Malibu, Bonanno Estate, 2:00 PM.
After sorting out his hygiene, Black Sonny immediately headed to the Bonanno estate, wanting to see Sofia.
He met her in the estate's study.
The study at the Bonanno estate was like the nerve center of the family's power.
It used to belong to Old Martin, then Francis, and now, it belonged to a beautiful woman.
"Sonny, what brings you here?"
Black Sonny bowed first, then stole a glance at Sofia.
Just as Rafferty said, Sofia had undergone a massive change.
The sorrowful expression was gone. Now, Sonny saw only a face as calm as an ancient well, completely unreadable.
This move was actually taught to her by Lawson last night.
Sofia had never been in a position of power, so she didn't know how to act like a boss.
So Lawson told her: for a leader, the most important thing is to never let your subordinates guess what you're thinking.
As long as you maintain an air of mystery, your subordinates will naturally be cautious and won't dare to step out of line.
This crash course in leadership was quite effective. At least for now, Black Sonny felt Sofia was formidable. He instantly tossed aside his past impressions of her, respecting her just as he respected Old Martin.
Yeah, self-delusion is the most fatal kind!
"Mrs. Bonanno, I was just released on bail, so I came to see you immediately."
"Is that so? And what for?"
Sofia picked up the coffee on the desk and took a sip, looking very leisurely.
This indifferent attitude made Black Sonny nervous.
"Mrs. Bonanno, I've always worked for Mr. Bonanno. Now that he's hospitalized, it's only right that I take orders from you!"
Black Sonny expressed his desire to join her side with utmost humility, but received no response.
Looking up slightly, he saw Sofia's gaze pass over his head, staring blankly behind him as if lost in thought.
"Mrs. Bonanno?"
"Hmm? You said you want to work for me?"
Sofia put down the coffee, her expression still unreadable.
"Yes, Mrs. Bonanno."
"Sonny, I've always seen your dedication to my husband, however—"
The sudden "however" made Black Sonny's heart race. Usually, nothing good followed a "however."
At that moment, someone knocked on the study door.
"Madam, a gentleman named Lawson is here to see you. He claims to be your friend."
Hearing this, Sofia suddenly stood up.
"Let him in quickly! No, I'll welcome him personally! Sonny, come with me."
Black Sonny found it strange that Sofia suddenly became so excited, but he followed her anyway.
At the villa's entrance, Lawson stood in a well-fitted suit. With his handsome face that appealed to both Eastern and Western tastes, he looked like a Hollywood superstar.
By the way, the bulletproof suit could change color and style according to Lawson's thoughts, so he didn't always appear in the same suit.
"Lawson!"
Sofia was overjoyed to see Lawson. She couldn't help but quicken her pace, but then she remembered her current status.
She had to suppress her emotions and quickly return to a normal walking speed.
Fortunately, Black Sonny was stunned upon seeing Lawson and didn't notice Sofia's unusual behavior.
Not that he had special preferences; it was purely because Lawson's image reminded him of what Phil and Dennis said.
After interrogating Phil and Dennis, Black Sonny got some details about Lawson, like his approximate height, handsome looks, and habit of wearing suits.
Otherwise, the Bonanno family wouldn't have found Lawson's previous apartment.
Lawson's current look perfectly matched Phil and Dennis's description.
Combined with what Rafferty said about the events at St. Lucy's Church last night, Black Sonny suddenly had a strange thought.
Could it be that the harmless, sheep-like Sofia of the past was just a disguise? Was this woman silently manipulating everything from behind the scenes all along?
This thought sent a chill down Black Sonny's spine. He immediately felt he was being too conspiratorial.
But... what if it was all true?
While he was thinking, Sofia had already walked up to Lawson and extended her hand.
"Mr. Lawson, it's an honor to meet you."
"Ms. Sofia, the honor is mine."
They shook hands like it was their first meeting, but their expressions and movements suggested they weren't strangers at all.
