How Lilies turn Black Chapter 34 - The Rabble of West Peal (8)

It was an undeniable fact that the Benedetti family funneled massive amounts of money to the police, lawyers, and politicians.  

 

And if the turf war over West Peal had been at its usual level, Silvano’s prediction would have been spot on.  

 

But that day was different.  

 

Wee-oo! Wee-oo!  

 

The police, who had previously turned a blind eye to minor shootouts, had finally had enough and descended upon West Peal…  

 

The streets were lined with police cars.  

 

The area was filled with the sound of sirens.  

 

And among them, a black sedan also arrived.  

 

The car, which had been cruising leisurely, came to a stop next to a middle-aged man blocking the road.  

 

As the man gestured for the car to turn back and peered into the driver’s seat, the rear window rolled down.  

 

“You’ve got a lot on your plate for a weekend.”  

 

“…”

  

“You should be spending quality time with your family.”  

 

A calm, even voice.  

 

An arm reached out from the car, stuffing a wad of cash into the man’s pocket before retreating back inside.  

 

“Go out for a nice meal.”  

 

The conversation ended there. It wasn’t much of a conversation, really—just a one-sided offer.  

 

The figure in the car rolled the window back up without waiting for a response, but that was enough.  

 

The man, having accepted the implicit deal, gestured broadly into the air.  

 

In an instant, the tightly packed police cars parted to the sides.  

 

Vroom—

  

The black sedan started moving again, gliding smoothly through the parted sea of vehicles.  

 

Soon, the car came to a complete stop in front of the Laura Club. The rear door opened, and a man stepped out.  

 

Splash—  

 

He stepped into a puddle of rainwater, straightened his tall frame, and narrowed his eyes as he scanned the overcast sky.  

 

The man was none other than Theodoro Benedetti.  

 

✨

 

Theodoro strode across the threshold of the Laura Club, his long legs moving decisively. 

 

Behind him, Paul and a group of waiting underlings followed in a rush. The inside of the club was already a disaster zone.  

 

Broken objects littered the floor, and everyone was tangled in a chaotic brawl, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe.  

 

Theodoro, already feeling the weight of exhaustion, pressed his fingers to his temples. He swallowed a sigh and issued a short command.  

 

“Subdue anyone you don’t recognize.”  

 

With a single nod, the underlings scattered in perfect order.  

 

As they were the enforcers who handled physical confrontations, the chaos would likely subside quickly.  

 

Theodoro turned his gaze away from them as they dove into the fray and subtly asked Paul beside him,  

 

“Have you been here often?”  

 

“Of course not. I’m a wholesome young man who stays far away from nightlife.”  

 

“…Then I guess you don’t know where Antonio’s office is.”  

 

“That’s true, and given the situation, it’s also possible he’s no longer here.”  

 

“Haa…”  

 

Theodoro clicked his tongue with a bitter expression and took the lead.  

 

“Let’s take a look around, one by one.”  

 

The Laura Club, with its lavish red-carpeted staircase stretching up to the fourth floor, was a maze of opulence. The two first entered a room on the left side of the first floor.  

 

Meanwhile, at that moment, Antonio was…  

 

“Hahaha! You’ve all lost your minds!”  

 

He was shouting at the top of his lungs, his face red with rage.  

 

“Is the Benedetti name that much of a joke to you? Haha! You think taking this place will solve everything?!”  

 

For someone bound and forced to kneel, his words were surprisingly confident.  

 

Yes, he was furious, but with Luciano, who always had his back, as his support, Antonio was certain that no matter what the Goths did, he would come out on top.  

 

Sean, who had been puffing on a cigarette, spat out a wad of phlegm and strode over to Antonio with quick steps.  

 

“Hey.”  

 

His heavy work boot mercilessly kicked Antonio in the face.  

 

“Ugh!”  

 

“Shut up. You’re killing the mood.”  

 

Antonio spat out blood, likely from a split lip, and collapsed. But Sean wasn’t done. He stepped on Antonio’s face, pressing down hard.  

 

“We wouldn’t have gone this far if we didn’t have a reason.”  

 

“Ugh, hic…!”  

 

“How does it feel to be betrayed by someone you trusted?”  

 

Sean lifted his foot, and Antonio, finally able to breathe, gasped for air like a fish out of water, struggling to straighten his back.  

