8:00 AM, Malibu, Bonanno Estate.
It was breakfast time for the Bonanno family. Old Martin was accustomed to eating with his family at this hour.
Even though it was the 21st century, Old Martin still clung to traditional Italian customs.
For example, meals absolutely could not begin until everyone was present.
Currently, his wife Sofia and godson Francis were already seated at the table, but his son Martin Jr. was nowhere to be found.
This made Old Martin highly displeased.
"Where is Martin?"
Francis immediately answered Old Martin's question.
"Young Master Martin went out last night and hasn't returned yet."
"That little punk is definitely out fooling around again! When is he ever going to grow up?"
Old Martin slammed the table, looking incredibly angry.
Sofia, who had been lost in thought, was startled by Old Martin's outburst.
After a moment, Old Martin controlled his temper and looked at Sofia.
"Forget it! We aren't waiting for him. Let's eat!"
Sofia quickly ordered the maids to serve breakfast. Old Martin asked Francis a question while slicing his prosciutto.
"Francis, how is that matter I asked you to handle coming along?"
"Godfather, I've already acquired a bank called St. Martin's, and the majority of the gold has been transferred there. The bank's books are incredibly clean, which will allow us to expand some of the family's other operations..."
Old Martin ate his breakfast while listening to Francis's report.
"Excellent plan! Francis, feel free to proceed with complete confidence! Sigh, if only Martin was half as capable as you!"
That comment caused an ugly look to flash across Francis's face, but unfortunately, Old Martin was busy eating and didn't notice.
Sofia saw Francis's strange expression, but she didn't say a word.
All this time, even though Sofia was nominally the lady of the manor, she had never truly integrated into the Bonanno family.
The dark-haired woman was treated like an expensive vase Old Martin had purchased—seemingly there just to add some color to the estate.
However, Francis quickly masked his emotions, returning to his usual humble expression.
"Godfather, Young Master Martin is just young."
"Young? He's 21! When I was his age, I traveled to this country from Italy alone and built the Bonanno family from nothing! And look at what he's doing! Nothing but street racing! He pisses me off!"
The more Old Martin talked, the angrier he got, to the point where he started struggling to breathe.
Sofia quickly rushed over and gently rubbed his back.
"Martin, the doctor told you to control your temper!"
Old Martin took several deep breaths and, with Sofia's help, finally managed to stabilize his breathing.
"Francis, when Martin gets back, tell him to come see me immediately! I absolutely need to teach him a lesson!"
Saying that, Old Martin stood up with Sofia's support, preparing to leave the dining room.
Right then, a slightly overweight older man suddenly rushed in, looking panicked.
"Mr. Bonanno, something terrible has happened!"
"Luca, what's going on?"
"Mr. Bonanno, Young Master Martin has been murdered!"
"What did you say?"
Old Martin didn't process it at first. Only when Luca repeated it did Old Martin clutch his chest and collapse backward.
Sofia didn't have the strength to catch him and struggled to hold him up. Francis quickly reached out to help.
"Luca... who... did it?"
By now, Old Martin could no longer control his body or his mouth. His speech was heavily slurred.
But the people around him still managed to make out what he was asking.
"Judging by the scene, it looks like a hit by the Irish Mob."
The Irish Mob had always been old rivals of the Mafia and were one of the few American syndicates capable of fighting the Mafia head-on.
Historically, the Irish immigrated to America en masse during the mid-19th century due to the potato famine. To survive, they banded together, which led to the birth of the Irish Mob.
Therefore, the Irish Mob actually predates the Italian Mafia in America.
The Italian Mafia managed to overtake them by capitalizing on Prohibition, becoming the undisputed kings of the American underworld. However, that also made them the primary target of the federal government.
During that period, the Irish Mob and several other gangs seized the opportunity to fill the underworld vacuum left by the weakened Mafia.
Nowadays, the Irish Mob possessed enough strength to fight the Mafia directly, leading to frequent friction between the two sides.
"No! Impossible... to be the Irish..."
Although his body was shutting down, Old Martin's brain was still relatively clear. He quickly deduced that the killer was trying to frame the Irish Mob.
Unfortunately, nobody could understand the slurred words coming out of Old Martin's mouth anymore.
"Mr. Bonanno, you have to hold on!"
Everyone was in a panic. It was Francis who stepped up and took control.
"Godmother Sofia, call an ambulance immediately and get Godfather to the hospital! Luca, with Godfather in this condition and Young Master Martin murdered by the Irish Mob, we have to act!"
Luca rubbed his face, looking at the young man in front of him.
"Francis, what do you suggest?"
"We need to summon the family capos immediately to prevent any chaos while Godfather is unconscious!"
Luca thought for a second, feeling Francis made complete sense, and nodded in agreement.
"I'll contact the capos! Francis, you take charge of the estate for now."
With that, Luca rushed out of the Bonanno estate.
Soon, an ambulance pulled into the estate and rushed the unconscious Old Martin to Mercy Hospital.
(Does anyone know where this hospital is from?)
A few hours later, a fleet of Cadillacs rolled up to the private hospital. A massive crowd of vicious-looking men in black suits poured out, terrifying several patients into calling the cops.
Since this private hospital catered to wealthy patients, the LAPD arrived incredibly fast.
"Sonny Black, what do you think you're doing?"
"Officer, we aren't here to cause trouble. Mr. Bonanno is in a coma, and we're just here to pay our respects."
"Better be! I've got my eye on you!"
After dropping a few tough words, the responding LAPD officers wisely decided to stand far away and just watch.
Sonny Black ignored the cops and headed straight for the hospital's operating wing.
Compared to the massive crowd of mobsters outside the entrance, the area near the operating room was relatively quiet. Only about a dozen people were standing guard outside the doors.
Among them were Francis, Luca, and Sofia.
However, Sofia was sitting alone in a corner, staring blankly, keeping her distance from the others.
Sonny Black told his men to wait in the hallway and walked over to Luca.
"Mr. Pastore (Luca), what exactly happened? Why did Mr. Bonanno suddenly fall severely ill?"