That night, inside the club, Mariggio, the boss Victor, and the consigliere Bartolo sat together, puffing on cigars while discussing the gasoline tax business and the port deal they were about to acquire.
Regarding the Gotti incident, the Gambino crime family did not react very aggressively during the committee meeting. Faced with the pressure from the Lucchese crime family, the Gambino family chose to back down.
Victor knew why.
"Carlo Gambino's illness is getting worse," Victor said. "No one knows how much longer he has left. There are already some discordant voices within the Gambino family."
With Gambino gone, who would take over the leadership of America's largest Mafia family?
Bartolo sighed.
"Without Gambino's rule, many of his subordinates will be affected, and many others will face retaliation. Old grudges will be brought up again."
Gambino had protected many people. Once that umbrella disappeared, chaos would spread.
"Let's just wait and see," Victor said, stopping the conversation there.
He had already secretly intervened with several people inside the Gambino family, trying to cultivate relationships, provide assistance, promote them into higher positions, and quietly seize their businesses.
At that moment, Mariggio received a message.
"Gotti and Pauli are both dead," he said. "We've obtained all the materials from the port."
Hearing the news, both Victor and Bartolo slowly exhaled long streams of cigar smoke.
That kid Luca really is efficient.
Gasoline tax, ports, and executing violators—the whole process had been completed without delaying anything.
And the mastermind behind these operations…
"Mariggio."
Victor's eyes were filled with admiration.
"With your talent and business acumen, it's truly a waste for you to remain just a family caporegime. From now on, you will manage the family in my place."
"It is my honor to serve you," Mariggio replied respectfully.
"However," Victor continued, "we still need to follow the rules. We already said that the announcement will be made during the public assembly. The time is coming soon—just over a week from now."
"When you receive this honor in front of all the family members and representatives of the other families, everyone will applaud and celebrate you."
This had clearly been arranged in advance.
Mariggio was overjoyed. He tried to maintain a respectful attitude, but his pride and excitement were obvious.
One day, I, Mariggio, will sit in the very seat once held by Dominic.
Victor suddenly asked with curiosity, "How did you come up with the idea for the gasoline tax business? And what about the cooperation with the Russians? Those guys usually don't trust Italians very much."
He was genuinely curious. The gasoline tax business looked simple, but there were far too many complicated details involved.
It was all Luca's idea. I just followed his instructions.
Mariggio felt both proud and gratified.
His nephew Luca was far more capable than he was.
"It was actually a coincidence," Mariggio said. "I happened to meet some Russians involved in the gasoline tax business, and they were eager to cooperate."
He immediately began repeating the prepared explanation.
According to his version of the story, Luca was merely an executor—someone who ran errands and carried out tasks—while Mariggio himself was the mastermind behind everything.
Since Luca wants to keep a low profile, then as his uncle I must take good care of him.
---
A moment later, Victor and Bartolo said their goodbyes and left.
They got into their car, with Bartolo driving.
"There's someone behind Mariggio giving him advice," Victor said calmly.
Bartolo nodded.
"He's good at getting things done, but he doesn't have that many clever ideas in his head."
Victor carefully thought about who might be advising Mariggio.
Among all of Mariggio's subordinates, only Luca seemed decent. He owned a club and lived quite comfortably.
Thinking about it made Victor suddenly miss the atmosphere inside the club earlier.
It felt far more comfortable than being at home.
It allowed him to relax his mind and forget about the bloody and chaotic matters of the underworld.
"I think the Russians are behind it," Bartolo suggested.
"The Russians are very shrewd when it comes to these shady businesses. They just lack certain resources, so it's not surprising they would cooperate with Italians."
Victor nodded as the faces of the Tarasov brothers appeared in his mind.
Viggo was like a jaguar moving between the territories of the Five Families—circling carefully around a pride of lions.
An ambitious man.
"Exactly."
Thinking about ambition, Victor suddenly frowned.