After gazing affectionately at Lawson for a few seconds, Sofia remembered there was someone behind her.
"Mr. Lawson, let me introduce you. This is Sonny, my husband's capable subordinate."
Hearing his name, Black Sonny quickly stepped forward to shake hands with Lawson.
"Hello, hello, you can call me Black Sonny!"
Sofia then introduced Lawson.
"This Mr. Lawson, starting today, will be my bodyguard—and advisor! From now on, he represents my will. Do you understand, Sonny?"
The "advisor" part and what followed were Sofia improvising. Actually, Lawson only said last night he wanted to be her bodyguard so he could enter and leave the Bonanno estate openly.
But Sofia clearly had other ideas, so she added the advisor title.
It didn't matter. The advisor title was purely nominal, only showing Sofia valued Lawson highly. It held no real power.
However, Black Sonny changed his attitude. He now felt Sofia was even more unfathomable.
"Sonny, one more thing. Lawson wants to become a formal member of the Bonanno family. I'll leave the sponsorship work to you."
This was also Lawson's request. His informant job required infiltrating the Bonanno family, but he hadn't expected to become a made man this way.
Black Sonny was very surprised.
"Mrs. Bonanno, but Mr. Lawson is clearly not of Italian descent!"
"Sonny, Seth isn't Italian either, but he's a formal member of the family."
Seth was a family member who often served as Sofia's guard when she went out. He was Black.
"But Seth's wife is Italian, so he counts as our friend. But Mr. Lawson—"
Sofia glanced at Lawson with a look full of meaning.
"Then let Lawson marry an Italian wife in the future. For now, just make him an ordinary member of the Bonanno family. Or, Sonny, do you want me to sponsor Lawson personally?"
This made Black Sonny's heart skip a beat. He knew if he refused again, Sofia would definitely be angry.
"I understand, Madam."
Sofia nodded in satisfaction.
"Let's go back to the study and continue our discussion."
Walking with a queen-like stride, Sofia led the way back to the study. It was clear her confidence was still growing.
While confidence is good—after all, Sofia's previous self-doubting, weak appearance couldn't hold down those gangsters—excessive confidence wasn't great. Sofia hadn't followed Lawson's plan just now.
Although taking some initiative might not lead to bad results, Lawson felt he needed to remind Sofia.
Yeah, when no outsiders were around.
Entering the study, Sofia got straight to the point with Black Sonny.
"Sonny, I'm glad you're willing to work for me. There's a job coming up that requires you to cooperate with Mr. Lawson."
Black Sonny noticed Sofia said "cooperate with Mr. Lawson," meaning Lawson would be leading this job.
This was definitely putting the cart before the horse, as Lawson wasn't even a formal member of the Bonanno family, while Black Sonny was a mid-level capo.
But Black Sonny showed no signs of objection. He hadn't gained Sofia's trust yet, so he dared not voice any opinions.
"Madam, may I ask what it is?"
"Interrogate Francis Ricci and Alberto Bruno, those two family traitors. They are currently locked in separate guest rooms. Go prepare now, and later you'll join Lawson for the interrogation."
"Yes, Madam, I'll go prepare right away!"
Interrogation obviously wouldn't just be asking questions, nor could it happen in a guest room, so Black Sonny had some work to do.
After Black Sonny left, Sofia's demeanor changed immediately. Her expression became charming and seductive, her gaze at Lawson turning sultry.
"Lawson, how was my performance just now?"
Lawson didn't answer directly but walked to the boss's chair.
Sofia immediately stood up and gave the seat to Lawson. She knew clearly how her current status came about.
Without Lawson pushing her, Sofia would never be sitting in this study's boss chair. It would probably have just changed owners like before.
At least now, Sofia could control her own destiny to some extent.
After Lawson sat down, Sofia immediately sat on his lap.
The plump and substantial feel made Lawson pause for a moment, then he did something Sofia didn't expect.
