Make Our Family Great Again – Chapter 84

Elena couldn’t hide her discomfort when I sided with Felicita in front of her.

“Elena, calm down.”

“Then come over here.”

I was reluctantly compelled to comply.

I headed towards the sofa where she was sitting in the living room, which felt eerily similar to a hotel lounge.

As I got close enough, Elena embraced me as if I were some kind of doll.

“You’re not actually thinking of welcoming the Consigliere like this, are you?”

“Why don’t you mind your own business? Luke is in my arms, so being jealous is just pathetic.”

“….”

Maybe it was so absurd that she was left speechless, or perhaps she was genuinely hit where it hurt.

Felicita couldn’t muster a word.

Just then, I heard the sound of the elevator announcing someone had arrived on the top floor.

“I’ll go.”

“Luke, wait a minute!”

Elena tried to grab me, but I was quicker than her.

One of the perks of being small was that I could slip away before anyone tried to hold me back.

“Isn’t it a waste?”

“Can you be quiet?”

While the two wives were locked in another round of their silent battle, I opened the front door.

Anthony Salmo strode in through the open door.

“Sorry for being late.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Salmo hadn’t actually arrived late at the hotel; he was just delayed because he had stopped to eat.

“Is the young lady inside?”

“Yeah. There’s one more person, though.”

“Who?”

“Felicita.”

“….”

I could tell exactly what Salmo was thinking.

He was seriously debating what he could and could not say.

“Don’t worry. Felicita won’t spill anything we discuss today to anyone else.”

“Yes, understood.”

He didn’t add any unnecessary remarks or flatter me.

It felt almost nostalgic seeing the young Salmo, a reminder of how glad I was that the Salmo family was on our side.

“Miss, and Miss Marinelli. You must have been waiting a long time.”

“No, not really. Tony.”

“It’s better to call her Mrs. Felini.”

“….”

Salmo read our reactions to Felicita’s comment, with me nodding and Elena shaking her head. The simultaneous gestures made Salmo feel awkward.

“What would you like to drink? We’ve got whiskey and gin, as well as dark beer.”

“Then I’ll have a beer.”

Dark beer was the one he liked the most.

Now that I think about it, back when we weren’t close, I once slipped up and mentioned dark beer in front of him, which didn’t end well.

The term ‘dark beer’ was apparently something used by people who didn’t know much about beer.

Salmo accepted the glass I handed him with both hands. At least he didn’t pretend to get up from his seat, which was a relief.

“….”

I sat beside Elena the same way I did when I fled to open the front door.

The difference was that Felicita had moved, so I was now completely sandwiched between the two wives.

“Well, since you two must be busy, let’s get to the main point.”

“I want to hear your and Salmo’s opinions first.”

“Yes.”

Salmo rummaged through his briefcase and carefully placed something on the table in front of us.

“I’ve gathered background information on the candidates for the new Underboss.”

“You didn’t need anything on the Wolves.”

“True, but it still includes their recent activities.”

The candidates consisted of three Wolves: Giovanni, Carso, Armo, and three non-Wolves: Vanella, Lumini, Viola.

A total of six candidates.

“So, Viola is a candidate too?”

“She’s been one of us since my father’s time.”

“But she’s the sister of that woman….”

“Felicita, that’s exactly why we’re having this discussion.”

“Understood.”

As Elena spoke seriously, contrary to her usual self, Felicita didn’t try to protest anymore.

Of course, Felicita wouldn’t back down so easily.

She leaned a little closer to me, while Elena kept stealing glances at the closeness between Felicita and me.

“Let me share my father’s opinion first. Richard Vanella and Viola Carmen are the most suitable for Underboss, while Vincent Lumini is the least suitable.”

“….”

“What’s the reason?”

“Besides the Wolves, all three are Caporegimes. That means they’re skilled in managing and handling their own organizations.”

To be honest, all three had already proven their capabilities.

“But why is Lumini the least suitable while the others are considered suitable?”

“According to him, it’s due to personality differences. Vanella and Carmen have distinct personalities, but they both share a common trait of being proactive.”

“…And Lumini is passive?”

“Yes, and he just happens to have a substantial territory thanks to the current situation.”

Salmo immediately replied to me. It wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Furthermore, Salmo pointed out that Lumini’s current territory was one he had managed for a long time.

“Carmen aside, Vanella is also managing a newly acquired territory and has to lay down new foundations. But Lumini is different.”

With a stable base, an established territory, and great prudence to boot.

“So the point is that there isn’t any need to give the Underboss position to someone like Lumini.”

“Yes, it’s best to keep him in check with either Vanella or Carmen.”

