How Lilies turn Black Chapter 24 - Silvano Giacone (9)

 

His relaxed voice drifted over on the wind.

 

“Didn’t we have enough time to explore each other? At this point, you should at least make some kind of gesture. Pull out a gun or something.”

 

“A gun?”

 

Lilia grabbed her collar and stepped back hesitantly.

 

“What gun?”

 

“Sigh… Why do you keep doing this? Well, do you prefer old-fashioned methods? Should I pull out a knife? Don’t like that either?”

 

His green eyes, filled with emptiness, wavered in confusion.

 

She couldn’t follow Silvano’s train of thought. From the earlier talk about cigarettes, what did he think of her?

 

‘Does he think I came here to fight? Why?’

 

Could it be that there are past enemies who have come here to threaten his life…?

 

Suppressing the rising questions, Lilia spoke firmly, “I don’t know why you’re thinking that way, but I didn’t come here to fight.”

 

“Then? What did those toothless old men send you here for?”

 

As Silvano chuckled and started walking towards her, Lilia stumbled backward, her mind racing.

 

‘Who is he talking about with toothless old men? The Mafia Committee?’

 

But before she could retort, Silvano was right in front of her. His hand moved faster than her eyes could follow.

 

“…Ugh!”

 

She felt a strong grip, and suddenly her vision flipped 180 degrees.

 

Before the scream could end, the back of her head slammed into the ground. In pain, her eyes clenched shut.

 

When she opened them again, his face was right in front of hers, and she couldn’t move her pinned body. Both arms were already restrained above her head.

 

“Gasp… gasp…!”

 

Her lips trembled in fear. Silvano looked down at his trapped prey with a surprised expression, raising an eyebrow.

 

“What’s this? You’re weaker than a baby pheasant.”

 

“Let me go, let me go.”

 

“I don’t know what they sent such a useless woman for… Go and tell them. That talkative redhead they sent this time died trying to swindle me out of my money.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Ah, and tell them this too. If they stop being such a nuisance, I’ll be as quiet and obedient as they want. Sigh… Shouldn’t they have figured it out by now? This is already the sixth time.”

 

Lilia’s mouth hung open.

 

Setting aside the shock of Silvano casually talking about his crimes, she thought she understood why he had been so wary. That was more important now.

 

Had he taken the lives of several people the Committee had sent before? So he must have thought the Committee sent someone else under the pretext of discipline.

 

‘Sigh…’

 

Once she grasped the situation, Lilia felt all her tension dissolve.

 

All her efforts to play along with his rhythm had been in vain. She had only wasted time unnecessarily.

 

With a nervous gesture, she twisted the arm he had grabbed.

 

“I told you to let go. I have no interest or involvement in such matters.”

 

Silvano’s brow furrowed deeply at her sudden change in attitude.

 

Still, he didn’t feel much of a threat. There was no need to hold back now.

 

“Don’t interrupt me and listen to the end. Demercy sent me to bring you back. You don’t want to live here until you die of old age, do you?”

 

Lilia mirrored Silvano’s earlier smirk and threw his words back at him.

 

“You’ve had enough fresh air by now.”

 

His composure shattered, his eyes darting around as if he had been caught off guard. He turned his head and let out a hollow laugh.

 

“Wow… this is ridiculous.”

 

Though he tried to speak calmly, Lilia could sense his unease. Seizing the moment, she quickly added,

 

“I’ll set up a dazzling opportunity for you, one that won’t come twice in a lifetime. You’ll be able to run wild to your heart’s content.”

 

✨

 

At 4 PM in the office.

 

Thick sunlight streamed through the window, casting beams and shadows on the wooden floor. In the calm, lazy air, the occasional sound of papers being flipped could be heard.

 

Paul sat at his desk reviewing documents, while Theodoro lounged on the sofa, reading a newspaper and passing the slow afternoon.

 

The quiet that enveloped them was broken when Paul, after struggling with the documents for a while, took off his glasses to rest.

 

“It’s chaos out there.”

 

Theodoro muttered as he folded the newspaper he was reading, and Paul’s gaze shifted towards him.

 

“Are you talking about West Peal?”

 

Paul’s guess, based on a glance at the front-page article, was spot on.

 

“Another murder over there. It’s a dogfight like no other.”

 

“Hmm… Mr. Luciano might call a meeting soon.”

 

Theodoro sighed softly at that and closed his eyes. But closing his eyes didn’t make the troublesome matters disappear.

