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The question made me scoff out loud in disdain. "Who else would it be if not my uncle?"
"You suspect Francisco?" Leo raised his head. "Would he risk implicating the family for this? What would he even do this for?Per quale ragione (For what reason)?"
"To put me in my place.È un avvertimento (It's a warning)." I muttered darkly.
Francisco Cortigini. His mousy gray hair and a mustache like a hamster's whiskers make him look unassuming. But don't let that fool you.
His eyes and ears miss nothing, making him more dangerous than a rat.
I clenched my jaw at the thought of his name.
In the mafia, we believed in the close bonds of families, but that could not be said for Francisco.
He was my father's brother, and yet, at the news of my father's death, there was not a hint of sorrow on his face.
When I was younger, they had fought, and Francisco had left. He changed his surname, no longer wanting to be identified as my father's brother and taking his maternal grandmother's surname, Cortigini.
After a few years, he returned, asking for forgiveness, and my father took him back. The relationship between them never got better.
When my father died, not once did he feel melancholic. Instead, he quickly took action and snatched the role of the Don of the family from me with the aid of men he had cultivated outside.
I was always filled with anger every time I remembered his betrayal. Did he even think of me as his nephew?
The two of us were at odds constantly, but we could do nothing to harm each other. At least not so blatantly.
We maintained a delicate strand of cordiality that constantly threatened to snap each time we were near each other.
"What will you do?" Leo's voice brought me out of my hate-filled thoughts toward Francisco.
"I don't have a choice but to lay low," I responded through gritted teeth, clenching my fingers into a tight fist."
As much as I hate giving in to him, I can't act out too blatantly; otherwise, the fallout will be massive, and I'm not ready to deal with it."
"Though you don't like giving in, it's a good decision." Leo slowly nodded his head in approval. "As for the murder of the traitor, leave it to me. I'll plant some fake evidence against some members of the Costa family."
"Bene (Well). It'll teach them a lesson."
"I suggest you start planning how you'll deal with your uncle. He's becoming quite bold in his actions against you." Leo advised nonchalantly with a drawl in his voice.
Though he appeared careless against Francisco, I knew he was on guard against him.
Though they knew each other, after learning that Francisco had taken over the family, Leo did his best to avoid interacting with him unless necessary.
Leo disliked Don Francisco Cortigini but still cared about the De Luca family. After all, my family's effort made the De Luca family reach its top position in the mafia underworld.
"I will."
With that, Leo stood up and took his leave. I, on the other hand, called my second-in-command, Antonio, to my office.
There were a lot of things we needed to discuss.
Antonio and I were in the middle of a heated discussion, trying to figure out our next move concerning Francisco.
He had become a thorn in our side, a constant source of trouble and unrest within the family.
"I spoke with Leo," pouring us both a bourbon, I continued, "He's going to plant evidence against the Costa family and make it seem like they're responsible for the attack."
Antonio nodded, his brow furrowed in thought. "That works, but he needs to be careful. If anyone finds out that Leo is involved, it could jeopardize his position in the police force, and we can't afford to lose that connection.Abbiamo bisogno di lui (We need him)."