Smack!
"Ouch! Lawson, why did you hit me?"
Sofia looked at Lawson with a face full of grievance, but Lawson didn't answer. Instead, he spanked her a few more times.
Not particularly hard, but it stung.
For some reason, Sofia's face flushed red, and her expression returned to that sorrowful look of the past, making Lawson gulp involuntarily.
Ahem, be serious!
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Sofia nodded aggrievedly. She wasn't stupid; she knew Lawson spanked her because she acted on her own earlier.
But Sofia still hadn't realized the severity of the problem, so she felt a bit wronged.
Seeing Sofia like this, Lawson sighed.
After all, she was a trophy wife with no experience in power struggles. Her thinking was still too simple.
If he didn't correct Sofia's issues, big trouble would definitely arise later.
So, Lawson patiently began to coach Sofia.
"Sofia, actually, you can already gain true freedom now. As long as you leave Los Angeles, no one in the Bonanno family will stop you."
This stunned Sofia. Indeed, no one in the Bonanno family would stop her from leaving now; they probably wished she'd get lost.
The problem was, leaving meant Sofia would lose her luxurious lifestyle and the taste of power she had just sampled.
The taste of power is definitely addictive. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't cling to it until death, eventually swept into the dustbin of history.
Fortunately, Sofia hadn't reached that level yet. She just hesitated slightly.
"Lawson, what do you think I should do?"
This attitude satisfied Lawson. As long as Sofia was willing to listen, there was hope.
"That depends on your own choice. I never force people to choose, but I can analyze it for you."
Sofia wrapped her arms around Lawson's neck and nodded. Lawson gently massaged the spot he had just spanked.
This made Sofia's body start to heat up slowly.
"Mmm!"
...
"Sofia, your parents were killed by Old Martin, and you were controlled by him for a whole 10 years. Don't you want revenge?"
This sentence hit Sofia right in the heart. She truly hated Old Martin, wishing she could drink his blood and eat his flesh.
Before, she didn't have the ability to take revenge, but now it was different. Sofia possessed the power for vengeance.
"Lawson, should I pull that guy's oxygen tube?"
Sofia said through gritted teeth. Lawson's expression became a bit strange.
"Ahem! Sofia, there's no need to dirty your hands. Don't you think letting Old Martin lie there half-dead is more painful? Especially watching the Mafia family he built with his own hands being taken away—"
Hearing Lawson's words, Sofia's eyes grew brighter.
"Lawson, you're right! Only this way can my parents' souls rest in peace! Lawson, what should I do?"
"You just need to listen to me. I'll help you complete that sweet revenge!"
Sofia closed her eyes and pecked Lawson on the lips.
"Lawson, I'll listen to everything you say!"
After correcting Sofia's mindset, the two shared a tender moment.
It wasn't until Sofia was panting and losing control that Lawson smirked and let her go.
"I need to go check on Black Sonny's preparations."
"You bad guy!"
Watching Lawson leave, Sofia took a sip of cold coffee to barely suppress the heat in her heart.
"When can I be with Lawson openly?"
Sofia thought of what Lawson just said, and felt a new motivation in her heart.
As long as she became the true ruler of the Bonanno family, she should be able to be with Lawson, right?
Leaving the study, Lawson glanced at his phone and suddenly found a popup on the Payday app.
[New Job: The Godmother]
[Difficulty: ☆☆☆]
[Primary Objective: Help Sofia become the boss of the Bonanno family]
[Bonus Objective 1: Complete the job before Old Martin Bonanno dies]
[Bonus Objective 2: Family Unity is above 80% upon job completion (Currently 61%)]
[Bonus Objective 3: Family Wealth loss does not exceed 50% upon job completion (Currently 75%)]
[Current Status: Preparation Phase]
[Available Intel: 3 pieces]
Everything else seemed normal, but what was up with this wealth loss exceeding 65%?
(Sofia Bonanno)