"That old bastard Gambino is practically dying, yet he's still scheming against people. Even in death, he wants to drag others down with him."
"I agreed to help him, and that's why he gave the port to our family and didn't blame us for executing Gotti."
Bartolo looked thoughtful.
"If this leaks out, it won't be good for us. The committee never approved the execution order. That's their personal feud—our family shouldn't be the one taking the blame."
Victor sighed.
"You can only blame Joe Colombo for punching Gambino in the face back then. That old man is incredibly vengeful—he's been holding that grudge ever since."
Joe Colombo deserved it.
He organized a massive public rally and appeared in front of the media with great fanfare.
People already disliked him, and then he went and exposed internal Mafia matters through the press.
Was he desperate for fame?
Did he really believe that by organizing a rally and standing up for Italians he could wash away his past?
He brought it upon himself.
His mouth had to be shut forever.
Since Gambino was willing to take the lead, they might as well go along with it.
Bartolo thought for a moment.
"Then we should find a scapegoat."
They certainly couldn't do it personally.
Someone else would have to take the fall.
The upcoming public rally would definitely be very lively.
The next day.
Luca handed the materials over to Mariggio, who would handle the coordination between the dockworkers' union and the authorities.
Mariggio had already internally designated the new underboss, though the announcement had not yet been made.
This meant they could now access more family resources.
The boss and strategist would also step in to handle external troubles.
After all, this was now a business shared by everyone.
Everyone had to contribute.
As for Luca…
He could simply wait for the results.
And then…
Let's have a relaxing party.
A special event for SSR Club members.
---
That night, a large group of rare figures from all walks of life arrived at the club.
Gangsters.
Street Racers.
Hitmen.
Police officers.
FBI agents.
Wall Street elites.
Guests of all ages.
From Mathilda Lando to William Sommerset.
Of course, there were also many ordinary club members.
Everyone gathered together, playing cards, drinking, and enjoying the wonderful atmosphere of the club—a place that felt peaceful, safe, and strangely reassuring.
Many people even brought their friends and family.
Some guests were loners who didn't socialize much.
"John!"
Holding a glass of wine, Luca found the man drowning his sorrows at the bar.
John Wick.
"Are you hiding here drinking alone? Let me guess… are you missing Helen?"
That remark only made John's gaze even colder.
"How much longer will Helen be busy with work? She's been away on business for over a month."
"You're blaming me now?" Luca laughed.
"Fine, I'll take the blame. But it won't be so easy for you to take it back later."
Luca sighed apologetically.
"Sorry. The club has some new filming projects, so Helen will probably stay busy for a while."
"Damn it."
The ruthless hitman silently downed another glass of wine.
"But," Luca said with a grin, "I gave her a few days off."
"...What?"
John froze.
Then Helen appeared.
Wearing a beige dress, she walked through the dancing crowd and stopped in front of him.
She looked radiant today—perhaps her lover had given her plenty of energy.
"Surprised?" Helen said with a bright smile.
Then came a passionate kiss.
When the lovers finally separated…
Luca had already disappeared, wisely avoiding being a third wheel.
"How many days off did you get this time?" John asked.
"Three days," Helen said as she nestled into his arms.
"I'm sorry I can't stay with you all the time. I really love this job. I asked Luca for it myself, so please don't blame him."
John had originally planned to talk to Luca about changing Helen's job.
But when he saw the hopeful look in her eyes…
His heart softened.
"Alright," he said quietly. "But I hope we can see each other often."
When Helen finished her work, John hugged her tightly and told her he planned to talk about retirement with Viggo.
The long separation had not weakened John's love.
If anything, it had made him miss her more than ever.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
And he wanted to hold onto it forever.
---
Compared with the loving couple John and his wife, John McClane's family life looked far more chaotic.
He had brought his wife and children to the party—a son and a daughter, both about the same age as Mathilda.
McClane felt extremely lucky that he had pulled out his SSR Super Membership card to convince his wife, Holly, to come along.
