"You must have earned quite a bit of hatred from the previous incident."Luca Datero said. Eugene neither confirmed nor denied it.The ceremony ended. Luca Datero stood up from his seat and patted Eugene's shoulder."Shall we have a quiet conversation for a moment?"After asking Eugene, Luca Datero turned to look at Tony Rico, who was sitting behind them. Tony Rico nodded with a displeased look. Having received Tony Rico's approval, Luca Datero now looked at Eugene. Eugene cast a brief glance at Valentine, who was receiving greetings from men on the other side, then nodded.As Eugene had felt since arriving, this funeral home was very large. The interior was decorated in an antique style, with rest areas for the bereaved family or attendees placed throughout. Luca Datero guided Eugene as if very familiar with the place. After passing through several doors, they entered a space where not a single mafia man in a suit could be seen."What kind of conversation did you want to..."Eugene,
After sending Luca Datero away with the excuse of needing to rest a bit more, Eugene sat back against the sofa's backrest. A heavy sigh escaped him. After staring at the ceiling for a moment, Eugene examined his right hand. The hand that had been gripped by brutal strength was beginning to swell. The reddish swelling precisely resembled Valentine's handprint. After a few days, it would likely develop into bruises in the exact shape of the handprints, just like his neck.Eugene cursed softly under his breath while touching his neck, which was concealed by a scarf. The bruise in the shape of Valentine's hand still remained on his neck. While waiting for that bruise to fade, another handprint had been left on his hand. It was impossible not to curse.The sound of a door opening was felt from behind."...Don Date..."Annoyed at having his brief moment of solitude interrupted, Eugene turned his head with a voice tinged with slight irritation. But the one who entered wasn't Don Datero.Vale
Valentine took off his suit jacket and threw it onto the bed. The shirt hidden beneath the black jacket was revealed. The shoulder area was already damp with seeping blood, sticking to his skin. Valentine stripped off the shirt as well and tossed it on the floor.Knock knock.A short knock sounded and the door opened. Leo entered the room carrying a first aid kit. Approaching Valentine, Leo frowned at the open wound."I thought I smelled strong blood in the car. What did you do to make it burst open like that?"Valentine sat down silently in a chair."Wouldn't it be better to call Anita?""If Anita sees this, it'll reach Don Luciano's ears immediately."At Valentine's reply, Leo shrugged and opened the first aid kit, rummaging through its contents.As he cleaned the wound, its appearance, previously hidden by blood, was fully revealed. Seeing the shape of the wound, Leo let out a soft whistle."Someone dug into it viciously. It's not easy to make something like this—whoever did it has
Mateo said with a relieved expression. This was exactly why Luciano poured vast sums of money into the judicial system every year. Simply making someone with a similar appearance confess and be detained? It wasn't that simple. They twisted witness testimonies cleverly, omitted evidence, and substituted or tampered with evidence that had been submitted. Even if there were suspicious aspects of the evidence or witnesses, they pushed the case forward, ignoring them. From street patrol officers to prosecutors and judges—the bribes spread throughout the judicial system were designed to produce significant effects when needed."By the way, how's the search for Carlo Chirico's hit-and-run driver going? It's not even our business but Colvino's, and it's not that big a deal, but you seem to be putting excessive effort into it."Mateo suddenly asked."We've searched through New York and New Jersey like catching mice, but there's not even a trace. Unless they completely dismantled the truck and
But all of that had been pointless. Offering Tony Rico as a sacrifice to prevent war between Luciano and Belmonte. Thus ensuring the safety of Giovanni and Valentine, both presumed to be Eugene's father, while extracting himself completely from the awkward situation he had found himself in. That shallow plan had only made things worse."...With the war against Chiano just around the corner, we need to be well-armed, don't we?"Lost in thought, Eugene looked up suddenly at these words. Tony Rico was smiling savagely, showing his teeth."War?""Given the world today, it's not easy to safely acquire large quantities of firearms within America. If we use them incorrectly and get caught, it becomes a headache. But if we use items freshly imported from Russia for this war and then dispose of them, there will be no complications."Using some of the large quantity of weapons imported through the deal with the Russian mafia in the war against Luciano. That was the gist of it. Eugene bit the in
'Hey.'The voice that strangely stirred his heart.Eugene tried to shake off the voice lingering in his ears by squeezing his eyes shut. But the sound in his ears simply wouldn't disappear."Are you ready to depart?"A man in his mid-thirties who had opened the door asked. Eugene nodded and stood up. Jerry placed his checked pistol into the leather holster over his white shirt and put on his jacket.Like attending a funeral, three black sedans were waiting. Four armed men got into the front and rear cars, and Eugene took the back seat of the middle car. A man in his thirties was in the driver's seat, and Jerry took the passenger seat. Soon the cars left the Belmonte residence in a line.They were on their way to meet Don Datero. The meeting place was set at the usual flower shop. Though it was just a trip to Queens, the tension was visible on the driver's face and in the cars following closely behind. Jerry was no exception, his sharp eyes constantly checking the front, sides, and the
