Leon returned to the club.
"Mission completed."
"You've worked hard," Luca replied calmly. "Now let's enjoy some champagne tonight."
Luca glanced at the system panel, then, accompanied by Leon—who looked every bit like a professional security chief in his tailored suit—walked through the banquet hall toward their friends.
The tables were filled with familiar faces.
One table was occupied by Matilda, Uncle Bill and his wife, Brian, Nancy, and others.
Another table was Jordan and his buddies.
Yet another was occupied by Lefty, Donnie, and several Mafia members.
Luca seated Leon next to Brian.
No one really knew how those two became close. One was a quiet, seasoned professional with the aura of a European hitman; the other was Brian—blond, flashy, always racing cars and chasing girls.
Leon rarely spoke to anyone.
Except Brian.
Leon talked a lot with Brian.
Does he want Brian to introduce him to a girlfriend?
If that's the case, Luca thought it wasn't a bad idea. If necessary, he could even give Leon some advice.
Sicilians loved meddling in other people's personal lives. If a brother had relationship issues, even the boss might step in to mediate. The official excuse? Maintaining family stability.
After all, if a small family can't stay united, how can a large one?
Fortunately, the Peace Ambassador himself wasn't married.
Luca felt a chill run down his spine.
Mariggio might introduce someone at any moment. It was a common habit among bosses—they were surprisingly good at matchmaking. The women they recommended were usually virtuous, sensible, capable of running a household, not domineering, and exceptionally skilled at taking care of their husbands.
Luca glanced again at the Leon the Single man.
Leon isn't even married. Why am I worried for him?
Shaking off the thought, Luca moved on to greet other guests.
Soon, another rare card appeared.
This was the first rare character card Luca had discovered since the Awakening System activated.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Character Card Discovered: Mark "White Tiger " Antoine (Unlocked)]
Rank: D
Source: Rumble in the Bronx
Skill: None
Bond: Friends
__________________________________________________________________________
In the original storyline, White Tiger clashed with Keung over a diamond case and eventually got flattened into a meat patty by that invincible Keung driving a hovercraft.
Luca sighed.
A background character with only a few scenes could only earn a D-rank card. No skills. Just there to highlight how awesome his nephew was.
Honestly, why did they have to mess with anyone?
Why insist on going after his nephew?
Now, however, they stood on the Peace Ambassador's side.
No more worrying about beautiful women bringing chaos.
"Luca!"
White Tiger stepped forward and embraced him warmly. They appeared to have a solid relationship.
Luca brought White Tiger to Mariggio's table.
The moment they sat down, both Mariggio's and White Tiger's phones rang at the same time.
They answered.
Their expressions changed drastically.
The Fuck?!
The underboss—Dominic—had been murdered.
The news didn't shatter the club's festive atmosphere downstairs.
But upstairs, the current shifted violently.
In the cigar room on the upper floor, the Lucchese family gathered away from the banquet.
"Damn it!" Mariggio slammed his fist on the table. "Revenge. This is blatant revenge! That bastard Galante—it had to be him! He didn't even have an execution order for Dominic, and he dared to strike first? Does he want a full-scale war between families?!"
Fear flickered briefly in White Tiger's eyes.
If Galante truly ignored Commission rules and acted recklessly—and considering he was in the drug trade too—would he follow the trail and eliminate him next?
"What did you expect?" came a voice from the doorway. "You were planning to execute him. Did you think he'd just sit there and wait?"
Everyone turned.
Paulie Cicero entered, white-haired, calm, and cold-eyed. He sat down on the sofa.
"Dominic should've anticipated consequences the day he pushed through that execution order," Paulie said. "Executing a sitting family head? That's unprecedented in decades. Any backlash now should surprise no one."
Plenty of Mafia bosses had been murdered.
But an official execution sanctioned by the Commission—especially targeting a big boss—was almost unheard of.
White Tiger looked at Paulie grimly.
"What's the boss's reaction? Did you speak with him?"
Paulie shook his head. "Bartolo told us to stay quiet for now. It hasn't been confirmed that Galante ordered it. He denies everything."
