Marinelli Family.
Their history is the oldest among the Five Families, but their history in Hebili is not long.
The head of the family is Vito Marinelli. Coincidentally, he shares a name with the new Godfather.
He is neither from this country nor this city.
Originally from a wealthy family, he lost his fortune due to the tides of time and ended up on the streets. However, the harshness of the streets couldn’t kill him.
Having gained a chance for recovery in this distant land of Hebili, he rose to his current position.
Although he lost a significant portion of his power and wealth after being defeated by the Wolf.
The main base of the Marinelli Family is the Dragon Hill Hotel.
Felicita, who had attended the funeral of Vito Felini, the Wolf who once ruled this city, returned to that place.
“Miss, welcome.”
“Yeah.”
After Felicita stepped into the hotel.
She naturally transformed from her dull black attire into something splendid. Adorned as a descendant of the Golden Dragon, such displays were her daily life. Although it wasn’t necessary when meeting the Little Wolf.
When she was with him, being herself was enough.
At first, she merely approached out of curiosity about the Wolf’s heir.
‘I want to see him again.’
Now, she had ironically become a prisoner to her own Little Wolf.
So precious and special was her own Little Wolf. If he had heard her thoughts, he would have surely been baffled.
“Sister, where have you been?”
“Just a moment. I went to the Wolf’s funeral.”
“Ah.”
Her younger sisters had approached without her noticing.
Like Felicita, they looked just like golden girls.
No matter what happened in the outside world, these people in the hotel had little concern. The boss of the family was the same.
“More importantly, sis. Aren’t you overdoing it lately? Your scales don’t look great.”
“Yeah. Your tail feels way too rough.”
“Huh?”
Felicita checked her tail. Could it be that Luke had been looking at her tail all this time…
Her face began to turn red from the sudden rush of embarrassment. Felicita’s two younger sisters tried to help solve her problem, but there was something more pressing at hand.
“Wait a moment. First, I need to see Father.”
Felicita headed to the higher floor where the boss of the family was. While the elevator climbed higher into the sky.
The scene of Luke and Elena together at the funeral flickered in her mind.
“….”
Seeing the two of them together was unexpected.
Given the circumstances, it couldn’t be helped, but for some reason, she felt jealousy. She also regretted her past self for not securing Luke before Elena did.
Ding-dong―!
A loud sound announced their arrival.
As soon as Felicita exited the elevator, her brother Manfredi welcomed her.
“Felicita, welcome back.”
“…Wait. Did Father beat you again?”
“I’m fine. I’ve gotten used to it by now.”
“….”
Felicita hurried to the place where her father was. The entire floor of the hotel was dedicated to her father, Vito Marinelli.
“Father.”
Even at the call of his daughter, Vito Marinelli did not respond.
His golden hair and ten fingers adorned with splendid jewels, still dressed flamboyantly, but signs of tension and fatigue were evident in his gaze.
“Father.”
“…Felicita?”
The room where the Marinellis were was extremely… extravagant and dreamlike. If one were to express the world of pleasure, perhaps it would look like this. Excluding the feeling of a duet of emptiness embedded within the opulence.
“I attended the Wolf’s funeral.”
“Ah, right. That guy is dead, huh.”
Felicita was sure her father would have reacted more strongly if he were in a normal state.
His sociable and flamboyant personality was still there. But perhaps due to increased fears of betrayal and failure? His charisma in leading people remained, but it wasn’t as strong as it once was.
However, the most important thing was that he was now practically a wreck.
Addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, women, and drugs.
One could say he was hooked on all of it.
Felicita remembered her past father as someone who understood the importance of balance in life. But now it was different.
He was in a state that was consuming the growth engine of the Marinelli Family due to immense wasteful habits and indulgence.
If Felicita and Manfredi hadn’t desperately tried to restore past glory… the Marinelli Family might have already gone bankrupt.
“I conveyed your wishes to the Little Wolf and the Wolf’s daughter. Soon, anyone will come.”
“Yeah, that should be the case. The Wolf is dead, so they have no choice.”
Marinelli just repeated his daughter’s words. Felicita cautiously sniffed the air.
Though she wasn’t sure, it was clear that her father hadn’t come out of his alcohol and drug haze.
Quietly observing him, Felicita could come up with a plausible idea.
“Father, I have a good thought for you.”
“…Really? Go ahead and tell me.”
*
Unlike the Dragon Hill Hotel of the Marinelli Family.
Important matters were also unfolding at the Lupus Carlton Hotel of the Felini Family.