"We'll send someone up to check first, so please wait a moment."The driver said. Without keys, they needed to borrow them from the manager. Two men went up to the apartment first and came back about ten minutes later, nodding.Eugene went up to the third floor with the driver in his thirties and Jerry. Leaving the two outside, he entered alone. The house, which had been empty for a while, was unchanged from when he last left. Eugene slowly examined the interior. Although not much time had passed, it felt like he was returning after several years. The last time he was here, he was with Valentine. But now the situation had completely changed.Eugene went to the window and looked down. Three cars were waiting by the roadside. Eugene glanced at the door where the driver and Jerry would be blocking. In this situation, could Derek really come to meet Eugene? He clearly implied Eugene's apartment by saying Canal Street, but it seemed impossible to meet him while evading watchful eyes.Just
Leo checked the clock on the wall. Already two and a half hours. But Valentine showed no sign of stopping. Leo knocked loudly on the door. Valentine, who had been ignoring Leo's presence and concentrating on his workout, finally stopped moving and looked over. Leo picked up a nearby towel and handed it to Valentine. After roughly wiping away the copious sweat with the towel, Valentine picked up a water bottle. As he tilted his head back to swallow the water, his Adam's apple moved rhythmically."We got a call from Cornel Avenue."The moving Adam's apple stopped. Blue eyes fixed on Leo."Eugene visited just a little while ago. He came surrounded by Belmonte guys but entered the house alone. He stayed briefly and left soon after."Valentine nodded slightly. Leo paused before speaking again."And early this morning, I received a summons from Don Luciano.""About Eugene?""Yes. He ordered me to eliminate Eugene Belmonte."Valentine's eyes darkened.Leo was openly Valentine's man. If Leo w
"Is the sun too strong so you came in? Why don't you go up to the second floor?Leo suggested, using his back to shield the bloodied man. Instead of retreating to the second floor, Eugene sat on the sofa opposite Valentine."Don't mind me. Continue what you were doing."Leo stared at Eugene hesitantly for a moment, then shrugged. He tapped the man's cheek with the side of a knife that he had been cleverly hiding behind his back. The knife, already covered in blood, was further stained with the man's blood. The man, who had been slumped as if unconscious, opened his eyes and immediately trembled."I really don't know anything. I just did what I was told and got paid for it."The man muttered in a weak voice. Eugene turned on the TV with the remote on the table. Either the situation in New York had calmed down somewhat, or people had grown tired of the repeated news—the broadcast had returned to its normal, ordinary appearance instead of breaking news."AAAGH!"The man screamed. Eugene'
While the sacrificial lambs were being prepared, the city was enveloped in darkness. It was time to move. Tony Rico and the other Belmontes all got into their cars. Three cars and one truck lined up and headed toward Long Island."Make sure to arrange people to take care of those guys too."Tony Rico said."I'll handle it thoroughly, so don't worry."Angelo Casani, sitting in the passenger seat, nodded."If today's operation succeeds, the Lucianos will finally be finished."Angelo Casani said in a low voice."Valentine is dead, and now the old Luciano will die too, so yes, you could say that."Tony Rico replied.A heavy silence hung in the moving car. These men were about to witness the long-awaited destruction of the Lucianos right before their eyes, but instead of being intoxicated with joy and a sense of victory, they couldn't hide their gloomy expressions. They would get their revenge by killing Ricardo Luciano, but what came after was the problem. Hadn't the Belmontes also lost t
While Tony was shaking with anger, Fredo Codiseri, the consigliere, was clenching his teeth and glaring wide-eyed. It was an unusual expression for someone who rarely showed emotion."Fredo, what kind of man are you that you couldn't notice the Russians were having second thoughts?! They've betrayed us, no doubt. They've joined hands with the Luciano family. Otherwise, why would they disappear without a trace until now?!"Tony Rico redirected his anger towards Fredo. Fredo's jaw twitched."Do you think blaming me like this will solve anything? I didn't establish the deal with the Red Mafia. It was a connection made through Sicily, a relationship we've been trading with for a long time. Not just me, but no one could have detected their betrayal."Since Fredo's words were true, Tony Rico turned his head away, spewing profanities.The Belmonte family had already experienced the painful loss of an heir at Luciano's hands. Eugene Belmonte had miraculously appeared when they thought the Bel
