How Lilies turn Black Chapter 42 - The Dice Thrown (3)  

“Just my personal opinion, but how about we proceed as planned? It’s true that Theo hasn’t been deeply involved in the business until now. But that wasn’t for any other reason than his own reluctance. Now that he’s made up his mind to start fresh… I think Gott wouldn’t be a bad partner.”  

 

Who could argue with Vincent’s words?  

 

“Let’s set aside all the rumors and look at this rationally. We’re not some ignorant street thugs.”  

 

With a gentle smile, he subtly warned them not to act beneath their station.  

 

“West Peal—that rundown neighborhood was able to develop as much as it did largely because of Goth’s influence. By the time Antonio set foot in West Peal, all the commercial infrastructure was already in place. The fact that our club has been running smoothly without major issues is, in a way, thanks to them.”  

 

But some might counter that argument.  

 

For instance, they might say that the era when Goths built up the western district and the present are starkly different. 

 

Therefore, they can’t just assume that Goth still possesses the same exceptional business acumen they did in the past.  

 

As if anticipating such a reaction, Vincent preemptively continued.  

 

“Of course, the world has changed a lot since then. It’s been decades already. So, what I’m suggesting is that we observe how things unfold. See how Gott handles their business… and so on.”  

 

“…”  

 

“And here’s the thing. Even if they refuse our terms or mess up the business, do you really think Theo would just sit back and watch? He’s been in this world for years now. I believe he has the ability to handle that much.”  

 

Vincent’s relaxed yet cold gaze shifted toward Theodoro.  

 

“If not, then this should be the moment he completely walks away from the money game.”  

 

In other words, it was a kind of warning.  

 

Since Theodoro ultimately chose to collaborate with Goth, they would respect that decision—for now. But the heavy responsibility stemming from this matter would fall entirely on his shoulders.  

 

The conversation had started as if defending Theodoro, but it didn’t quite end that way.  

 

From the branch leaders’ perspective, it must have been awkward to say anything in response. 

 

The heated exchanges that had once threatened to turn deadly were gone, and now the room was eerily silent.  

 

“Luciano?”  

 

Vincent called out again to Luciano, who had been quietly listening the whole time.  

 

And that silent boss remained lost in thought, his expression unreadable—still rolling the dice in his palm, over and over.

 

His lips, tightly sealed for a long time, finally parted as Luciano spoke his will.  

 

“…Let’s do it that way.”  

 

Exclamations—whether of relief or lament—erupted here and there. But Luciano seemed to have no intention of listening to any further words.  

 

“We’ll conclude the discussion here.”  

 

He ended the meeting without leaving even a shred of room for debate.  

 

“Everyone may leave now.”  

 

Though phrased politely, it was no different from telling them to get lost.  

 

With the order to disperse given, what else could they do? They had no choice but to vacate their seats.  

 

The bewildered branch managers began rising from their seats one by one, each wearing a different expression.  

 

Some looked wary of Luciano’s ambiguous reaction, others seemed uneasy despite the apparent resolution, while still others appeared wholly dissatisfied with the decision…  

 

In short, not a single person left the meeting looking at ease.  

 

Even after they had all filed out, the only ones left—Luciano and Theodoro—were no exception.  

 

True brothers indeed… The two sat with strikingly similar expressions.  

 

It wasn’t just exhaustion from the storm-like intensity of the meeting. Their faces were filled with indescribably complex emotions.  

 

Click… clack…  

 

The only sound was the dice rolling in Luciano’s palm.  

 

Then, in an instant, the nimble movement of his fingers stopped.  

 

Thud—  

 

Luciano set the dice down on the table and stood up. His steps, elegant yet heavy, carried him toward Theodoro.  

 

But the hand that gripped Theodoro’s shoulder was far from graceful. The tendons on Luciano’s hand stood out starkly white from the force.  

 

“Theodoro.”  

 

“…”  

 

“You haven’t forgotten how our father died, have you? You’ve done something quite amusing.”  

 

Theodoro’s face stiffened instantly. The only movement was the turbulent flicker in his dark eyes.  

 

“…”  

 

Just like Luciano’s, Theodoro’s fist clenched tightly under the table, growing paler by the second.  

 

Struggling to suppress his surging emotions, he parted his dry lips.  

 

“…Since when do I answer to you?”

 

The tone was unsteady, uneven, as if unable to fully contain the emotions.  