As it turned out, his wife had excellent taste. She had actually visited the club once before with her friends after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper and deciding to give it a try.
Once you step inside the club, it becomes very difficult to leave.
The mysterious influence of the Silver Queen quietly made people feel comfortable, safe, and relaxed deep within their hearts without them even realizing it, making the club the perfect place to relieve fatigue and stress after work.
Holly quickly fell in love with the place.
Unfortunately, the high membership fee had always discouraged her.
Inside the club restaurant, Holly looked at her husband with suspicion.
"Why do you have a club membership card?"
She stared at the number printed on it.
"SSR-004? What type of membership is that?"
She frowned.
"The monthly fee here—even for the most basic membership—is over a thousand dollars. Can you actually afford that?"
"Uh…"
McClane scratched his head.
He didn't really understand the details either. Whenever he came here, he simply used the card to drink and occasionally enjoyed the free drinks.
"This card is free," he said. "The club owner gave it to me. We're friends."
Holly: "???"
Free?
Could her incredibly unlucky ex-husband actually have been scammed?
McClane continued explaining.
"This card gives me free access to all the services in the club. If you want to use it, just take it. You can bring the kids here whenever you want."
Holly was stunned.
This card was that high-level?
Everything was free?
It was far more advanced than the membership card her best friend owned. Basic members could only enjoy a few free services, and many other services still required additional payment.
Has McClane's luck finally turned around?
He somehow managed to obtain this kind of membership card.
But how could he possibly know someone as important as the club owner?
"How do you even know the owner here?" Holly asked.
"That's… a long story," McClane said.
"I just happen to run into him whenever I'm having a really bad day."
"…."
Holly was stunned again.
What kind of strange fate was that?
Meeting someone powerful whenever you're down on your luck—how could that possibly be considered bad luck?
Just then, their two mischievous children came running over.
"Mom! Dad!"
They were hopping and skipping excitedly.
"An uncle just said he's a good friend of yours and gave us a small gift!"
The older daughter and the younger son both proudly pulled out a card.
"My uncle said with this we can play anywhere in the club!"
Holly froze.
She immediately recognized the cards.
They were VIP membership cards for the club.
This was supposed to be a small welcome gift?
In that instant, the way Holly looked at her husband changed slightly.
"Is your friend being a little too generous?" she asked suspiciously. "Did you take a bullet for him or something? Why is he treating you so well?"
McClane felt a little uneasy himself.
Dove…
I asked you to charm my wife, not my kids.
But when he noticed the complicated expression on Holly's face as she looked at the children, McClane suddenly wondered if this strategy might actually be working.
---
Meanwhile, Luca was preparing to meet two special guests.
The people Mariggio had sent told him that these two men had played an important role in recruiting tanker truck drivers for the gasoline tax business.
Taking advantage of the club's party tonight, they wanted to use the club as a meeting place to discuss business.
Around seven in the evening, Luca met the two middle-aged men in the cigar lounge.
__________________________________________________________________________
[New Card Discovered: Frank Fitzsimmons (Unlocked)]
Rank: D
Source: The Irishman
Skill: None
Bond: Strangers
[New Card Discovered: Frank Sheeran (Unlocked)]
Rank: SR
Source: The Irishman
Skills: Painter, Guild Master, The Irishman
Bond: Strangers
__________________________________________________________________________
Fitzsimmons was the current president of the American Truck Drivers Association.
Frank Sheeran was the chapter leader of the Bloomington Truck Drivers Union—and also the top hitman working under the boss of the Bufalino crime family.
The moment Luca saw the two men, he immediately understood something.
The history of the Mafia was about to turn a new page.
The story told in The Irishman, especially through Frank Sheeran's perspective and various small details, roughly reconstructs part of the real history behind the rise and fall of the Mafia families.
Thinking about the upcoming mass rally, Luca's eyes filled with anticipation.
That single shot fired during the rally would become a turning point in history.
And this time…
Luca was determined to change the course of that history.
================================================================================
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