"......"The blond killer in front of Eugene was certainly a master of attack. Eugene couldn't say anything and just gasped for breath after the unexpected assault. The excessively sweet and powerful attack completely broke his will to counterattack. But Eugene had no intention of letting the emotional sediment lurking deep in his heart simply disappear. If he left it unresolved, it would certainly emerge as a problem later."...You tried to kill me. Even if the truck attack wasn't your doing, when you choked me at the Belmonte mansion, you meant it.""Yes."Valentine admitted simply. Then he added:"But I couldn't kill you."His large, white hand touched Eugene's neck. It soon wrapped around it."You were the first I decided to kill but couldn't finish. And probably the last."The hand that had been wrapped around his neck moved up to cup Eugene's cheek. Though it was a hard palm, it felt softer than anything. Eugene unconsciously tilted his head, entrusting his cheek to the hand. Va
"Do you remember the incident when Carlo Chirico, the underboss of the Colvino family, was hit by a truck in a hit-and-run?"Eugene had to search his memory momentarily. The relatively minor hit-and-run incident involving Carlo Chirico had been completely overshadowed by the major events that had occurred without pause."...I remember. It happened right after Don Luciano was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer."It wasn't that long ago. In fact, it could even be considered recent. But in terms of how it felt, it seemed like an extremely distant event. The war that had finally broken out between the two families. At the beginning of it all was Don Luciano's lung cancer diagnosis, but the actual spark of discord was ignited by Carlo Chirico's hit-and-run incident."And you certainly remember the attack you and Valentine suffered afterward."Eugene silently nodded. The ambush and gunfight they'd experienced below the apartment, and the subsequent attacks on the highway. Valentine had bee
"So all this time, you've been getting detailed information about the Belmonte family's movements through Alexander.""With the Belmonte family's secretive nature, they wouldn't reveal their internal affairs in detail even to trusted business partners. And Sasha and I aren't that close anyway. In fact, he and I rather dislike each other."Valentine's voice gained strength, as if emphasizing the part about disliking each other."He was just a hidden card. This operation, too, was a transaction.""A transaction?""By backstabbing the Belmonte family and Sicily, he loses an excellent weapons trading route but will gain a drug route from Mexico to Miami.""So I was sold for a Mexican drug trafficking route.""You were exchanged for a deal worth tens of billions of dollars, so you should feel proud."Valentine's fingers subtly rubbed Eugene's palm."...You knew your half-brother was trafficking weapons with the Belmonte family, yet you stayed silent and waited for the right moment to use it
"Stop. Ayúdame. Por favor. Help me, please..."The Hispanic man muttered, alternating between English and Spanish. But knowing that pleading was useless, his voice lacked strength.Tattoos covered the exposed skin of the Hispanic man's neck, arms, and fingers, and even with his eyes covered, his seated posture revealed his gang affiliation. The man was probably a serious criminal. But that didn't prevent compassion for a human pleading in terror, nor did it reduce disgust toward those who tied up and lynched people. Though Eugene had thought he was already accustomed to violence and death, he wasn't. He struggled to maintain an expressionless face at the scene before him."I told you to catch him, not damage him this much."Leo clicked his tongue."His head and mouth are intact, so don't worry."The man named Kevin shrugged and retorted.Kevin, who appeared to hold significant status among the black men, stood behind the Hispanic man as if claiming ownership of him. His eyes surveyed
"How's your body feeling?"Valentine's fingers landed on Eugene's knee, then crawled slowly up his thigh."Keep your hands off."Eugene brushed Valentine's fingers away. After visually confirming that the Russians were completely focused on their own activities, he spoke."What are you trying to do here?""What did you think I was going to do?"Eugene was speechless.Logically, Valentine should have killed Eugene, the Belmonte heir, or taken him hostage. Either way, the war would end in a victory for the Lucianos. But Valentine never operated within Eugene's logical expectations. He had set fire to a corpse to fake Eugene's death. What exactly was he planning?"Claudio Luciano died in a burning car, and just now Eugene Belmonte died over there too.""So you're suggesting we fake our deaths and run away together in some lovers' escape?""You asked me to come with you.""...What did you hear?""Your true feelings.""True feelings?""You asked so desperately, with tears in your eyes. Whe
'Should I really kill him?'Eugene thought as he looked at Valentine, who appeared more dazzlingly beautiful than he had ever seen him before. He was at least 60 percent serious."Coffee?"Valentine asked as he approached, moving away from the doorway. Only then did Eugene notice the cup in his hand. At the same time, the strong scent of coffee stimulated his senses. His mouth filled with saliva. Valentine snorted softly and helped Eugene sit up, leaning him against the headboard.His arm felt impossibly heavy as he tried to lift it to take the coffee cup. His hand trembled uncontrollably. Valentine embraced Eugene from behind, letting him rest his back against his chest, and brought the coffee cup to his lips. The hot, strong coffee tasted excellent. Eugene took a few sips of the scalding coffee and exhaled with satisfaction. Valentine took advantage of this moment to nibble on Eugene's earlobe, ear, and nape.Perhaps thanks to the caffeine, some strength returned to his body. Despit