After the bomb terror, daily life flowed by quietly, as if nothing had ever happened.

 

No one around mentioned Jimmy McKenna or the events of that day. Not Theodoro, Paul, nor Vincent.

 

They simply focused on bringing the remaining operational staff from Inter Press over to Demer All-time. 

 

It was the final step in taking control of Demercy’s wired telecommunications business.

 

Liliana felt she could guess what had become of Jimmy without having to ask. He, who had been captured by Silvano… would surely not be found anywhere in Demercy now, no, anywhere in the Republic of Victoria.

 

She didn’t want to know the details of his end, so she decided to bury December 26th, 1961, in the past just like that.

 

Although daily life seemed to have regained its peace… that wasn’t really the case. 

 

The first problem, for starters, was Silvano.

 

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

 

“Sleep with me.”

 

“…What did you say?”

 

“Want to hear it again? I said, Let’s sleep together.”

 

At an hour close to midnight, he had suddenly shown up, rung her doorbell, and uttered those shocking words.

 

She tried to close the door without answering, but Silvano stubbornly pushed his way in and made his grand declaration.

 

“I won’t lay a finger on you. Ah, no. On second thought, that’s a bit much. Surely it’s okay to just sleep while holding each other? But I absolutely won’t go beyond that. If I break this promise, you can smash my balls with a hammer. Really.”

 

“Sigh… Why are you acting like this?”

 

He answered, the corners of his eyes curving like a fox’s.

 

“I’m feeling down. I hate sleeping alone. I saw that bastard Gasparo, and it got to me.”

 

No matter how I thought about it, it felt like I was falling for his trick, but I didn’t have the heart to kick him out. 

 

It was true that on the night of the 26th, she had sent Silvano over to Gasparo’s side.

 

Unable to overcome my guilt, I agreed to his suggestion. 

 

Of course, I couldn’t believe all that talk about breaking his balls or whatever—I made sure he didn’t even come near the bedroom.

 

When I suddenly woke up at dawn, I found Silvano sleeping while holding me tightly, though I didn’t know when he had arrived. 

 

Startled, I pushed him to the far end of the bed… but nothing else out of the ordinary happened.

 

Moreover, when I woke up in the morning, he had already left the house, leaving only an empty space beside me.

 

Of course, that was all part of Silvano’s scheme because he felt threatened by Theodoro. He felt he had to do something, but it was clear Liliana would be furious, calling him a pervert and a creep… 

 

So it was a plan to lower her guard for a while by laying low.

 

How could Liliana know any of this? 

 

Although she felt somewhat uneasy, she greeted that morning with a great sense of relief.

 

Yes, that was a relatively minor problem.

 

The second problem occurred when she went to work at the bar later that day, her mind still in turmoil. 

 

Having gone to work earlier than usual for a New Year’s cleaning, Liliana was cleaning the liquor display shelf behind the bar table.

 

The sound of a bell jingling made her turn around. 

 

And who was there?

 

Eyes that were round, kind, and distinctly double-lidded, exactly like Liliana’s. Pupils of a fresh, emerald-green color.

 

But unlike her, he had a mischievous impression, tanned skin, and thick, curly brown hair.

 

“…Angelo?!”

 

It was her only younger brother, Angelico Moretti. And with him, chatting away as they entered together, was Silvano.

 

Liliana had never once told Angelo where she worked or who she worked with. 

 

Just as she had done with Wayne, she had only said that she sang in a small bar.

 

So how could he be here at the De Lucia bar, and with Silvano of all people?

 

“You… how did you… get here… with that man…?”

 

Liliana was unable to break free from the shock and terror of having been discovered in this dirty world she was unavoidably a part of, more so than feeling joy at seeing her brother’s face for the first time in nearly ten years.

 

“Sis, it’s been a long time.”

 

“Ah, Angelo…”

 

“I had no idea you’d gotten a boyfriend. I forgot you’d moved and went to East Pearl looking for you. But this gentleman was there? Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?”

 

Liliana, unable to follow the flow of the conversation, stammered with a confused expression.

 

“Wait, a boyfriend…? Are you talking about Silvano right now?”

 

“I heard all about it. That you work here, that you two are seeing each other—”

 

“No! That’s not true!”

 

She shook her head in panic, then shot a fierce glare toward Silvano.

 

“Have you completely lost your mind?”

 

“What’s wrong with you? Yesterday, we were in the same bed—”

 

“Silvano!”

 

He raised both hands with a suppressed laugh, as if in response to a sharp cry that could shatter all the glasses.

 

Angelo glanced vaguely between the two of them, snorted, and then cut in.

 

“What’s this, boss? Was it all a lie?”

 

“Ah… It seems I was the only one who thought we were passionately in love. Fine, I’ll correct myself. ‘A relationship that will soon become romantic.'”

 

“Haha, you’re quite the con artist, aren’t you? And that job you told me to think about earlier—was that all nonsense too?”

 

Liliana, who had been listening, turned pale.

 

“A job? You mentioned a job?”

 

“Yeah, you said it was working with some guy named Paul, and that you knew him well. Was that actually a real job opening?”

 

“Silvano Giacone…!”

 

Instead of answering Angelo, she fiercely shouted Silvano’s name first. Her eyes, glaring at hi,m were burning with anger.

 

💫

 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said something so careless. Cheer up a bit, will you?”

 

“I get it, so please leave.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“I said I understand.”

 

Silvano offered his apology with a few attempts at being charming. 