After kissing Elena’s hand, I rose from my seat. Then I returned to my spot.
“Now that the Boss and Underboss are decided, we should also decide on a Consigliere.”
“….”
I was the first to mention the necessity of a new Consigliere.
Bier Salmo. The Consigliere who helped his father grow the Felini Family into the rulers of Hebili. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be at his father’s funeral.
Because he might be attending his own.
He seemed to be of advanced age, and the recent chaos had apparently been quite taxing on his body. Despite that situation, he still managed to gather the ledgers related to past businesses for Elena and me from his territory and the Academy.
“Elena.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you want to do?”
I didn’t expect an immediate answer. The wolves present at this meeting were excellent in combat, but lacking for the role of Consigliere.
The Consigliere is the boss’s advisor, akin to the organization’s staff.
I couldn’t just put Armo, who had been responsible for guarding my father, or Lumini, who was still a bit untrustworthy, in that position.
“What about Salmo’s son?”
“That guy?”
Giovanni brought up quite an acceptable candidate. Right, Salmo’s son was a lawyer.
“Well, I don’t think Salmo would allow that.”
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
Elena said she thought Salmo would oppose it, but that was uncertain. The situation wasn’t normal after all.
If Salmo’s son became the new Consigliere, it would mark a perfect generational change.
For now, I decided to check the intentions of Salmo and his son, then moved on to the next issue.
“Elena, I think it’d be better for me to go to the Marinelli Family alone.”
There was no need for the Boss and Underboss to move together. Especially not in a situation like this.
If the Underboss went as the representative of Boss Elena, it would maintain appearances.
“….”
“Elena, what’s wrong?”
However, Elena’s reaction wasn’t good. It seemed she didn’t trust me since the day I recognized her as the Boss.
“Luke, you aren’t plotting something weird with that woman, are you?”
“…What?”
“Wait! Miss.”
I could only ask in disbelief. But Giovanni reacted even more strongly.
“Giovanni, she’s not a miss anymore, she’s the Boss.”
Carso was worried about Giovanni raising his voice.
“….”
Sarina didn’t say a word, but her eyes were glaring.
“Wait, everyone stop.”
I decided to intervene before the wolves’ dissatisfaction toward Elena grew larger.
“Aren’t you all being a bit rude to the Miss?”
“Then is it okay to be rude to the Brother?”
“Giovanni, the Brother’s telling you to stop.”
Just as Armo present at the scene made a comment, Giovanni shot back. Just as I was about to repeat the same words, Carso spoke on my behalf.
“….”
The silver lining was that Elena at least hadn’t crossed the line.
If the claim had been that I killed my father, the wolves would have surely gone berserk.
Meanwhile, Lumini had chosen not to clumsily intervene, merely observing.
“Elena, if you’re really suspicious, I don’t mind if you come with me.”
“….”
Thinking about it, there was only one choice for Elena to respond to my question. Since I said this, if she agreed to come, it meant she didn’t trust me.
Then I’d have to worry about the backlash from Armo and the wolves right away.
“Alright. I’ll leave that side to you.”
Elena quickly stepped back. Carso and Armo sighed in relief.
Afterward, Armo quickly changed the topic to try and shift the atmosphere.
With Elena’s momentum somewhat quelled, there wasn’t much chance of a major clash. But amidst the ongoing discussion, an uninvited guest appeared.
“Brother!”
“What? Can’t you see we’re in a meeting?”
Giovanni retorted to the members searching for me.
“Attack! We’re being attacked! The North Port’s Pier No. 1 is under attack.”
“….”
As I hurriedly stood up, Giovanni and Sarina followed me.
“Elena, you stay here.”
Gently patting her somewhat downcast shoulder, I stepped outside.
The reason I volunteered as Underboss was all thought out. I wasn’t trying to make Elena a puppet, I was aiming to do what I did best.
What was lacking in Elena was indeed experience and strength. I could fill those gaps for her.
“How many of them are there?”
“Just the ones confirmed… there are over twenty.”
“Giovanni, you go with the Claws to Pier No. 1.”
“Yes!”
“What about me?”
As Giovanni left our side, Sarina asked.
“Sarina, keep half the Fangs here on standby, and send the other half to the South Port.”
“…Understood.”
Her expression hardened at the thought of being separated from me. I decided to head north with the ordinary members.
The wolves each had their assigned roles.
The Claws led by Giovanni are the assault squad, while the Fangs led by Sarina are the assassination team.
If these guys were the entirety of the attack, responding with the reinforcements led by Giovanni would suffice, while the other half of the Fangs on standby could move if necessary.