 

Paul, sensing the mood, cautiously brought up something he had always wanted to ask.

 

“…What will you do? He’ll likely entrust you with handling the Goth Gang. If you continue to back the three factions as you have been—”

 

“Back them?”

 

A hollow laugh burst out as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Paul immediately fell silent.

 

“It’s just a matter of shaking hands a few times because they’re occasionally useful.”

 

“…”

 

Paul couldn’t say anything more and simply bowed his head.  

 

Of course, he must have wanted to ask.   Had he really been thinking so lightly about it all this time? 

 

Wasn’t there a part of him that believed, for the sake of the organization’s future, they couldn’t stubbornly insist on following Luciano’s wishes and the bloodline forever?  

 

But how could he dare to pry into his innermost thoughts so presumptuously?  

 

Paul glanced sideways, wondering if he could catch a glimpse of his true feelings by reading his expression… but Theodoro had already covered his head with a loosely folded newspaper and reclined on the sofa.  

 

It was clear he didn’t want to talk anymore. Watching him, Paul let out a quiet, troubled sigh.  

 

“Phew…”  

 

It was around that time when a sudden knock broke the silence that had settled over the office.  

 

Knock, knock, knock—-  

 

“A guest has arrived.”  

 

“…Huh?”  

 

A look of confusion crossed Paul’s worried face. Had there been anyone scheduled to visit today?  

 

He pushed aside his concerns about Theodoro’s behavior for a moment and racked his brain.  

 

But he was certain there was no such appointment in his memory. 

 

 Just in case, he even picked up the calendar to check, but today’s date was completely blank.  

 

Paul glanced at Theodoro, who was sprawled on the sofa without moving a muscle, and then called out toward the door.  

 

“The visitor’s name?”  

 

There was a muffled chatter outside the door, and soon a reply came.  

 

“Liliana Moretti—”  

 

“Liliana Moretti, she said.”  

 

“Yes, Miss Liliana Moretti has arrived.”  

 

At those words, Paul shot up from his seat.  

 

The soft female voice he had just heard was unmistakably hers. That low, oddly eerie tone that was so uniquely hers.  

 

He instinctively turned to look at Theodoro.  

 

And… despite the news of the visitor, Theodoro, who had shown no sign of moving, was now lifting the newspaper and staring at the door.  

 

Before Paul could say anything, Theodoro was the first to part his heavy lips.  

 

“Let her in.”  

 

Soon, the door opened, and Paul’s widened eyes caught sight of Liliana walking in slowly, followed by a lanky man.  

 

Still standing from his chair, Paul’s mouth hung open in shock.  

 

Though his reaction was slightly better, Theodoro also raised his eyebrows in surprise.  

 

“…So the stray dog Demercy threw out has come back.”  

 

A far-from-welcoming, rather awkward greeting. Silvano narrowed his eyes and stared at the man with a foul mouth, then suddenly flinched.  

 

“What? I thought you were someone else. You’ve aged so much, I barely recognized you.”  

 

“It’s been a long time since we last saw each other. I’ve grown older, too.”  

 

“You used to have a certain charm back then. Who would’ve thought you’d turn into such a plain-looking old man? Paul, you’re no different.”  

 

“…Me? Are you saying that while looking at yourself in the mirror? Really… It’s been a while, but you’re still as shameless as ever.”  

 

Amid the merciless banter between the three, Liliana blinked in confusion.  

 

“Wait, so… you all know each other?”  

 

Her interruption brought the lighthearted argument to a temporary halt, and Silvano smoothly took over her question.  

 

“Of course we do. We were pretty close back then. Right?”  

 

“Don’t talk nonsense.”  

 

Theodoro twisted his lips and scoffed, completely denying any past friendship…  

 

But it was clear that they had been involved in something together in the past. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be bickering like this over trivial matters.  

 

‘What’s going on? What could they have been involved in…? Silvano was a member of the Corella family, not the Benedetti.’  

 

But Liliana’s curiosity was resolved more easily than she expected.  

 

“Why are you acting like this? If you keep this up, I’ll feel really hurt, Theo. Even your father in his coffin would yell at you to get up. After all that I did back then.”  

 

“That’s enough.”  

 

“Didn’t I avenge Mrs. De Lucia, whom you loved so much?”  

 

The thought of whether it was appropriate to hear such a significant story so casually crossed Liliana’s mind first. The shock of the heavy truth came later.