 

“Phew, hoo… Someone I trusted? What, did you slip my guys some pocket change or something?”  

 

Sean crouched down and tapped Antonio’s head.  

 

“How did you even keep this club running with a brain like that? You think we’d move for something so small?”  

 

“…Then who? Marco?”  

 

“Hmm.”  

 

“Enzo?”

 

The names of nearby branch leaders began to spill out.  

 

With each name, Sean stared at Antonio without a hint of amusement, and Antonio gradually began to sense that something was terribly wrong.  

 

At some point, their ‘conversation’ devolved into Antonio’s desperate, one-sided shouting.  

 

“Niccolo?!”  

 

“…”  

 

“Claudio? Who is it?!”  

 

“Your level of thinking… needs to be higher.”  

 

A cold gaze bore into him. Antonio’s face, already pale, turned ashen like a corpse. He struggled to part his lips, and finally, he uttered a name.  

 

“Lu… Luciano?”  

 

Until that moment, Antonio must have believed, without a doubt, that the Benedetti family wouldn’t abandon him.  

 

But…  

 

“Well, it had to be him.”  

 

At Sean’s reply, Antonio’s body stiffened. Tremors began to spread through him, and soon, he was shaking uncontrollably.  

 

“No… no! It can’t be. Luciano… he wouldn’t do that.”  

 

Sean didn’t bother to correct him. From his perspective, an alliance with Luciano or Theodoro made little difference.  

 

Meanwhile, Antonio, losing his mind, muttered to himself.  

 

“No way… How did I even keep this place running? To think I’d be betrayed by some lowlife scum—”  

 

“Stop mumbling.”  

 

Sean, unable to stand it any longer, slapped Antonio hard across the face.  

 

Antonio, who had long since lost his composure, hung his head like a deflated balloon.  

 

Whether his pathetic state fueled Sean’s anger or whether a single slap wasn’t enough to vent his frustration, Sean had his men hold Antonio down and struck him several more times. 

 

Even Silvano, who had been leaning against the window enjoying the show, couldn’t help but whistle in admiration.  

 

“Wow… look at that guy. Pure venom. A real toad, a venomous toad.”  

 

As Silvano clapped with a look of genuine awe, Sean’s fierce gaze turned toward him.  

 

“What? You want me to hit you too?”  

 

At Silvano’s usual cheeky reply, Sean seemed to lose his will to argue. He let out a deep sigh and dropped his hand.  

 

Perhaps he realized that further brutality was pointless.  

 

“Ugh…”  

 

Sean wiped his reddened palm across his face and asked Antonio,  

 

“Anyway, where’s Enya?”  

 

“…Who?”  

 

Droplets of sticky blood fell as Antonio struggled to lift his head. His unfocused eyes and the left side of his face, torn and bloodied from the beating, were enough to evoke pity in anyone. 

 

But Sean, barely holding back his anger, pressed on.  

 

“Who? Who did I say?”  

 

“It’s… not that…”  

 

“You can’t even remember the name of a woman who works under you?”  

 

“F-fourth floor…! The women’s quarters on the fourth floor…”  

 

Fortunately, the beating didn’t escalate further.  

 

Sean silently gestured to his gang members, and a few of them quickly disappeared. He slowly stood up.  

 

Outside, chaos still reigned. Shouts and curses filled the air, but the space they were in remained eerily quiet.  

 

“Is it all over?”  

 

Silvano, who had been leaning against the window without intervening, finally stepped forward. He sauntered over to Antonio and Sean, adding,  

 

“If you’re thinking of doing more, maybe hold off for now. We can’t have him dying too soon.”  

 

Sean, who seemed to have been thinking the same, spat on the ground and turned away sharply.  

 

“…This is so messed up, really.”  

 

If it were up to him, he’d probably tie Antonio to a chair and torture him. But the decision wasn’t his alone. The mastermind behind all this wasn’t even here yet.  

 

“Impatient, aren’t you? Just wait. He should be here soon.”  

 

Silvano changed direction and picked up a desk clock from the table.  

 

The time was 7:35. So engrossed in the entertaining spectacle, he hadn’t noticed the time passing. Liliana was already five minutes late.  

 

“…Oh dear, our boss. She should’ve been here by now.”