Make Our Family Great Again – Chapter 125

“….”

At least this much was certain until Felicita came back.

I would be stuck as Elena’s stuffed toy, just like now.

I distinctly remembered it being the opposite when Elena was little.

“Elena, can we start heading to the dining room?”

“Already? Can’t we stay like this a little longer?”

We were currently in the living room on the second floor, while both the kitchen and dining room were downstairs.

“Why? Do you not want to be with me like this?”

“No, it’s not that, but…”

“But what?”

Thinking back, it was indeed the opposite when Elena was younger.

What was she, around ten? A little kid with the same dark hair and red eyes as our father.

“Elena?”

“….”

Elena loved to snuggle up to me or sit between my legs like a doll whenever she got the chance.

“Elena, not now···.”

“No!”

The problem was I often found myself in a similar situation, drenched in blood I couldn’t even identify.

Thinking about those old days, I couldn’t help but smile. After all, it’s a memory that only exists among mafia families.

“Lukey?”

Snapped back to reality, Elena flicked my finger as I went silent.

“I was just reminiscing. You used to do this to me all the time when you were little.”

“….”

Elena quickly avoided my gaze.

While she didn’t blush, the way she turned her head away told me she remembered quite well what she had done in the past.

“But why is Felicita taking so long?”

“Maybe she has stuff to do in the annex.”

“Still feels like she’s taking ages.”

“Or maybe she’s on the phone with her family. We were just talking about Blue Eyes earlier.”

“Is that so?”

Thinking about it, I found Elena’s reasoning plausible.

Felicita was incredibly skilled at handling the animals she kept in the annex. If it was taking this long, something else must be going on.

Among the topics discussed at the recent committee meeting… like the part that referenced Blue Eyes.

Blue Eyes.

Not only did the drug itself have a blueish color, but it also got its name from the symptom of the addict’s eyes turning blue—a rare and potent drug indeed.

The Carmen Family had been dealing in it since they were known as the Marmala Family, and somehow, Felicita’s father, Vito Marinelli, had fallen prey to its addiction.

That guy demanded the drug’s manufacturer from Veronica, and even though it was temporary, he secured a promise for exclusive supply, all while conceding a stake in the supply volume.

I wondered what was going through Felicita’s mind about all this.

Surprisingly, both Elena and I were spot on.

Felicita was still trying to call Dragon Hill Hotel from the annex.

“….”

Thud.

Something flew over Felicita’s head while she had a look full of complaints.

“Heb, come down!”

It was Heb, the giant silk moth.

Felicita didn’t take out her frustration on him, but her face was serious and focused.

“Kiieeek!”

Heb rubbed against her head once or twice, then seemed to realize and moved down to her lap.

She continued to stroke his head and body, waiting restlessly.

“….”

Felicita’s patience was clearly wearing thin.

She couldn’t allow herself to be alone with her little wolf and Elena any longer, so she prepared to leave.

“Felicita?”

At that moment, I heard her brother, Manfredi’s voice through the receiver.

“Why did you take so long to answer?”

“That’s not it···.”

“Forget it. What’s going on?”

Manfredi hesitated for a moment at Felicita’s question.

But that was only for a moment.

Despite their father’s instruction to say nothing to her, Manfredi opened his mouth.

It was Vito Marinelli who founded and raised the Marinelli Family.

Yet it was Felicita, who had personally rebuilt a family that had once been on the verge of collapse.

“You demanded the Blue Eyes manufacturer from the Carmen side, right?”

“It wasn’t accepted. It’s just that…”

“I know that too. I heard it from Luke.”

Felicita was curious about nothing else.

She wanted to know why her father desired Blue Eyes and why he hadn’t informed her about it.

“So in the end, he received exclusive supply while conceding the drug supply stake, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Even if it’s a small amount, what does he plan to do with it? Surely not…”

“I have no clue what he’s thinking, but that’s not it.”

“What do you mean, ‘not it’?”

Thanks to the efforts of his children, Vito Marinelli’s state of addiction to Blue Eyes had improved significantly.

But he had not been completely cured. Being addicted to something was a more serious issue than one would think. Blue Eyes was no different.

Manfredi denied the worst case, which both he and his sister knew well enough.

“There’s no chance Dad will touch Blue Eyes again.”

“Of course not!”

Felicita’s emphatic declaration.

“It won’t hurt us to gain one more resource we can control. Just like we were stuck, we can put others in the same position.”

Besides that, Manfredi had promised a fair price in return for this exclusive supply, so it meant a new cash flow for the Carmen Family.

The Marinelli Family was not entirely oblivious to the recent problems the Carmen Family had faced. The most certain remedy to quell that sort of internal chaos would undoubtedly be financial support.

