How Lilies turn Black Chapter 62 - Legal Illegality (3)

 

“…Hah!”

 

Paul, who had been walking in, stopped in his tracks and covered his mouth at the sight before him—a scene as heated as a passionate love affair.

 

At first, he blinked as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared blankly at the two before belatedly realizing his mistake.

 

Flustered, he quickly turned his head and began stepping backward, uncharacteristically stumbling over his words.

“Ah, uh… s-sorry. I’ll, uh… come back l-later—”

 

“No, Paul Galliano.”

 

“Y-yes?”

 

“No need to leave.”

 

Theodoro muttered the words before letting out a deep, incomprehensible sigh. 

 

After squeezing his eyes shut for a brief moment, he reopened them, his expression now as indifferent as ever.

 

Those sunken, shadowed eyelids and the same weary gaze, thick with exhaustion.

 

Liliana couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. Her eyes flickered toward him with a mix of unease, bewilderment, and disdain.

 

At that moment, Theodoro casually glanced down, staring intently at her—the woman pressed against him.

 

For a second, it almost seemed like a faint, bitter smile touched his lips. 

 

Or was that just her imagination?

 

“Our ‘Miss Moretti’ and I have no intention of getting… messy.”

 

Ahh… Maybe it wasn’t her imagination after all. 

 

She couldn’t quite grasp his intent, but the oddly mocking tone in his words was unmistakable. Liliana stared up at him silently, biting her lip lightly. 

 

What was he trying to do? What did he even want to say?

 

Suddenly, his earlier words—You pretend to be smart, but you’re actually stupid—resurfaced in her mind. She had tried to dismiss it as just another one of his usual insults, but…

 

Was he… actually right?

 

Her expression darkened gloomily. But there was no need to dwell on it. 

 

Even Paul, his secretary who spent every day by his side, couldn’t decipher Theodoro’s true intentions. His furrowed brow was a rare sight, as if he was doing his best to grasp the situation.

Meanwhile, the only man in the room who had regained his composure… slowly straightened up, lowering Liliana’s thigh from his grip back onto the desk.

 

Paul’s frantic glances were pointless—Theodoro didn’t even need to adjust his clothes. There was nothing to get ‘messy’ about, after all.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and strode confidently toward the sofa. Then, with a subtle tilt of his chin, he motioned to Paul, who was flustered about where to look.

 

“Sit. Since we’re here, let’s hear what ‘Miss Moretti’ has prepared for this business meeting.”

Liliana shut her eyes tightly, overwhelmed by frustration.

 

Miss Moretti? What kind of bizarre title was that, coming from Theodoro’s mouth for the first time ever…?

There was no doubt about it—she had thoroughly pissed him off.

💫

 

At Theodoro’s office… 

 

Three people sat awkwardly on the lone sofa in the chilly, sparse space.

Liliana couldn’t understand why Paul was here in Vincent’s place for the meeting… but with Vincent absent, she felt a strange sense of relief.

 

If she’d had to sit alone with Theodoro after what had just happened… The thought alone sent a shiver down her spine, making her tremble.

Had Theodoro foreseen that outcome and brought Paul along? 

 

Just as she was about to credit him for his wisdom, she caught sight of him and immediately changed her mind.

 

Whether it was his natural posture or not, he lounged on the sofa almost as if lying down, one leg crossed over the opposite knee. The arrogant way he sat, as if daring someone to speak, made any positive impression she had of him vanish instantly.

 

“Well… Miss Moretti, what’s on the agenda for this meeting…?”

 

Breaking the heavy silence, Paul cautiously began to speak. Liliana, unable to bear the awkward tension any longer, turned her body fully toward him.

 

As Theodoro’s right-hand man and someone personally invited to the meeting, he was trustworthy. Plus, given his role as a secretary, he was well-informed—making him a far better conversation partner than those who nitpicked every little thing.

