Valentine's car left the funeral home. Since his entourage consisted of only two people, there was only one departing car. Members of other families watched the departing car with interested eyes, while the Belmonte members saw it off with eyes full of expectation and excitement.It was a funeral held right after Eugene Belmonte had been attacked. In a situation where it was crystal clear that the attack had been Luciano's doing, the possibility of Luciano attendees being attacked on their return was very high. The vehicle seemed aware of this and moved cautiously. However, even after traveling for quite some time, there was no sign of being followed.The car entered a busy downtown road. The road was dominated by bustling pedestrians and vehicles waiting at traffic signals. The Luciano car also stopped to wait for a signal. There were still no suspicious vehicles approaching. The driver remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes. In front and behind were sedans driv
Weeeeeeeeeeee.New York was engulfed in police sirens.Reports flooded in of simultaneous shootouts across New York—Little Italy, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Long Island, as well as Coney Island and Staten Island. Police dispatched to the scenes discovered sites of serious gunfights, leading to requests for backup.Most of the shootout locations were Belmonte Family businesses. At scenes bloody with hundreds or thousands of shell casings, there were no bodies, let alone injured or survivors. The NYPD easily recognized that a war had broken out between New York mafia families. Judging that they needed to contain the situation, the NYPD dispatched patrol cars to previously identified Belmonte direct operations. At this point, all police personnel had already been mobilized. But this was just the beginning."Damn it! Those good-for-nothing Belmontes!"A man covered in blood slammed the table. He was part of one of the groups attacking Belmonte businesses and had barely escaped alone after l
"Who the hell are these guys anyway?"One muttered while nudging a young man's corpse with his foot."Not Belmonte. Belmonte wouldn't use such amateurs in a war.""Then it must be Confezzioni. Don Datero started his mixed-blood policy, and Confezzioni has been flooded with apprentices since then, so it's probably them."Indeed, the dead young men all had the appearance of Italian mixed-blood."Confezzioni is playing dirty. Let's clean this up quickly and report to the higher-ups."The Luciano men hurriedly began collecting the bodies. Since gunshots had been fired, the police would come, and regardless of whether they were Luciano or Confezzioni, hiding the bodies was the priority.Later, when patrol cars arrived at the small steakhouse in Coney Island, the shattered shop was like other crime scenes—not only were there no injured or survivors, but even the bodies had cleanly disappeared, leaving only a carpet of splattered blood.While it ended with the deaths of Confezzioni apprentic
"I didn't expect the car to explode.""Valentine was definitely in there. We followed him immediately after he got in and attacked. They say three charred bodies were found inside, so he must have been there.""It's actually a good thing. He somehow survived that shower of bullets at the age of five. Now that the car has exploded, any possibility of him surviving has completely disappeared."Everyone offered optimistic words. But on all their faces remained a lingering uneasiness they couldn't completely erase."Anyway, it won't be long before the old Luciano man breathes his last after hearing the news that his only remaining grandson has died. With Valentine, who was officially announced as the successor, dead, there will be great chaos within Luciano."Tony Rico said as if pushing away his anxiety. Giovanni Belmonte, who had been listening silently while lost in thought, spoke to Fredo Codiseri."What about Eugene?""He's safe. No one except the executives present here knows the yo
It had been a long night. Whenever Eugene dozed off and fell asleep, Valentine's dreams invariably came to him. In fragmented dreams, Eugene faced Valentine from countless memories. He repeated this cycle of waking and falling back asleep numerous times. The night of struggling through dreams seemed as if it would never end.When he opened his eyes, morning had finally arrived. Though it had only been one night, it felt as if he had been asleep for months. Eugene surveyed the room while still lying down. Alexander, who had always been in the room, was nowhere to be seen.His head throbbed and his throat was parched from the hangover. Eugene got out of bed and went to the bathroom. His appearance in the mirror was truly terrible—disheveled hair, rough skin, and reddened eyes as if he had been crying in his dreams.After showering, Eugene stepped out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe while drying his wet hair. Despite washing, his head still felt foggy. He walked toward the floor-to-ce
The news broadcast special reports about the New York mafia all day long. Some channels even scheduled documentaries about Italian mafia in the United States. But the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, was nowhere to be seen in any of them.The FBI, which maintained the most up-to-date genealogy of Italian mafia in the United States and was proactive enough to photograph people entering and leaving the Council meetings. It was strange that they were not actively intervening in this situation—in fact, they were quiet as mice.Eugene recalled FBI New York branch chief Walter Olson, whom he had met recently. Olson, who had been targeting the Lucianos, was undoubtedly keeping a close eye on this situation. With Valentine dead, his most appetizing prey now would be Don Luciano, Mateo, and Alberto. Among them, he would likely target Don Luciano or Alberto first, setting aside the challenging lawyer Mateo for later. Though they were normally extremely cautious, they would inevitably d