 

But seeing that Liliana, who had been drinking since broad daylight, showed no signs of her mood improving, he eventually let out a sigh and left the spot.

 

Left alone, Liliana wearily lifted the glass resting on the bar table.

 

As Coleman Hawkins’s ‘Tangerine’ played softly in the background, she sank deep into her thoughts.

 

Strictly speaking, he hadn’t committed any major wrong.

 

Silvano thought Angelo probably had a rough idea of who Liliana works for, which is why he brought him here…

 

Perhaps remembering how Liliana used to complain about her distant relationship with her brother, or how Paul recently grumbled about being overwhelmed with work due to all the jobs she and Theodoro have been stirring up, he subtly asked Angelo if he’d like to stay in the area and help tidy up Paul’s loose ends.

 

The problem was that, at that moment, Liliana couldn’t contain her anger…

 

“Don’t even think about that job. Pretend you never heard it. Did you exchange contact information with that man?”

 

“And why not? Just a phone number—”

 

“Get rid of it, now. Don’t go exchanging contacts with him. Ugh…”

 

“What, noona? Am I a child?! Why have you been so overbearing since the last time. Do I need your permission for everything? Who do I talk to, who are my friends with, what work do I do?!”

 

In the end, Angelo also raised his voice, saying if it was going to be like this, she shouldn’t even suggest meeting up, before storming out of his seat.

Liliana’s transparent eyes sank into regret and devastation.

 

‘What was I thinking…’

 

Not only had she been unable to hug her brother, whom she hadn’t seen in so long, but she had also harshly snapped at him. 

 

Even if she regretted it, words once spoken couldn’t be taken back.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Liliana, who had been holding her forehead, swept back her stray hair and reached for her glass. 

 

But a large hand that suddenly appeared took the glass first.

 

“…Huh?”

 

A questioning gaze followed the trajectory of the hand. Then, what came into view was Theodoro, lifting a glass to wet his lips.

 

“Theodoro, sir? Why are you here at this hour…”

 

“I had something to discuss with Vincent.”

 

“Ah…”

 

He set down the glass, now emptied without a single drop left, and stared intently at Liliana. 

 

As always, his gaze was indifferent yet piercing, as if it could see right through her.

 

“Do you think this will be enough?”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

“Bring what I was drinking.”

 

Without even waiting for a reply, he turned and started walking away.

 

‘What’s this, so suddenly…? Is he asking me to have a drink with him?’

 

A bewildered gaze followed him, but Theodoro did not explain as he strode off, his coat swaying…

 

In the end, Liliana had to follow him, carrying the whiskey he liked to drink and a glass.

 

The third nightmarish event of the day began there.

 

The spot Theodoro had chosen was one of the few private tables, set before a circular table with thick curtains drawn.

 

Perhaps because the alcohol was starting to take effect, the moment she walked in that direction, her head spun for a second.

 

Still, she thought she managed to walk relatively steadily to the front of the curtain. 

 

To Mauricio, she might have seemed to stagger… 

 

But Liliana herself believed she walked just fine.

 

However, it happened the instant she lightly pushed the curtain aside and stepped inside.

 

“…Ah!”

 

Her knee caught on the sofa, and her body tumbled forward heavily.

 

Theodoro, who was sitting at the edge of the sofa, suddenly seemed much closer… She sensed the impending collision, but there was nothing she could do. 

 

It wasn’t as if she had any remarkable reflexes.

 

“Ugh!”

 

When her eyes snapped shut and opened again, the whole situation was already over.

 

Coming to her senses, she saw that Theodoro was barely bracing himself against the sofa, his arm wrapped around her waist. 

 

Liliana had fallen helplessly, her body leaning against his solid chest.

 

“…Liliana.”

 

His voice clearly carried a flustered tone.

 

“Are you drunk?”

 

“Ah…”

 

Liliana’s pupils shook in panic. She was in no state to answer. 

 

Forget the fact that she had knocked him over, the thought that his head could have been smashed if she had been slightly more careless made her heart shrivel up.

 

As Liliana stood frozen in place, only her ragged breaths rushing out…

 

Theodoro seemed to have regained his composure quickly, slowly raising his body from its half-lying position. 

 

Then, he removed the hand bracing against the sofa, took the liquor bottle she was holding, and placed it on the table.

 

As he moved his arm, the corner of his eye was slightly furrowed.

 

‘Ah… I hit him with the bottle…’

 

It wasn’t intentional, but it was clear that at the moment she had tackled him, she had struck his shoulder with the liquor bottle.

 

“S-sorry-“

 

“I asked if you were drunk.”

 

The repeated question sent a chill down her spine.

 

Frantically trying to break free, a heavy pressure was applied to the hand holding her waist. She felt a sensation of weightlessness, and in the blink of an eye, their positions had changed. 

 

She, who had been leaning sideways against Theodoro’s leg, was now completely on top of him, facing a countenance she had no desire to see. Her eyes widened in shock.

 

“Wh… what are you doing?”

 

Without answering, Theodoro took the remaining glass she was clutching, placed it on the table.

 

“Let… me go.”

 

“You’re the one who threw yourself at me. Did I pull you in?”

 

Finally finishing what he was doing, he looked at her leisurely.

 

“You generally lack caution…”

 

His hand languidly brushed aside the hair clinging to the nape of Liliana’s neck.

 

“But when it comes to me, it seems you’ve thrown all caution to the wind.”