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Alberto hung up the phone and looked at Francis, who was sitting in Old Martin's usual chair, smoking a cigar.
"Mr. Ricci, that was Dominic Toretto. He's looking for Mr. Pastore."
"Dominic Toretto? I remember that guy. Isn't he the street racer who used to hang around Little Martin? Ignore him!"
Francis paused, staring at Alberto with ice-cold eyes.
After running the Bonanno family for just a few days, Francis's presence had grown significantly stronger. He genuinely gave off an Old Martin vibe now.
"Alberto, how's that matter I asked you to handle coming along?"
Alberto wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Mr. Ricci, I've identified both of them. They work for Fox News. The blonde woman is an anchor."
"A TV anchor? Dammit! They absolutely cannot be allowed inside the station!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Ricci. I've got guys posted outside the station 24/7. They won't get anywhere near the building!"
Francis gave a slight nod, but then his frown returned.
"That's not enough! We need to find them, fast! Alberto, did you check their homes?"
"Yes. They haven't been back. They're likely laying low."
Francis tapped his finger against the desk, his expression darkening by the second.
As long as Megan and Franklin were free, they were ticking time bombs. Francis absolutely refused to wait until the bombs were right in front of him before trying to defuse them.
"Alberto, I want you using every available resource to hunt them down! As long as they're in LA, you have to find them! If necessary, reach out to our Irish friends!"
"Uh... Mr. Ricci, isn't contacting the Irish right now a massive risk?"
Alberto clearly hesitated. With everyone watching the Mafia and the Irish Mob right now, he really didn't want to make moves in plain sight.
"I said if necessary! Do you speak English?"
Francis snapped loudly. Alberto quickly lowered his head in submission.
"Understood! Understood!"
Taking a deep breath, Francis shifted the conversation.
"How are things going with recruiting the other capos?"
Alberto quickly delivered his report.
"Most of the capos are ignoring me. They haven't reacted to my hints at all."
"Why the hell is that? What about Sonny Black?"
Francis was genuinely confused.
"Sonny Black got bagged by the FBI."
"What did you say?! Why the fuck wasn't I informed?"
Alberto hesitated for a second before answering.
"Mr. Ricci, this was supposed to be handled by Mr. Pastore, but since he's out of town on business, nobody took care of it."
"Pastore! Fucking Pastore!"
Furious, Francis grabbed the ashtray off the desk and hurled it across the room.
Although Francis was nominally the acting boss of the Bonanno family, the real power was still firmly in Luca Pastore's hands. Many crucial matters could only be resolved if Pastore was present.
Francis clearly realized by now that Luca was just using Francis's status as Old Martin's godson to keep the family unified.
This obviously pissed Francis off to no end. He desperately wanted to drop the "acting" from his title, but the mid-level management simply didn't support him.
After venting his rage, Francis calmed himself down. He knew he had to accelerate his plans, or else he'd eventually get tossed in the trash as a useless temporary boss.
"Alberto, do you have any ideas?"
Alberto looked entirely lost. He usually just followed Francis's orders; he'd never actually provided strategic advice before.
"Mr. Ricci, I..."
With no clear strategy of his own and no trusted advisors, Francis had no choice but to press Alberto for a solution to break the stalemate.
"Alberto, think hard! If I can lock down this seat, you'll be my Luca Pastore! Don't you want to be the next Luca Pastore?"
Of course he fucking did. Luca was the true underboss of the Bonanno family!
If the Bonanno family were a corporation, Old Martin was the Chairman, and Luca was definitely the CEO.
What employee doesn't want to be the CEO?
Alberto desperately wanted to move up. His brain immediately kicked into high gear.
Drawing from his own experience, Alberto suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Mr. Ricci, trying to recruit the capos is a dead end. We need a different approach!"
"Oh? Let's hear it!"
"The family hasn't expanded in ten years. Everyone knows the family structure isn't going to change, so naturally, nobody has any motivation to push for 'change'!"
Francis looked thoughtful.
It all went back to the corporate analogy. If a company offers lifetime employment, maintains a stagnant internal structure, and has extremely narrow paths for promotion, employees naturally lose their drive. They just punch the clock and wait out their seniority.
That was exactly the state of the Bonanno family. With seniority protecting them, the capos weren't worried about getting fired. Why the hell would they give a shit about Francis, the temporary Chairman?
"So what's your play?"
"Why don't we recruit the associates? Many of them are absolutely desperate to become made men!"
Francis picked up his cigar and took a drag. His movements and expressions seemed to unconsciously mimic Old Martin.
"Interesting concept! But that definitely breaks family rules!"
Alberto knew Francis was hooked. He just needed one final push.
"Mr. Ricci, you trying to take this seat breaks the rules to begin with!"
That line was the final straw that crushed any remaining hesitation in Francis. His expression instantly turned ruthless.
"You're right! We're past the point of no return. We have to force a change! Alberto, do you know any associates worth pulling in?"
"Johnny Tran. His crew has ties to the Korean gangs, but they're relatively easy to control. And there's Dominic Toretto, the guy who called earlier, but he has business with Luca Pastore."
"Business with Pastore? Scratch him! Where is Johnny Tran right now?"
"He got locked up because of that underground race Little Martin organized."
"Perfect. I'll personally go bail him out! Oh right, and Sonny Black! Alberto, get ready. We're leaving immediately."
"Yes, Mr. Ricci!"
Alberto quickly left the study. Francis watched his subordinate leave, then started muttering to himself.
"Still need to prep an exit strategy..."
Clearly, deep down, Francis still wasn't completely confident.
Right then, a highly alluring figure walked past the hallway, making Francis's dark desires flare up once again.
(Sofia Bonanno)