“Luke.”
A soft voice tickled my ears. It was the voice I heard in my sleep, but it was crystal clear.
“….”
Early morning.
I didn’t check the exact time, but just from the overwhelming morning sunlight, even through the thick curtains, I could tell.
“Yeah?”
Today, my bed felt a bit cramped.
Sure enough, when I turned my head, I saw another wife wedged between me and Elena.
I spotted Felicita. No, was she really asleep?
Maybe she confirmed I was awake, or perhaps she had been conscious for a while.
Felicita was using the tip of her firm yet flexible long tail to tap my thigh repeatedly.
“Felice. How long have you been here?”
“Oh my, don’t you remember?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been here since last night.”
“…Are you going to disregard our agreement to take turns with Elena?”
“Well?”
Felicita didn’t give me a clear answer.
But contrary to her response, she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me down onto the bed.
“Luke, have you given up on resisting?”
“Well?”
I returned her question with a smirk.
Felicita smiled faintly at my answer and continued to snuggle against me. It seemed I was quite lovable to her.
But deep down, I knew this situation wouldn’t last.
“….”
Elena, who had been sleeping next to me and Felicita, stirred awake.
“What? Why are you here?!”
“Does it matter? Today is my day with you anyway.”
“….”
Elena seemed to be swayed by Felicita’s words. But that wasn’t like her.
“Huh?”
She picked up Felicita and headed towards the bedroom door.
Felicita attempted to wriggle out of Elena’s grip, but it was futile.
Thud. The bedroom door closed nonchalantly, while Felicita knocked on it, still lingering.
With sleepy eyes, Elena flopped back onto the bed and tried to sleep again.
I hesitated briefly. Should I follow Elena back to sleep, or let Felicita in and fully wake up?
“Brother, don’t let her in.”
You could tell they were siblings just by that. Elena spoke as if she could read my mind.
But I stood up from the bed. As soon as I did, I felt her glare at me, but I ignored it and headed toward the window.
Just as I had thought the night before, I decided to call Solomon.
“Proceed as planned.”
“Yes, I will contact them right away.”
My instruction and Solomon’s response.
After a short call, I observed Elena’s reaction while she lay on the bed.
Meanwhile, Felicita was still trying to come into our bedroom.
“Elena, it’s time to get up.”
“Ugh… Fine.”
I checked Elena’s expression once more and opened the bedroom door.
At that moment, Felicita grabbed my hand and pulled me into her own bedroom.
“Hey! Wait a minute!”
It all happened in an instant.
I left an anxious Elena behind and found myself lying in an entirely different bed in Felicita’s bedroom before I knew it.
“I don’t think Elena knows yet, does she?”
“Seems like it.”
This was the first thing Felicita was saying after bringing me to her room.
A chuckle escaped me, and Felicita joined in.
“I called Solomon. He’ll reach out to Gata Melata.”
“Then that means the Sanchez Family is done for.”
“No, it’s just the beginning.”
Sanchez Family. Next would be Dragovich. Then the Vipers and the blacks.
After we took control of Hebili alongside the new Five Families, we would set our sights on the major cities of the country. There was a mountain of work ahead.
“But I wonder if they’ll hand over Sanchez’s daughter.”
“They’ll probably refuse.”
Solomon had quite a bit to ask Gata Melata, but the most important was Eddie Sanchez’s daughter.
I heard she was referred to as the Golem Princess.
She might trust only her father and create quite a disturbance, with many like Solomon eyeing her.
“Oh, Felice. Your father will be with Elder Leonhart.”
“Why do those two have to meet of all people?”
The very founders of the Marinelli Family and their comrade. It would be quite a remarkable reunion.
I wasn’t sure how they’d feel about seeing each other.
“Exactly.”
“So?”
“I also need to start preparing. So, I’m getting up now.”
“…Alright.”
I wished Gata Melata would reply right away.
After heading to the shower, I quickly washed up and aimed to wake myself up with coffee in the living room on the second floor.
“Luke, are you skipping breakfast?”
“Yep. It’s fine. I can eat plenty when I head to Carmen’s.”
Balis Casino. It wouldn’t be too late to grab a meal after joining the Carmen Family there.
“While you were showering, I heard from Salmo.”
“The rat catchers?”
Elena nodded.
“They want to meet soon. In exactly four days.”
“I don’t think we need to go ourselves.”
“Right. It’s better to leave it to Salmo.”
If needed, I could also take Carso along. But I felt uneasy about two of the bosses personally attending.
It wasn’t just about face; it could be dangerous.
“They’re likely to tell us to cut ties with the Rat Hole during this opportunity.”
