‘Not that I’m looking down on the Benedetti name. After getting beaten that badly, he should’ve learned his lesson.’

 

Cursing under his breath, John Bruno walked with heavy, unhesitating steps. 

 

Perhaps sensing the approaching presence drawing closer by the second, Wayne had just turned his head while putting potatoes into a paper bag, at that exact moment.

 

John swung his fist straight at the pale yellow head.

 

Thud!

 

But he never imagined his clenched fist wouldn’t even get close to the cheek.

 

The moment his wrist was grabbed, John’s pupils dilated sharply. The person who had blocked the attack was even more startled, his eyes widening as he froze stiff.

 

‘…What the hell?’

 

John violently shook his arm free. Whether from genuine shock or not, Wayne staggered back a couple of helpless steps without resisting. 

 

Seeing that reaction, John’s face quickly regained its relaxed composure.

 

‘Surprised me. Must’ve been a fluke.’

 

He let out a low sneer and kicked the fallen potato bag on the floor.

 

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

 

“John… Mr. Bruno?”

 

Wayne had seen him a few times when he drove Anna to her tango lessons, so he recognized him instantly and froze in place.

 

John grabbed him by the shoulder and curled his lips into a smirk.

 

“Why the face like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t? If you were smart enough to stick close to Demercy, you should’ve expected something like this.”

 

“W-wait a second. Let’s talk—”

 

“Talk about what? I’ve got nothing to say.”

 

“Just a moment…! After that, I even quit the tango lessons—”

 

“Fuck, who told you to quit your job?”

 

A large palm slapped Wayne across the cheek, and he couldn’t withstand the force, collapsing to the ground.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

The neatly stacked boxes toppled over, sending tomatoes rolling everywhere. John stepped on the tomatoes rolling across the floor as he approached Wayne.

 

“I told you to get the hell out of this neighborhood. When did I say quit your job and live quietly here—”

 

“Hey, you people! Don’t do this here…!”

 

Albert, who had been stomping his feet in agitation, suddenly cut in. 

 

Customers were fleeing in fear from the commotion, and the store was turning into a mess in no time.

 

His stubborn will to protect his workplace was admirable. But he should have stopped there. When he grabbed John’s arm with his twig-like hand, John’s face twisted into a menacing scowl.

 

“Who the hell is this old fart?”

 

Just as John swung his arm roughly to shove Albert away, a light brown jacket fluttered in front of his eyes, and the arm that had been picking up potatoes swiftly pulled Albert back.

The fist aimed at him cut through empty air.

 

“Pfft…! Ha… haa.”

 

Albert, his face drained of color, clutched his startled heart and gasped for breath from behind a man. 

 

It was Wayne, who had been sprawled on the floor moments ago, now standing, with Albert behind his back.

 

“Th-thank you…!”

 

“No, I… I was about to do that anyway….”

 

Albert’s overly grateful thanks no longer registered in John’s mind. Normally, he would have beaten the old man to a pulp just for getting in the way, but…

 

“Who the hell are you?”

 

John spat roughly and glared straight at Wayne. 

 

Seeing the deathly pale face, it seemed even Wayne himself hadn’t expected to move so reflexively.

 

The first time could be dismissed as a fluke. But John wasn’t stupid enough to believe this second time was also a coincidence.

 

“I asked, who the hell are you?”

 

It had been too fast, too smooth, without any wasted movement. Not the kind of movement you’d expect from some guy who just slithered around doing sticky tango steps.

 

John stared at the golden eyes that had lost their composure and took another step forward. 

 

At that moment, Wayne flinched, then turned and fled without looking back.

 

“Huh…?!”

 

“Catch him!”

 

The gang members who had been idly watching from afar reacted quickly. 

 

They rushed toward the grocery store to chase after Wayne, but the one who stopped them by reaching out his arm was none other than John Bruno.

 

“No, let him go.”

 

“But…”

 

He shook his head with cold eyes. In the distance down the alley, Wayne was quickly disappearing.

 

John pulled out a cigarette crookedly, lit it, and twisted his lips.

 

“Let’s send him off for now. Looks like he surprised himself more than anyone.”

 

💫

 

“…Even after getting beaten like that, the fact that he’s still here made me think at first he was either stupid or had some guts.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“But no matter how I think about it, the reflexes he showed when he blocked me and protected the old man weren’t normal. He doesn’t seem like an ordinary tango instructor.”

 

The story quickly reached Theodoro and Paul’s ears. 

 

However, contrary to John’s expectations, Theodoro’s face remained indifferent upon hearing the news.

 

While Theodoro slowly sipped his whiskey without much reaction, Paul answered in his place, his tone equally uninterested.

 

“Maybe he’s just someone who’s thrown a few punches before. I haven’t seen his face properly, but people say he looks slick. Probably some street thug who’s been around.”

 

“Well… that could be possible, but…”

 

John rubbed his chin with an unsettled expression.

 

“It’s not just Anna he’s contacted through tango lessons. There are other caporegime wives, too. And Lady Liliana as well. I’m starting to think he might have approached with a purpose.”

