Cigar room.
Luca and Mariggio together hosted the two guests who had come from afar.
"Frank Fitzsimmons, Frank Sheeran, this is my nephew, a member of our family. Everyone calls him Dove—Luca the Dove."
The two middle-aged men were quite friendly and shook hands with Luca, their "junior."
"Hello, Luca."
"I've heard a lot about you."
Frank Fitzsimmons' friendliness showed clearly in his smile; he was tactful and diplomatic. As the chairman, he frequently interacted with people from all walks of life and knew many gang members.
The old assassin Frank Sheeran, however, had a rather serious expression. He rarely smiled and even had a slight stutter.
But Luca knew Frank wasn't cold or arrogant; he had experienced war and suffered psychological trauma, which made his expression habitually rigid and formal.
A soldier in war and an assassin in a hotel.
Both are executioners.
Both are ruthless killers.
But their psychological states are completely different.
As everyone took their seats, the waiter brought out the club's finest cigars, cigarettes, and drinks while the conversation quickly returned to business.
Frank Fitzsimmons controlled the truckers' union retirement fund, which contained tens of billions of dollars—an astonishing figure in those days.
Whenever the Mafia needed money or wanted to start a project, they would go to him to "borrow" money for investments, infrastructure projects, and loan-sharking operations.
Frank Fitzsimmons was far more generous than the previous chairman.
The man himself was rather timid.
When he first took office, he blocked the Mafia's project loans, but after his car was once riddled with bullets and bombed, he never dared block them again.
In a sense, he was like a rich watchdog.
So rich that even as chairman he treated Mariggio—a powerful New York gangster—with extreme respect and never dared to act arrogantly.
The previous chairman, the rare card with a fiery temper, Jimmy Hoffa, was still in prison.
If Luca remembered correctly, Hoffa would be released after the public assembly. After his release he would stir up trouble, vowing to take back the truckers' union, and would eventually be killed by the Mafia.
Too troublesome.
None of them were as obedient as Frank Fitzsimmons.
Disobedience usually led to death.
The executioner in that story was Hoffa's best friend—Frank Sheeran, nicknamed "The Irishman."
Luca would have to think carefully about whether he should stop this shocking "disappearance case" that would one day grip the entire United States.
---
"Mr. Sheeran," Luca said with a smile.
"Thanks to your union for supporting the truck drivers. Without those experienced drivers, those heavy tanker trucks would just sit in the factories collecting dust. How could they possibly transport that black blood across the United States?"
Frank Sheeran replied politely, even with a hint of respect.
"You're welcome. If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime. I'd be happy to help."
A city union president speaking to the New York Mafia with the same politeness he would use with a mayor.
Luca wasn't surprised.
Frank Sheeran wasn't a formal Mafia member and had never taken the blood oath. Instead, he held a special status as an assassin serving the boss of the Bufalino crime family.
Through subtle emotional ties, he eventually became a legendary gangster.
The Bufalino family was a small out-of-town family and couldn't compare to the powerful Lucchese crime family.
The group then discussed business in Philadelphia, mentioning they would need the unions' help implementing the gasoline tax there.
Both men, already in their fifties, said it would be no problem.
They were ready to cooperate anytime.
Frank Fitzsimmons even suggested lending money.
His fund had plenty of cash.
Why leave it sitting there gathering dust?
Better to invest it and make money work for him.
It was obvious they were somewhat afraid of the Mafia.
The conversation continued until after 8 p.m., when Luca and Mariggio finally stood up to escort them out.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Character Card: Frank Sheeran]
Rank: SR
Source: The Irishman
Skill:
[Painter:
When personally carrying out Mafia executions, combat effectiveness and stealth increase by 30%
Targets are less likely to detect your assassin identity or murderous intent
When cleaning crime scenes, it becomes harder for investigators to discover clues or evidence]
[Learning Requirements: Bond level must be Close Friend or higher; 80 Skill Fragments]
[Union President:
As a member of the National Truck Drivers Union, trust from union drivers increases by 15%]
[Learning Requirements: Must be president (branch president/chairman) of the Truck Drivers' Union; Bond level Close Friend or higher; 80 Skill Fragments]
[The Irishman:
Although you are not from Sicily, you faithfully carried out family missions
You followed the Mafia's code of silence and family rules
After spending half your life serving the Mafia, your loyalty is widely recognized]
__________________________________________________________________________
Three skills at Close Friend level, and not a single skill at Friend level.
This was the first time Luca had seen such a rare card.
"Painter," in other words, meant killer.
Because when someone is murdered, blood stains the walls and carpets.
The house needs to be repainted.
The last two skills were both trust-type abilities.
The second skill was quite useful—it increased the trust of union drivers.
Wait…
Was Brian a union member?
That kid had a pretty impressive driver's skill.
Even if he wasn't a member yet, Luca should probably get him into the union.
Honestly, every rare card should probably obtain a truck license and join the union.
The third skill was even better.
Luca absolutely had to obtain it.
It would greatly help him control the family in the future—and perhaps even dominate the Mafia world.
Later, he could recruit rare cards as Mafia partners and have the Peace Ambassador personally vouch for them.
To raise his bond with Frank Sheeran wouldn't be too difficult.
Becoming friends was easy.