Bartolo was the Lucchese Consigliere—the brains and financial architect behind much of the family's legal and illegal operations.
"Of course he denies it!" Mariggio snapped. "Who admits to killing a full-fledged member? I'd bet everything Galante did this."
"You can say that in this room," Paulie replied calmly. "But once you walk out that door, forget it. Remember what silence means."
White Tiger asked, "What's the plan above?"
"We wait," Paulie said. "If nothing unexpected happens, there will be another Commission meeting."
White Tiger fell silent.
His mind raced.
Dominic's death triggered two major issues.
First—the drug business. Only he and Mariggio managed it under Dominic. With Dominic gone, it would need to be divided.
How?
Mariggio wasn't someone to underestimate. And he had a ruthless butcher under his command—Luca.
Second—the position of underboss was now vacant.
Among the captains, who wouldn't want to climb higher?
But there was only one seat.
Mariggio?
Paulie?
Someone else?
A flash of murderous intent crossed White Tiger's mind.
He suppressed it.
The boss was still alive. The Consigliere was still in place. civil war was not wise—yet.
The underboss position wasn't elected.
It was appointed.
And his biggest competitor was Mariggio.
Luca stood up and headed to the restroom.
Dominic was dead. A new underboss would soon be appointed to manage family affairs in name—effectively replacing the aging boss's authority.
Luca had already decided whose back he would push.
Who else but Mariggio?
If Mariggio rose, Luca would rise with him.
"Luca."
Mariggio followed him inside the restroom. After ensuring they were alone, he grabbed Luca's shoulders.
"This was the Bonanno family. No one else had motive. Remember—no matter what anyone says—it could only have been Galante. It could only have been the Bonannos. Do you understand?"
Luca's eyes flickered.
"Of course," he said smoothly. "Obviously Galante's people did it."
Mariggio studied him for a long moment.
Then he sighed and pulled Luca into a tight embrace.
"Good lad! You're more suited to this life than I ever was—or your father. But don't forget, you have Uncle Mariggio. I promised your father I'd protect you. There will always be a place set for you at my family's dinner table."
"Richie, Dominic is dead."
David removed Dominic's photo from the board.
"He was killed at the gate of his estate."
Richie stood silent, stunned.
McClane, still bearing fresh scars, asked curiously, "Dominic? That the underboss of the Dove family?"
"Correct."
"The Lucchese family is about to enter chaos."
Richie didn't know whether to celebrate or worry.
A high-ranking Mafia death meant inevitable power struggles.
---
Meanwhile, Lefty and Donnie were drinking and playing cards when Sonny Black arrived.
"Sonny, where were you?"
"I went to the prison," Sonny Black said quietly, sitting beside Lefty. "I met with Rusty."
Rusty Rastelli—the imprisoned underboss of the Bonanno family—still controlled immense power from behind bars.
"He already knows about last night."
Lefty lowered his voice. "What did he say?"
Within the Bonanno family, Carmine Galante didn't have many loyalists. Several powerful capo's were constantly competing for power. As long as Galante stayed on the throne, open war was avoided.
Looking at Lefty's familiar face, Sonny Black felt conflicted.
Rusty wanted to replace Galante.
He wanted to seize power while chaos reigned.
And he promised Sonny Black that once he became boss, Sonny Black would be promoted to captain.
It sounded like a golden opportunity.
But only if Galante died.
Sonny Black never expected things to escalate this fast.
One day… he might be ordered to kill the boss.
Oh my God.
His heart pounded. His hand trembled as he raised his glass.
"It's nothing," Sonny Black said lightly. "Just discussed some business matters with Rusty."
Sonny Black was ruthless.
He couldn't tell Lefty the truth.
He couldn't drag Lefty into this.
When the time came, he would take full credit himself.
And take the position.
Once in power, he swore he would treat his old subordinate Lefty well.
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Ehem, As you may know, this 5 chapters is last chapters of the week, tomorrow is my day off. So, yeah.
Also, please support me on P Site/OrbisTranslation for 15 more chapters