 

“I heard Antonio had Sean O’Connor’s mother work at the club.”  

 

“…”  

 

“Did you know?”  

 

“…”  

 

No answer came. Only the quiet, repetitive ticking of the wall clock echoed in the silence.  

 

As the minute hand ticked on, completing one full rotation, then another, returning to its starting point…  

 

Luciano still did not respond.  

 

‘Ah…’  

 

Theodoro understood the meaning of that silence. 

 

Deep down, he had already known the truth even without asking. But he couldn’t let go of the desperate hope that it wasn’t true, so he asked anyway.  

 

As expected, it had been pointless.  

 

In the end, it was nothing more than confirming what he already knew…  

 

Theodoro twisted his lips and rose from his chair.  

 

The man Luciano had been looking down at was now standing tall, his height easily surpassing Luciano’s, looking down at him instead.  

 

A cold voice pierced Luciano’s ears.  

 

“Before dragging my father into this, take a look at yourself. Were you ever honest with your own mother?”  

 

Without another word, Theodoro turned and walked out of the meeting room.  

 

Left behind was Luciano, frozen in place, unable to move—and the two dice thrown onto the table, now the only things remaining.  

 

✨

 

“Are you feeling better now?”  

 

Liliana nodded quietly as she took a sip of warm chamomile tea.  

 

Though it was her suggestion to come to this café, she had nothing else to say. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to blurt out an invitation for tea.  

 

Someone she had once been so close to now felt unbearably awkward, and she found herself fidgeting with the handle of her mug.  

 

In her place, Wayne was the one to break the silence first.  

 

“I’d hoped to see you again at least once, but I never imagined it would happen like this.”  

 

Did he recognize her as Liliana? It really hadn’t been intentional.  

 

As if trying to explain herself, she muttered weakly,  

 

“It was an accident. I was just walking around aimlessly, and somehow I ended up…”  

 

“…Do you remember last time? What I felt back then must be exactly how you’re feeling now, Ms. Moretti.”

 

A faint smile touched Wayne’s eyes as he recalled the past.  

 

“It felt too fateful to call it a coincidence. I had to desperately explain that I wasn’t stalking you.”  

 

Unlike his carefree laughter, Lillia couldn’t bring herself to smile so easily.  She hadn’t realized it at the time, but her body had moved on its own, knowing full well that place was Wayne’s workplace.  

 

“Hah, haha…”  

 

Lillia awkwardly laughed, brushing off his words.  

 

Perhaps out of consideration for her, the conversation quickly shifted to another topic.  

 

“Have you been well all this time?”  

 

“Hmm…”  

 

“I hoped you were doing fine, but seeing you today, it doesn’t seem that way.”  

 

It was just an ordinary greeting. So why did her eyes suddenly sting?  

 

The question of whether she’d been well. The words saying he’d hoped she was.  

 

Never before had such simple, commonplace words felt so painfully heavy in her chest.  

 

At that moment, Lillia realized something. She had been waiting alone, longing for someone to ask how her day had been.  

 

“Was there something difficult going on?”  

 

His kind words made her want to indulge in pointless complaints—to say she had no one to rely on, that nothing had been easy.  

 

A soothing warmth welled up inside her, as if it was finally okay to let go of everything she’d been carrying.  

 

“Actually… I don’t think I’ve been doing well at all.”  

 

“If you don’t mind me asking, would you tell me about it?”  

 

“It’s just… I kept telling myself the path I chose was right, that I was doing the right thing…”  

 

“…”

  

“But now, I’m full of doubts. I’ve lost confidence.”  

 

Lillia hung her head low, nervously fidgeting with her fingernails. But when Wayne’s response didn’t come even after a long moment, guilt washed over her, and she hurriedly apologized.  

 

“Ah, I’m sorry. That was unnecessary to bring up.”  

 

“No…! That’s not it—”  

 

“I must be out of sorts today.”  

 

He frantically waved his hands.  

 

“Really, that’s not it. I was just trying to find the right words…”  

 

“…”

  

“Well… I don’t know what path you chose, but at the time, didn’t you believe it was the best choice you could make?”  

 

Hmm, that wasn’t quite it.  

 

“It wasn’t that I thought it was the best choice… More like I believed it was the only choice I had.”  

 

“Then the answer is even clearer.”  

 

“…What answer?”