But going further than that…
At the entrance, Luca shook Frank Sheeran's hand.
"You've been in New York on business these past few days, right? Come visit the club whenever you have time."
"Thank you for the hospitality."
Frank Sheeran's expression remained serious.
Watching him leave, Luca sighed softly.
Another rare card with complicated family relationships.
The problem wasn't his wife.
It was his daughter.
"It seems I'll have to become a professional family-conflict mediator someday."
The Peace Ambassador smiled wearily.
So this is what being a godfather feels like.
---
Back inside the club, the party was still going strong.
After searching for quite a while, John McClane finally found Luca and said anxiously:
"Dove, please help me. Those two membership cards you gave me aren't working. Holly refuses to accept them and insists I return them to you. She still doesn't want me getting too close to the kids."
Luca calmly took the two cards.
"First tell me something. Do you want the children… or do you want both your wife and the children?"
"That's not a multiple-choice question!" McClane protested. "I want both!"
"Alright, I understand. I'll go talk to your wife."
Luca had barely taken two steps before turning back.
"Don't follow me. I need to talk to her alone."
McClane: "..."
Brother… my happiness is in your hands.
At the ballroom, Luca found Holly sitting near the dance floor, drinking juice with her son while they laughed and pointed toward the little girl dancing with Mathilda.
Luca's sudden appearance immediately caught Holly's attention.
She had never seen such a handsome and charismatic man before.
Compared to her almost-bald ex-husband, the contrast was almost cruel.
"Mathilda~"
Luca called out.
The little troublemaker skipped over while holding the younger girl's hand and shot Luca a smug look.
Did I do a good job? I kept those two little brats busy.
Only children can handle other children.
Luca laughed, pulling out a handful of candy and Oreos.
"Snow White has stepped out of her fairy tale," he announced dramatically. "A handsome knight brings sweets and gifts to greet Her Highness."
The two girls squealed with joy.
"Knight! Hurry and dance with the princess!" Mathilda demanded.
Luca bowed and extended his hand.
"Your Highness, may I have this dance?"
The pair stepped onto the dance floor.
The assassin in black gracefully danced around the little girl in her white princess dress like a true knight guarding his princess.
Back at the table, Holly's daughter pointed toward Luca.
"Mommy, that's the uncle who gave me the gift."
Holly fell silent.
That's the owner of the SSR Club?
So young?
How did John manage to know such a young, handsome, wealthy, and generous friend?
(TN: His name is John McClane. Since the speaker is his ex-wife, I used his first name rather than his surname.)
When the dance ended and Luca approached, Holly suddenly looked a little nervous.
Luca smiled at the children first before greeting her.
"McClane often told me he had a beautiful and generous wife. Before meeting you I thought he was exaggerating, but after meeting you I realized he was actually being too modest."
"Hello, I'm Luca Greco—a man who once received help from McClane."
"Hello, Mr. Greco. Nice to meet you."
Luca then introduced Mathilda.
"This is my sister, Mathilda. I met McClane because of her."
"She was kidnapped by a gang, and McClane helped me rescue her."
Holly covered her mouth in shock.
She hadn't expected such a story.
Despite his unreliable lifestyle, McClane was clearly competent at work.
Mathilda blinked.
Bro… what are you talking about?
Luca tightened his grip around her shoulder.
"If it weren't for Uncle McClane," Mathilda said tearfully while clutching Luca's arm, "I might never have seen my brother again. Uncle McClane is my savior."
"The kid's acting skills are impressive," Luca thought.
"McClane risked his life to save my sister," Luca continued. "I can never repay that debt. He gave Mathilda a new life, so I'm happy to give his children a gift in return."
He handed the cards back to the children.
Holly looked troubled.
"Mr. Greco… these are too valuable."
"Is my sister's life not worth two membership cards?"
Mathilda: "..."
Luca smiled warmly at the children.
"Do you like the club?"
"I love it!" the little brother shouted. "There's so much food and fun here!"
"Thank you, Uncle Greco!" the sister added.
Luca laughed heartily.
Later, when Holly left with the children and the cards, she met McClane waiting outside.
Luca walked them to the door.
"The first thing a father can do for his child," Luca said calmly, "is love the child's mother. McClane, you'll be a great father… right?"
McClane nodded.
Holly's expression became even more complicated.
"Come visit the children often from now on," Luca added with a smile.
On the way home, Holly thought about it for a long time before finally teasing him:
"At least you're very good at protecting other people."
McClane nearly jumped with joy.
"Yes! We finally took a step forward!"
Dove really got things done.
He's incredible!
"Holly, I promise I'll spend more time with you. I swear I'll never let you get hurt again!"
"You should start by keeping your promises."
"Holly… I love you."
[Bond: Close Friend]
__________________________________________________________________________
[Ding! You successfully helped resolve the conflict within your friend's family and restored peace to their household]
Reward:
Skill Points +5
Skill Fragment +1
Remaining Fragments: 18
New Skill Unlocked - [Barefoot Warrior].
__________________________________________________________________________
Luca looked down at his leather shoes.
These strange buffs were starting to pile up.
He couldn't possibly start walking around barefoot from now on, could he?
After all…
Those who are barefoot are never afraid of those wearing shoes.
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