If they were targeting somewhere else while we moved north, then Sarina and the Fangs would respond.
“What are you doing, you fools! Get the car quickly!”
Indeed, compared to ordinary members, Giovanni and the wolves reacted more swiftly. I followed their trail as we all headed towards it.
The Pier No. 1 located to the north of the port.
As the stevedores and workers at the pier retreated, the Felini Family’s members secured their positions tightly.
Thud!
The sound of the car door slamming shut echoed everywhere.
“Clear them out!”
As Giovanni and the wolves arrived, the spot that had been a labor site just moments ago transformed into an absolute battlefield. Our workers quickly moved with instinct.
“Brother, we’ve arrived.”
There was no time to wait for the organization members to open the door.
As I got out of the car, I immediately joined Giovanni and the other wolves. But it felt a bit off. Just from a glance, the number of enemies looked to exceed twenty.
Nevertheless, the outcome wouldn’t change.
The wolves suffered minimal injuries, but there were several organization members who had their brains splattered or limbs lost due to enemy gunfire.
“….”
“Brother, thanks for your hard work.”
“Yeah. For now, gather the living and dispose of them as usual.”
“Yes.”
The reptiles who had attacked the South Port first after the death of my father seemed to still have their mouths shut. They might be from the outskirts of the city, but that was commendable.
The organization’s closure and narrowness leads to absolute security.
*
Leaving the handling of the scene to Giovanni, I headed back to the Lupus Carlton Hotel for a situation report.
The result was a decisive victory for us.
Although it took some time, it was a pretty good outcome.
“…She must be awake.”
Checking the current time, it was late at night. I didn’t think Elena would already be asleep, so I headed to the top floor.
I met Elena coming toward me as I heard the elevator sound.
“….”
Her gaze immediately went to the various stains on my clothes. I had completely forgotten I was covered in blood from rushing over.
“Elena, I’ve handled everything…”
“I know, just go wash up. I’ll take care of your clothes.”
“…Got it.”
Elena was the Mafia family’s heiress. It was natural for her to handle my clothes skillfully.
What surprised me was what came next.
After washing off all the sticky red blood, I came out to find Elena waiting for me on the bed. What in the world was going on?
“What are you staring at so blankly?”
“Well, this isn’t exactly a familiar situation, is it?”
Elena told me not to misunderstand that she was doing this to ease the wolves’ anger.
“….”
Suddenly, various thoughts flashed through my mind, but I just laid down on the bed. Of course, I didn’t forget to report the fight at Pier No. 1.
For some reason, despite Elena’s voice filled with all sorts of questions, fatigue suddenly washed over me, and I wanted to sleep.
Elena found it odd that Luke wasn’t responding to her questions.
“…What’s going on?”
I didn’t know since when, but I was sleeping soundly.
“….”
He was a man whose true thoughts were entirely unpredictable. He had always looked down on her in the past as well.
What she found most confusing was that the man before her eyes was undoubtedly the one who had been the most disturbing and obstructive presence in her life.
The first man to lie in the same bed as her, the man who knew her best had been him all along.
Without a father now… was he the only family she had left to rely on? Having just said such things, now she was engaging in such behavior.
Elena found it somewhat disgusting, but she reached out to the sleeping Luke. After all, as a married couple, her actions were not a problem.
Who would say anything if a wife touched her husband’s body?
‘I wish he’d be this quiet all the time.’
Of course, Luke would probably think the same while watching her sleep peacefully.
“….”
Elena thought that there might be some wounds from the fight on her husband’s body.
Yeah, this was not a perverted act but merely a check for any possible injuries.
The next morning. For some reason, with no idea why, the bedding felt unusually restless.
Seeing the tousled hair and marks pressed against her body, it seemed she had tossed and turned violently.
“….”
Elena was still asleep. She didn’t bother waking her on the way to the Marinelli Family.
From yesterday’s reaction, she thought it would be better not to provoke her unnecessarily.
“Brother, we’ll be going with you too.”
The wolves under my command came over. Giovanni was naturally absent. I had decided to bring only Carso and Sarina among them.
Giovanni was busy interrogating those captured yesterday, and I planned to ask Armo to guard Elena. Lumini and his subordinates would need a new territory.
At the Dragon Hill Hotel located in the southeast of the city.
It was the place where the head of the Marinelli Family lived, essentially their stronghold. I didn’t expect what would happen as I got out of the car.
Felicita would take the opportunity to propose something while her father wasn’t in his right mind.