I listened closely to Bier Salmo’s opinion as a former Consigliere.

“Tony, what do you think?”

“I agree with my father that Lumini is the most threatening. But I don’t believe Vanella and Carmen are the best options.”

As Elena inquired, Salmo began to express his opinion.

“Vanella doesn’t discriminate between danger and safety; he’s unpredictable. As for Carmen, her recent performance was unsatisfactory.”

It was fascinating to hear someone’s opinion that was similar yet different from his father’s.

In fact, the flaws Salmo pointed out about Vanella were also his strong points. As for Carmen… The results had only come after I got involved, so it could be perceived that way.

But she was the one who kept applying pressure on the Palmas Family without losing that momentum.

Even if she failed, the plan to bomb Johnny Palmas’ car was hers.

“So who do you think is the best option?”

“Carso.”

“Giovanni wouldn’t be a good option?”

“Still, among the three Wolves, I’d say Carso is the best.”

When I mentioned Giovanni, Salmo showed me the research he’d done on him.

He was attacking the Palmas Family alongside Sarina and Carso, but apparently, he couldn’t resist his manly instincts even during that.

It was evident from several traces of him visiting various brothels around Hebili.

“Well, so what? Isn’t it fine for a guy to go to those places?”

“Giovanni took it too far. There’s probably not a single prostitute who doesn’t recognize his face.”

“That’s just how Wolves are. They’ve got money but don’t know how to spend it.”

It wasn’t just Giovanni either.

After my father and the Wolves defeated the Five Families, their treatment improved dramatically.

They could now own private property, something they’d never imagined when they were used as tools of the Five Families, and they received wages that matched their loyalty.

The problem was, even when they suddenly have money, they didn’t know how to spend it.

In such a situation, women, gambling, and booze—every tempting thing opened before their eyes.

Giovanni was a classic case of being driven mad by women. I too had once been obsessed with collecting new races.

“What’s your reasoning for saying Carso is the best?”

“He’s the least flawed among the three and is both prudent and insightful.”

“I’d say Armo is also good at leading people.”

Before Salmo could reply to Elena, I jumped in.

“Armo isn’t bad either, but as a Caporegime, he’s more skilled at protecting the young lady.”

*

The opinions of Bier Salmo and Anthony Salmo were certainly intriguing.

Salmo didn’t ask for my and Elena’s thoughts. It’s against the rules to ask for such things before the Boss speaks.

And of course, their opinions were merely for reference; there was no obligation to reflect them.

“Elena, what do you think?”

“….”

She seemed still overwhelmed and hadn’t gathered her thoughts.

“Vanella, Viola, or Carso. One of those three would be good.”

Even weighing all the factors, it was hard to decisively say who the best choice was.

So, I decided to narrow it down a bit.

“Luke, it might be best to leave Viola out of this. Our family already has enough dragons and spiders as it is.”

“That’s somewhat touching to hear.”

The dragon would be Felicita, and come to think of it, there were indeed two little spiders—Viola and Veronica.

Viola was responsible for controlling the northeast of the city, while Veronica had taken over the real power of the Academy union.

Two people who were outsiders to the family until just a short while ago had risen to such heights, which could cause dissatisfaction among existing members.

Clearly, Elena was deeper in thought regarding these matters than I was.

“Then it’s between Vanella and Carso. Just those two.”

“Salmo, your opinion hasn’t changed, has it?”

“No, I still believe Carso is the most suitable.”

“….”

Salmo’s answer made me start to ponder as well. Frankly, both Vanella and Carso were suitable for the Underboss.

“Elena.”

At this point, I figured she must’ve organized her thoughts, so I asked again.

“Carso. Between the two, I think Carso would be better.”

Elena and Salmo both judged Carso to be the right fit. Unless I strongly recommended Vanella, it was clear that Carso would become the Underboss.

Considering our personalities, both being cautious, we were also remarkably decisive when action was needed.

After all, I did resolve issues directly when I was Underboss, and Elena was trying to destroy the Palmas Family.

You could definitely say we acted like the children of the Godfather.

“Yeah, Carso sounds good.”

I thought Carso would suit the role of keeping us in check.

In contrast, if Vanella became Underboss, he would only rush forward with us, leaving no room for restraint.

“So in the end, it’s the Golem as the Underboss, huh?”

“Haha, you’re right.”

“Tony, let the others know about Carso and the other Caporegimes right away.”

“Yes, understood.”

Elena made an effort to disregard Felicita’s words. Salmo also left the room to announce that the new Underboss had been decided.

A week later, the Palmas Family, who thought their surrender would be accepted, was viciously decimated.