Manfredi, who usually wasn’t one for many words, was different when it came to his sister.

To him, Felicita was indeed a figure to be reckoned with.

“Manfredi, I get that. But mark my words: never let that drug find its way into Dad’s hands again. It’s your responsibility to keep an eye on him. Understood?”

“…Understood.”

*

After the sibling call ended, when Felicita arrived at the dining room on the first floor of the main mansion.

It was supposed to be lunch for three, but the food on the table looked far from sufficient for just three people.

“Sorry. I’m a bit late, huh?”

“No need to apologize. The food just arrived.”

I assured Felicita it was all good, despite her need to apologize.

“If you were any later, you might’ve needed to truly apologize.”

“….”

Upon hearing that, Elena threw in a joke.

With such mouth-watering food in front of me, my patience was running thin once again, let’s be honest.

“That aside, today feels no different than usual.”

Felicita said that as she sat right next to me, just like Elena.

With just the three of us at this huge dining table, it felt almost silly how close we were sitting together.

And there was a reason why Felicita said that.

Cottage cheese and plum salad, decent bread and cheese, along with some sausages were Felicita’s portions. Elena’s portions included baked beans and more kinds of cheese instead of salad and sausages.

As for my share… it was simpler compared to my two wives.

Just a couple of finger steaks and city chicken. Those two dishes were all I had, and naturally, both were meat-based.

Finger steak involved pieces of steak coated in batter and fried, while city chicken resembled skewers but, in an ironic twist, the meat wasn’t chicken, but pork and beef.

To put it simply, one was a fried version of steak, while the other was a pork cutlet on a skewer.

If I had to describe it in the context of the world I lived in, it was essentially an American meal.

“….”

Unlike expected, neither my two wives nor I engaged in conversation during the meal.

I clearly recalled that we had planned to discuss unfinished topics from the committee meeting over lunch.

“Elena, Felicita. What do you think about putting a TV in the dining room?”

“Why do that? It’ll be too noisy.”

“I think so too. Luke, a TV is enough to have in the living room.”

I made the comment just in case, but my wives’ reactions were unsurprisingly predictable.

There was no point in that idea, especially given the current situation after the Borges inquiry had wrapped up.

“Then I’ll continue with what we were discussing earlier.”

“Go ahead, take your time. We’ve got plenty of it.”

This time, it was Felicita who spoke up, and Elena nodded along as if to agree. They probably thought that filling my stomach should precede anything else.

If that’s how they felt, I couldn’t argue with it.

While I had two dishes, it wasn’t like I was just going to eat those alone.

Felicita aimed to feed me salad and sausages, while Elena was intent on feeding me baked beans and different kinds of cheese.

They weren’t exactly competing due to my appetite either.

“Okay, now that I’m full, I’ll get back to the discussion.”

My two wives lent me their full attention.

First up was the conclusion of the Borges inquiry. This inquiry had recorded some remarkable achievements closely related to its origins.

It was the first time a member of a crime organization was summoned as a witness and the first inquiry where one of the bosses from the Five Families cooperated as a witness.

As a result, Rita Carmen was granted witness protection, while Eddie Sanchez was charged with contempt of court, and Mikhail Dragovich went into hiding, as warrants were issued across various areas.

Incredibly, such achievements were made concerning three bosses.

However, it didn’t expand further, and the inquiry came to a close. The city was in a chaotic state, and that was already sufficient.

Congressman Porter and Congressman Paragoni chose to conclude the inquiry appropriately, without opposing my will nor that of the other bosses.

“And preparations for the Sanchez folks are proceeding as scheduled.”

With Eddie Sanchez out of the picture, the Sanchez Family, under the effective leadership of underboss Gata Melata, was under a plan by the Five Families to essentially besiege them from all directions.

To put it plainly, the Russos and Marinellis were on the north and south fronts; the Carmens were on the west; and we, Felinis and Solomon, were pressuring them from the east.

Of course, the pressure from the south would also involve not just Marinelli but also the black gangs and Caporegime Alex Leonhart from the Felini family.

“So Luke, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m joining up with Veronica as planned.”

I intended to lead my pack of wolves and my forces, along with Sarina and her men, to align with the Carmen Family.

The Carmen Family under Veronica had to assemble additional manpower as it wasn’t whole.

“So Elena, what about you?”

After hearing my response, Felicita asked.

“I’m planning on proceeding as scheduled.”

Elena planned to support Solomon from the east alongside underboss Carso and Caporegimes Armo, Vanella, Lumini, and Granada.

I figured that should provide enough preparations for the Sanchez Family.

Of course, it would depend on how the Sanchez’s and Dragovich’s actions played out.