“Well, we can just do that then. We don’t have to deal directly with the Rat Hole like we are now; there are plenty of alternatives.”
To be precise, it was actually Felicita who was under contract with the Rat Hole at present. They even had a dedicated liaison for her.
I felt sorry for Felicita, but it was crucial that the meeting’s photos didn’t leak.
One of those photos would likely feature her younger brother, Manfredi, too.
“If they cross the line…”
“Then we handle it. It’ll be easier to take them out than the Rat Hole, so let’s aim to wipe them out this time.”
This might earn us a bow of gratitude from the Rat Hole.
Of course, as long as the rat catcher continued to treat information like a hit-or-miss gamble, they would show up again at any time.
“Elena.”
“Yeah?”
I handed Elena the coffee I was sipping.
“Thanks. But it’s been a while since Luke’s given me his food.”
“Was I that stingy?”
“Yep. No other desires, but your appetite is enormous.”
No other desires? Maybe that was for the best.
Slurping. Elena gulped her coffee, and I gazed at her hair.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, it just seems to be returning to its original state.”
“Really? I should dye it again soon.”
“No need. I like your natural hair better.”
“….”
Elena quickly turned her head away. As if my one compliment meant more to her than countless gifts.
*
At that moment, the phone in the bedroom rang, and one of the servants informed me.
I took the call on the living room phone.
“Godfather, it’s me.”
“Solomon. Have you heard from them?”
“Yes… Melata says he’s sending the Golem Princess.”
“What?”
I was startled, but I immediately shared this fact with Elena, who was nearby.
Gata Melata. Despite his boss being in jail, he was thinking about handing over his daughter this easily.
“Are they sending her right now?”
“Yes, it seems so. What should we do?”
“Once we receive the princess, contact us immediately.”
The call ended.
Another one started right after. I informed Carso about this, and Carso and the Vipers quickly spread the news.
“Elena, I’m heading out.”
“Okay.”
Receiving the next call from Solomon after we got the Golem Princess would be Elena’s responsibility.
I waved goodbye to Elena and Felicita before boarding the armored car.
“Brother, should we head straight to the casino?”
“No. Let’s go to the Academy first. We’ll join Sarina there and then race over to the casino.”
“Yes!”
It wasn’t just me moving; the new Five Families began to take action based on the discussions at the committee meeting.
The first to act was the Russo Family.
Their boss, Darius Russo, got up and, along with considerable manpower, appeared near the northeastern border of the Sanchez Family.
Their movements had little more than pressure, as it served to lure out the Vipers.
The second to move was the Marinelli Family.
In accordance with prior discussions with the Black Gang, they appeared at the southeastern border of the Sanchez Family without any interference from us or the blacks.
Similarly to Russo, their boss, Vito Marinelli, showed up with over a hundred men. Plus, one of the caporegimes from the Felini Family, Alex Leonhart, joined them with his sticky subordinates.
In this scenario, I arrived at the Academy and joined my well-prepared subordinates and Sarina.
After leaving Kambara in charge of the Academy, I led my Vipers and Gollymen directly west.
I was set to pass through the Sanchez Family’s territory and join up with the Carmen Family in the western part of the city.
Meanwhile, I was unaware, but the Solomon Family had also initiated their actions.
“Shut up!”
“Be quiet, you witch!”
Solomon yelled at the Golem Princess, whose mouth was sealed with duct tape.
The members of the Sanchez Family, who had come to hand her over to the Solomon Family, fell, despite their tough skin, to Solomon’s vastly experienced subordinates who were used to dealing with Golem.
“Alright, take her to my base! We’re moving out now!”
As soon as the Solomon Family received Sanchez’s daughter, they began pushing into the Sanchez Family’s territory. Unlike Rust and Marinelli, who had merely pressed from the edges, this was a clear act of aggression.
In response, two caporegimes from the Felini Family invaded the Sanchez Family’s territory from another bridge on the outskirts of the city.
The Five Families shared their movements immediately with each other.
We were somewhat coordinating inside this tight collaboration.
“….”
Lastly, the Carmen Family made their move.
Their boss, Veronica, took the initiative to cross the Sanchez Family’s territory to welcome her brother, Luke Felini.
Although the Felini siblings hadn’t joined yet, if we included them, the situation would look like this.
I hadn’t received updates on these situations yet. So, what was I doing?
“Throw it farther!”
“I’m trying to!”
As I passed near the Sanchez Family’s base, we were gifting them with a black pineapple that would resolve everything when thrown.
The pineapple Sarina and I hurled burst impressively upon impact with the ground.
“Pick up the speed!”
“Yes!”
Unlike Sarina, I didn’t look back at the explosion but commanded the driver.
A true man never looks back at explosions.