With each step forward, the fear of being caught from behind made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Fortunately, he reached the bedroom safely. Eugene reached under the pillow and pulled out a revolver. With the loaded revolver in hand, Eugene exhaled his held breath while pointing the gun barrel at the bedroom door.Whoosh. Whoosh.The sound of his exhaling breath echoed in his ears. His pounding heartbeat violently drummed through the blood vessels throughout his body. Eugene moistened his parched lips with his tongue and glared at the door.A few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes passed. It was impossible to gauge the flow of time. The sound of footsteps approaching the door could be heard. The footsteps drew closer, deliberately slow, as if wanting to be heard. And finally, when the footsteps stopped, the blonde killer appeared through the open door."Eugene."The moment Valentine called out with a smiling eye, Eugene's finger pulled the trigger.Bang!The 22-caliber
Electricity shot down Eugene's spine each time their tongues intertwined. With every caress of that soft flesh and mucous membrane, his body and mind seemed to melt away. The pounding of his heart like a drum, their mingled breaths in the air, and the wet sounds of saliva entangling filled his ears. He felt dizzy, as if he'd downed an entire bottle of vodka in one go.Before he knew it, they were overlapping on the bed. The weight of Valentine's body on top of him was suffocatingly heavy, yet even that weight was now a stimulant that made his body throb.His clothes, torn and ripped, hung precariously from his arms, partially covering his bare skin. Valentine's firm hand touched his swollen lower region. Mmh. Eugene let out a small moan and scratched the shoulder he'd been gripping. When he opened his eyes, those piercing blue eyes filled his vision completely. Those eyes, confirming Eugene's excitement, were unusually filled with desire. Eugene also reached for Valentine's groin. It
Leo scratched his forehead, seemingly embarrassed by his own flimsy excuse."I'll tell the Belmontes you're on a business trip."Valentine said nonchalantly, then leaned back into the car seat. His face made it clear he had no intention of listening to any more protests."We're going to Miami on a private jet?"Jerry, who had been keeping quiet, cautiously asked Leo. When Leo nodded, Jerry raised his eyebrows as if he'd hit the jackpot.An uncomfortable silence fell over the car. Valentine had always been that kind of man, but it couldn't feel good to be dragged around like this in such a situation. Eugene didn't feel like protesting further to a man who would do as he pleased anyway, regardless of objections.How long had he been staring out the car window? Something touched his forearm resting on his leg.Looking down, he saw white fingers creeping onto his forearm. They carefully slid down his arm, across the back of his hand, and slipped between Eugene's fingers. When left undistu
"Don Datero came to see you, didn't he? After yesterday, Eugene brother must have become the most famous person in New York. If Don Datero came all the way here to talk with you personally, that says it all, doesn't it?"Jerry chattered with an excited expression."Of course it's natural. Not only did you expose the FBI and Don Colvino's conspiracy by faking your death, but you also instantly—BANG!—took out Don Colvino while he was threatening Don Luciano with a gun to his head. This is practically like saving all of New York!""..."Hearing the heavily embellished heroic tale that Jerry had been spouting while drunk yesterday now coming out in broad daylight, Eugene felt like he wanted to clamp Jerry's mouth shut."If it weren't for our Eugene brother, wouldn't the council and all of New York have been destroyed by those FBI bastards? Right, brother?"Jerry sought agreement from Angelo Casani, who was approaching."That's right."Angelo Casani readily agreed with Jerry and went furth
They spoke simultaneously and then fell silent at the same time."...My mouth was dry from drinking too much, so I ate some candy."Eugene calmly said, picking up the candy wrappers and putting them on the nightstand."I see."Jerry nodded, adjusting the tray to a comfortable position for Eugene with an awkward expression. Eugene straightened his posture and removed the sheet. Two more candy wrappers were revealed, scattered on the bed."...Those too?"Jerry asked. Eugene silently collected the plastic wrappers and placed them on the nightstand.The freshly made frittata stimulated his appetite. Eugene moistened his throat with water, drained half a cup of strong coffee, and immediately picked up his fork. Jerry, perched on the edge of the bed watching Eugene eat, kept glancing at the candy wrappers on the nightstand. The twitching at the corner of his mouth suggested he had something he wanted to say."Could you get me another cup of coffee?"After finishing the remaining coffee and
"Jerry."Before Eugene could offer any comfort or greeting, Jerry's shoulders began to shake."I thought... you... were... dead..."Jerry sobbed, uttering each word separately, and as it became difficult to stand on one leg, he slowly slid downward while still embracing Eugene. Despite trying to keep Jerry upright, it was beyond Eugene's strength to support the large young man. Eventually, Jerry, just like on the first day he came to the Belmonte residence, wrapped his arms around Eugene's calves and shed tears. Tony Rico, who had initially watched with a mocking gaze, finally had to forcibly drag Jerry away, ending the emotional reunion."...I need to clean up."As the welcome was winding down, Eugene spoke while examining his disheveled appearance. Jerry, who had been sitting sprawled on the floor, sniffled and wobbled to his feet, tucking his crutch under his armpit. Perhaps because he was severely injured during the attack, or maybe because something had happened between them afte
"I'm sorry."The elderly man holding the gun to Don Luciano's temple, Don Colvino, apologized to the Chirico brothers with a melancholy expression."Everyone would be wise not to move."Don Colvino warned, pressing the gun muzzle harder against Don Luciano's temple. Leo, who had been aiming his gun at Don Colvino from right beside him, stepped back with a troubled expression."Unbelievable."Giovanni Belmonte was the first to mutter in a cold tone. Mateo and Alberto, who had been friends with Santino Colvino for decades, stood frozen with their eyes wide open in shock."Oh, Santino. My friend."Don Luciano sighed with a face immersed in sadness. Don Colvino's face contorted as if about to cry."I'm sorry, Ricardo. But I had no choice. Melania, my only granddaughter, was arrested on drug possession charges. Ricardo, you know Melania. She's a good girl who got into college on a scholarship. She just made a momentary mistake, falling for a friend's deception.""You could have told me.""
