…”
“Oppa, one more time.”
Elena would collapse onto the bed, exhausted, only to immediately beg me again. As expected, breaking a taboo was difficult the first time, but the second and third times came far more easily.
“Elena, wait. It’s already…”
“No, I’m not listening.”
I tried to tell her it was already six in the morning, but Elena refused to hear it.
“That woman isn’t even in the hotel right now anyway.”
“…”
As Elena said, Felicia was indeed not in her room. She had headed to the Dragon Hill Hotel that evening to be with her family and had not yet returned. From the Marinelli Family’s perspective, there could be no better news.
The boss’s eldest daughter had conceived my child before the daughter of the Fellini Family’s boss. It was something that could greatly affect the future succession of the families.
So that’s why Elena is being so persistent.
It was also one of the reasons I kept giving in to her demands.
“Or do you not want to do it with me?”
The woman who had just been overpowering me with her overwhelming size difference now looked up at me with those words, as if she had never done any such thing. No matter how I thought about it, that was just too underhanded.
How could I stay still after hearing something like that?
“No, that’s not it.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
The moment she heard my positive answer, Elena pulled me into her arms and kissed my cheek. I had felt it many times before, but compared to Felicia, Elena really was… heavier. I could somehow manage Felicia, but Elena had already surpassed the limits of what I could handle.
Elena was about to resume our lovemaking when the telephone suddenly rang loudly. Come to think of it, it had been ringing for a while now.
“Elena, this seems urgent.”
“…Can’t be helped.”
When I cautiously suggested it, Elena rose from the bed to answer the phone. Freed from her, I immediately felt a numb ache throughout my lower body. Still, I was grateful to whoever was calling for giving me a moment to breathe.
“I really thought I was going to die.”
“Huh? No, I’ll just take it over the phone.”
Even while speaking with whoever was on the line, Elena’s gaze remained fixed on me. I quickly pulled on my clothes.
“…”
She looked extremely disappointed by that. But her playful mood vanished in an instant as she listened seriously to what the person on the other end was saying. From what I could gather, the caller was Carso.
“For now, tell them we’ll think about it.”
With a sharp click as she set the receiver down, Elena sat on the edge of the bed.
“Elena, put some clothes on first. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Ah, right.”
I couldn’t relax until I had her dressed as well. Elena seemed quite pleased by how I was looking after her, judging from her satisfied expression.
“So what did Carso say?”
“…The Solomon Family wants to withdraw from the Five Families and join us.”
“With us?”
“Yes. They want to become a subordinate organization, like the Lusso Family.”
“What happened to make them do that?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to look into it now.”
Elena mentioned the Marinelli and Lusso Families. Vito Marinelli and Manfredi had probably attended the meeting of the Five Families. Darius Lusso, boss of the Lusso Family, would have been there as well.
“I’ll ask Felicia myself. After all…”
“Today’s the day you’re supposed to be with her.”
The satisfied look on Elena’s face disappeared like a mirage as she said this.
“Yes, just as you said.”
I had no intention of denying it. It was a rule the three of us had agreed upon from the beginning.
“More importantly, I have an idea. Want to hear it?”
“Go ahead.”
The moment I heard that the Solomon Family had withdrawn from the Five Families, one thought had flashed through my mind. The Fellini Family, the Marinelli Family, the Solomon Family, and the Lusso Family. That already made four. If we could bring in just one more, couldn’t we create an entirely new set of Five Families?
“…You’re saying we should create a new Five Families with our own hands?”
“What do you think?”
“Hmm…”
Elena couldn’t answer right away. Even I had to admit it was an outlandish yet plausible idea.
“I’m not saying I’m dissatisfied with my father’s way of doing things. But there’s no law that says we can’t be part of the Five Families ourselves.”
“That’s true. The other Five Families would never have allowed it before.”
But. But the situation had changed now. The Marinelli Family was already our ally, and the Lusso Family was our subordinate. On top of that, the Solomon Family had taken the Carmen Family’s place among the Five Families.
“We can take our time deciding how to fill the last seat. What matters is that we’re creating a new set of Five Families.”
“All right. But I’d like to hear Salmo and Mr. Salmo’s opinions first. Is that okay?”
The names of the consigliere and former consigliere had come up. Salmo was one thing, but Mr. Salmo’s opinion was definitely worth hearing. As long as Mr. Salmo agreed, of course.
“Yes, I don’t mind. By the way, how is Mr. Salmo doing?”