 

“Inter Press News Service. I heard about it while talking about horse racing with our people. There’s some issue with kickback payments from that company…”

 

“Hmm…”

 

The topic seemed unexpected. Paul let out a soft snort, his eyebrows flexing slightly. He then glanced sideways at Theodoro, seated at the head of the table, but when the man showed no sign of responding, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

 

“Ah, yes. That’s correct. Ms. Moretti hasn’t been with us long, so this might be her first time hearing it, but it’s something we’ve all been grinding our teeth over. Just one of many headaches.”

 

“How much were they originally paying in kickbacks?”

 

“30% of the… well, to be precise, 30% of the total broadcasting fees generated in our territory. Though that’s impossible now.”

 

“Ah… I see.”

 

Liliana let out a short sigh and shook her head slightly. This was her first time hearing the exact percentage. Even the Soldati (enforcers) chatting at the bar didn’t know this detail.

 

It wasn’t immediately critical, so she decided to move on for now.

 

‘Grinding their teeth, huh.’

 

It wasn’t hard to understand why they’d resent Inter Press for cutting off payments that had always come smoothly. And she could see why this had been a thorn in their side for months.

 

But setting emotions aside for a moment…

 

I heard the Benedetti Family already receives kickbacks from the gambling operations. So why should they demand a separate payment from Inter Press, which isn’t even within their territory? And why get so worked up over not getting it?

 

“Wayne did explain it to me, but it was too brief… and it wasn’t from this side’s perspective or way of thinking.”

 

It was just personal curiosity. It wasn’t crucial to the plan—whether she got an answer or not wouldn’t affect the job. Just pure personal interest.

 

But since the topic came up, Liliana wanted to ask. Now that she was working with Theodoro, she’d be doing business with him for at least the next few months. Shouldn’t she learn to think and act like a ‘mobster’?

 

“There’s something I’d like to ask. Why is our Family demanding a kickback from Inter Press? I was under the impression that kickbacks mostly come from businesses within our territory.”

 

“Why are we demanding it?”

 

Paul suddenly widened his eyes and stared straight at Liliana, as if she’d asked something absurd. Then, with the tone of someone stating the obvious, he spoke flatly.

 

“Isn’t it obvious? Without us, running their business would be much harder. Sure, we mainly protect the gambling operations… but if something happens to them, it directly affects Inter Press. In other words, by protecting the gambling businesses in our territory, we’re also protecting Inter Press… that’s what it means.”

 

“Ah…?”

 

“And if you receive protection, it’s only right to pay the corresponding fee.”

 

The answer was neat and logical—so much so that Liliana was left speechless. Or rather, it was so absurd upon closer inspection that she couldn’t even argue.

“To exaggerate that logic, protecting small business owners could also mean protecting the livelihoods of ordinary people at a national level…”

“…Next thing you know, they’ll be demanding kickbacks from the president.”

 

Liliana shook her head in disbelief. It seemed pointless to even try understanding the mafia’s way of thinking. She’d have to accept it as it was and blend into their world.

Making value judgments was meaningless… 

 

To survive here, she needed to clear her mind and take things as they came. That much was certain.

 

Meanwhile, Theodoro, who had been silently listening to their back-and-forth, finally cut into the conversation—his face twisted in arrogance.

“Liliana Moretti. You’re not seriously thinking of doing something with Inter Press, are you?”

“Yes, I—”

“Sorry to say, but drop the idea. It’s not like we’ve been sitting idle because we wanted to leave things as they were.”

 

She had expected it, but his harsh words left her mouth dry. He was likely referring to the issue of Mayor Demercy’s protection. When she returned after talking with Wayne, she had noticed something odd. 

 

Why were these notoriously brazen mafia families tiptoeing around the mayor?

 

Of course, given his position, the mayor was no lightweight. But considering this was the mafia’s world, it was undeniably strange.

Just as the Benedetti family had funded other politicians, they must have done the same for the mayor—and the sums involved would have been astronomical compared to the kickbacks Jimmy McKenna handed over.

 

And it wasn’t just the Benedettis. Aside from Corella, there were three other families, weren’t there?

‘Even if the families teamed up to kill Jimmy McKenna, would the mayor really make a fuss over it? Then why…?’

 

Liliana wanted to investigate whether another backer was protecting Jimmy McKenna. But the answer was much closer—and far simpler—than she expected.