Just before reaching the yacht, Eugene looked at Valentine, who stood tall beside him. His golden hair, fluttering in the sea breeze, sparkled like gold dust under the strong sunlight. From the moment they boarded the yacht, Valentine and Eugene would return to being Luciano and Belmonte. It was uncertain how their relationship would unfold afterward. They hadn't discussed this point at all. But somehow, Eugene wasn't worried. He had a vague feeling that everything would work out. It wasn't forced optimism. It was simply a groundless belief that Valentine would resolve things on his own.Finally, they reached the yacht. Leo went first, pushing the wheelchair across the gangplank. Valentine followed behind."My God, Ricky! Valentine!"Mateo exclaimed, hugging Don Luciano and Valentine in turn and showering them with kisses. Alberto was no exception.Eugene walked toward Giovanni Belmonte, who stood tall. Giovanni Belmonte waited until Eugene reached him, then extended both arms to embr
"Now, now. Since this meeting is primarily to mediate the war between Luciano and Belmonte, let's focus on resolving that first. Don't forget, with the FBI involved, we need to wrap this up quickly."Don Colvino, who had been quiet until now, stepped in to urge reconciliation. But the atmosphere for reconciliation had already been broken."We can reconcile whenever we want. Right now, it seems we need to discuss something more important first."Don Datero, who had been sitting silently with an expressionless face, spoke up. Luca Datero, a young boss only in his thirties, typically kept a low profile at such gatherings out of respect for the other more senior bosses."I believe we need to first address the evidence against Don Luciano that the prosecutor has allegedly secured. If that evidence is real, it means one of our high-ranking Cosa Nostra officials is an FBI rat. This is no time to be talking about wars or reconciliation while we're carrying such a dangerous bomb inside our ran
The New York Council was convened again after just a few months.This council was called at the request of Don Pepe Cariello, boss of the Bonino Family, with the primary purpose of mediating the war between Luciano and Belmonte. Not only the warring parties Luciano and Belmonte, but also Colvino and Confezzioni, who had joined the conflict between the two families, immediately agreed to the council meeting. The reason was simple: Don Luciano's detention.Thanks to the council chairman facing imminent indictment, the council date was quickly established. Don Cariello, responsible for organizing this council, informed each family of the date, time, and location. Nobody raised any objections.The notified council location was an upscale residential area in Belport, Long Island. Luxury cars departing in succession from New York made their way to the driveway of the beach house. Men from the Bonino Family greeted visitors respectfully. The Bonino Family, typically considered the lowest ran
"Pizza?"Valentine asked out of nowhere.Eugene was about to snap, "You're thinking about pizza in this situation?" but simply shrugged instead. While it was absurd that Valentine was only thinking about dinner menu without any worries or concerns, it was also just like him. And as always, watching him be so carefree and confident somehow inspired a groundless belief that everything would work out."Let's go with pizza."When Eugene nodded, Leo turned the wheel with a cheerful face, saying he knew a place with killer pizza.* * *"How long does it take to confirm one identity? What? That's your problem. Stop making excuses and make sure you confirm it and give me results today. Otherwise, I'll visit your home tonight, drag your sleeping body out of bed, and roast you alive!"BANG!Tony Rico slammed down the receiver so hard it nearly broke, then continued fuming, unable to contain his anger."Still nothing?" Fredo asked in a flat tone as he drank his coffee. Tony flopped down in the