“He’s still a little unsteady… but it seems he’s past the critical stage.”
It was a relief to hear that Mr. Salmo, who had dragged his old body to move the family’s important secrets and ledgers, was all right.
“It’s a shame, but we need to move immediately.”
“Yeah, can’t be helped.”
“You don’t sound disappointed at all.”
“Me?”
In response to Elena’s suspicious look, I kissed her on the lips. There was no clearer way to prove it.
“…”
Seeing that she said nothing, it seemed my method had worked.
Meanwhile, at the Dragon Hill Hotel in the southeast of the city.
Vito Marinelli, boss of the Marinelli Family, and his successor Manfredi Marinelli had gathered the family early that morning. Some had already heard the news the previous evening, but this was the first official announcement.
“Felicia is pregnant.”
“Sister! Is it true?!”
“…”
Vito’s children offered their congratulations to Felicia, the eldest daughter, on the happy news.
“Is it a boy? Or a girl?”
“Really. I don’t know that yet either.”
Not only Manfredi but all her sisters surrounded her, bombarding her with questions. Since Felicia had stopped by the hospital before returning to her family, she was able to answer most of them without difficulty.
While all her siblings were excited, Luca, the youngest of the Marinelli siblings, remained unusually quiet.
“Luca, you’re being awfully quiet for you.”
“What? It’s better than making a fuss like Father.”
As Luca pointed out, Vito Marinelli was simply… laughing! His laughter was so intense that tears streamed down his face. To some of his children, this was an utterly unfamiliar sight.
“He was like that half a day ago too.”
“Yes, he definitely was.”
Manfredi nodded at Felicia’s words. However, none of Vito’s children could scold their father. Because that laughter was the laughter of a man who felt he possessed the whole world.
To Vito Marinelli, Felicia’s pregnancy was an incredibly important matter. Even if he himself was nothing more than an eternal loser who could never defeat the Godfather… his daughter had succeeded where he had not. His eldest daughter had defeated Elena, Vito Fellini’s daughter.
Of course, there was also the pure happiness of knowing he would soon have a grandchild who would surely be as adorable as his daughter.
“Father.”
Manfredi approached Vito. While the rest of the Marinelli family members were still loudly celebrating the eldest daughter’s pregnancy, Vito and Manfredi had distanced themselves from that atmosphere.
“We cannot simply let what happened yesterday slide.”
“No, we cannot.”
The boss of the Solomon Family, Domenico Solomon—also known as Little Dom—had been marked for elimination, and the bosses had approved it. The approval itself was not particularly surprising. What truly mattered was that the Marinelli Family had been deliberately excluded from the process.
“I never thought they would sideline us so neatly.”
Manfredi had suggested protesting to the other Five Families, but Vito had responded that it would change nothing.
“…”
“Father?”
“A good idea just occurred to me.”
In answer to his eldest son’s question, Vito scratched his head as he replied. It seemed the intellect that had been clouded by Blue Eyes was beginning to shine once more.
Vito explained his plan to his eldest son and observed his reaction.
“I’m not sure the Lusso side will accept it, even if the little wolf does.”
“This will be a good opportunity to see how well my son-in-law has those Lusso bastards under control.”
Even Vito found it strange to call Luke Fellini his son-in-law. Nevertheless, Manfredi followed his father’s instructions and telephoned his brother-in-law.
“Hello?”
“It’s me. Manfredi.”
“Ah, perfect timing. I actually had something I wanted to ask your side about.”
“Really? That’s fortunate. We also had a favor to ask of you.”
What a coincidence. I decided to hear what Manfredi had to say first.
“Father told me to be sure to convey this to you.”
Manfredi began by explaining a certain plan. The Marinelli Family, like the Solomon Family, intended to withdraw from the Five Families. They also wanted to pressure our subordinate Lusso Family into withdrawing as well.
“Well, I doubt the Lusso bastards will accept it.”
“But they’re your subordinates. Isn’t it entirely possible?”
“It is possible.”
Come to think of it, this aligned rather well with my own idea of creating a new set of Five Families.
“All right, I’ll give it a try. In exchange, I’d like you to tell me what happened at yesterday’s meeting.”
“Ah, of course. That’s only fair.”
From Manfredi, I learned the full story of how the Solomon Family had decided to leave the Five Families and become our subordinates. At the same time, I discovered why the Marinelli Family had suddenly decided to withdraw.
It seemed the goddess of luck was firmly on my and Elena’s side.