 

“Then what, is he an FBI agent or something?”

 

With a snort of disbelief, Theodoro finally spoke. In fact, that guess was almost exactly on the mark, but to him it was nothing more than a joke. 

 

Who would seriously think the man was really an FBI agent?

 

“Who knows. He could be someone Gasparo planted.”

 

Paul shot back jokingly, not believing his own words either. But it was true that something about it felt off to simply dismiss him as a worthless thug, so he added with a reluctant look:

“What should we do? Should we look into his background?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Theodoro twisted his lips in displeasure and took a sip of his drink.

 

“Ask the police to run a background check. See if he has a criminal record… or if he’s backed by any gang.”

 

💫

 

After giving that order, Theodoro completely forgot about the tango teacher for a while. 

 

It was only natural that someone far more important than a man who, at best, might be a former gang member had contacted him.

— Findel has gone on a long journey… and the cleanup is mostly done, so let’s meet face to face.

 

“Sounds good.”

 

— Bring that young lady with you, too. I’ve been wanting to meet her.

 

“Who… are you referring to?”

 

— Who else? The woman you keep by your side.

 

Meet? Yes, of course. There was no reason to refuse when Alan Goldberg personally wanted to meet. The problem was that he had specifically insisted on bringing Liliana along.

‘Haa, that’s the biggest issue…’

 

Theodoro knew it wasn’t some dirty ulterior motive. 

 

Recalling what Alan had said last time in Phelps, he was probably showing appreciation for Liliana’s role in John Bruno’s arrest. 

 

And since she had performed her part well in this recent assassination case, too, it made sense that he was expressing interest.

 

‘Is it right to bring her…’

 

Theodoro tapped his office desk with his fingertips and let out a deep sigh. He had replied to Alan that he understood, but his heart was far from light.

 

When Liliana had first sung at the De Lucia bar, she had no connection whatsoever to this world. She had been nothing more than an ordinary civilian. 

 

She could have just seen and heard only good things… and lived a perfectly normal life.

 

Not only had she stepped into the organization’s affairs, but now she was getting one step closer to the syndicate that ruled the entire Victoria nation. 

 

This scale was far beyond what he had anticipated when he held her initiation ceremony.

 

‘If I had known she would get entangled with the syndicate, I wouldn’t have spouted that nonsense about helping me.’

 

Moreover, seeing how much she had suffered mentally after Findel’s death made him even more uneasy. 

 

Her pure heart still seemed untouched, so how could he just throw her in front of Alan Goldberg?

 

“Theo? Didn’t you call me for something?”

 

A low, husky voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts. Liliana, sitting right across the desk, blinked at him with clear eyes.

 

“Ah…”

 

He had called her to relay Alan’s proposal, but as expected, the words wouldn’t come out easily.

 

“Is there anything you want as a birthday present? Or something you want to do that day?”

 

In the end, after frowning slightly, the words that came out were ridiculously trivial for someone he had summoned to his office. 

 

Liliana also opened and closed her mouth at the insignificant question.

 

“…Yes?”

 

“I thought your birthday was in a week.”

 

“…I don’t really have anything I want or want to do. You don’t have to worry about it.”

 

“Think about it at least.”

 

After a brief silence, she asked with a slightly awkward expression a few seconds later.

 

“Did you call me just to ask that?”

 

No. Of course not… But did they have to have something incredibly special to talk about before he could call her?

 

Lately she had been avoiding him more and more, and now she was openly showing discomfort right to his face. 

 

Theodoro’s mood gradually began to sour.

 

Irritated, he swept his hair back and finally gritted his teeth before speaking.

 

“Alan Goldberg contacted me. He wants to meet soon, and he specifically asked me to bring Miss Moretti along.”

 

“…What?!”

 

Liliana, who had been sitting quietly, straightened her back as if about to jump out of her chair.

 

“Really? Me? Of course… of course I have to go. There couldn’t be a better opportunity. If Alan Goldberg decides to side with us, then neither Gasparo nor Mr. Luciano will have to worry as much in the future—”

 

“Liliana.”

 

The low, sunken voice cut her off mid-sentence.

 

Where had the woman who had been keeping her distance gone? 

 

He couldn’t stand watching her chatter excitedly, unable to contain her overflowing heart. And he couldn’t stand how she immediately jumped at the chance to go, either.

 

“Does that make you so happy and excited?”

 

“…Isn’t it obviously a good thing? I don’t know why he specifically asked for me… but anyway, it means he’s showing interest in our side, right?”

 

“I’d rather you stay out of it. I’ll make up some excuse.”

 

By then, Liliana’s brows were also starting to furrow.

 

“Why are you acting like this?”

 

“…Why?”

 

Theodoro let out a sigh, then abruptly stood up and walked straight to her. His strong hand turned her chair, which had been facing the desk, toward him.

 

He looked down at her wide-open eyes and spoke in a lower voice than before.

 

“You asked why?”

 

“…The-Theo?”

 

“You’re happy without a care in the world, but I’m worried about you.”