Luca knew far too well what was going to happen in Philadelphia.
After Carlo Gambino's death, the Bruno–Scarfo family would lose its biggest pillar of support, and not long after that, chaos would erupt as Angelo Bruno would be assassinated—shot in the back of the head—and from there everything would spiral out of control, leading to a full-blown internal war with different factions tearing each other apart.
The level of chaos comparable to the civil war within the Colombo family, where bosses rose and fell one after another until eventually the Feds stepped in and, by flipping high-ranking members into informants, managed to send a large number of people to prison.
That was the future of the Philadelphia family.
As for Russell Bufalino, in the original timeline, not long after Jimmy Hoffa "disappeared," Russell himself would be sentenced to prison for extortion, because the federal government couldn't find Hoffa's body—no evidence, no suspects, no closure—so naturally they went after everyone close to him, especially the Mafia, since cracking down on them was always considered the "right move."
Back in the present, Luca listened as Russell talked about Atlantic City casinos, though he couldn't quite tell what angle the old man was playing as Russell spoke slowly, explaining that the gambling industry in Atlantic City was still in its early stages and nowhere near as developed as Las Vegas, which meant opportunity was everywhere, and that many loan shark groups from Philadelphia were already moving in because they knew gamblers would only increase.
Las Vegas and loan sharks were a perfect match.
Luca nodded and added his own thoughts, explaining that Atlantic City was essentially a fresh copy of Las Vegas, still under construction and aggressively developing tourism and gambling, and if they got involved now and secured government-backed projects, they could shape the entire city however they wanted.
Especially since when it came to building cities, the Mafia was often more efficient than the government, whose projects were slow, bureaucratic, and painfully inefficient—without outside intervention, who knew how long Las Vegas would've taken to develop?
But with Mafia involvement, everything sped up.
Just look at Las Vegas—it went from nothing in the desert to a world-class gambling city, attracting global attention, boosting the local economy, and even influencing nearby regions like California and Los Angeles, contributing significantly to their GDP.
Atlantic City was on track to become the second-largest gambling hub in the United States, and both of America's top gambling cities had deep ties to the Mafia, which meant Luca, having missed the Las Vegas boom, had no intention of missing Atlantic City, especially when it had the potential to become one of the world's four major gambling cities, not to mention that running a legal casino with a license was far better than operating underground in New York.
The only problem is money, because urban development required massive capital, and now that Jimmy Hoffa had been released and reintegrated into the union, accessing pension funds was no longer as easy as before.
Russell shifted the topic back, saying that Hoffa had been saying things he shouldn't lately and causing trouble for everyone, and that like Luca, he hoped Hoffa would stop.
He was stating his position, but Luca could tell that deep down Russell still hoped Hoffa could walk away safely, because unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want Hoffa dead—ruthless as he was, Russell still valued loyalty and friendship, having taken in Frank, a nobody truck driver at the time, and elevated and trusted him despite the fact that Frank wasn't even Italian, which was not something he did lightly.
Luca understood Russell well.
Talk first, force later.
"Hoffa is someone I respect," Luca said with a faint smile, explaining that he understood Hoffa and respected his choices, that some people were born chasing light and heat, that he had once handed gold to lambs only to watch them walk straight to the slaughterhouse, but if you gave a lion even a sliver of belief, it would tear the cage apart.
And the real question was what Hoffa would choose, because they had already given him plenty of chances and whatever happened next, they could only hope he wouldn't regret it.
Luca had already given up on him, because threats didn't work, money didn't work, and emotional appeals didn't work either, since Luca would never stand on Hoffa's side, just as Frank—who was closest to him—knew exactly where his own loyalties lay.
Meaning some fates simply couldn't be changed, and it was far better to strengthen ties with Frank and Russell Bufalino than waste time on a stubborn old man, especially since their abilities aligned far better with Luca's path.
Russell thought for a moment, then nodded slightly, acknowledging that Luca had shown restraint and had even personally tried to negotiate, and that even now he still leaned toward peace, though the real question remained how many chances Hoffa would need before realizing his mistake.
"Thank you for your understanding," Russell said quietly, adding that everyone wanted peace and that he would keep an eye on the situation and step in if things got out of control.
Luca smiled, satisfied that having someone like Russell on the inside made things much easier, since they shared the same interests and goals.
[Bond: Familiar]
The two continued discussing business, this being only the beginning, and Luca didn't mind having an aging ally like Russell because sometimes that came with its own advantages.
When Frank relayed the message back, Hoffa's stubborn response angered everyone again, and Anthony Salerno snapped immediately, telling him to remind Hoffa what happened to Joe Gallo, since that loudmouth had once talked the same way.
Hoffa understood perfectly.
And still didn't care.
Frank became the messenger, running back and forth between both sides, but as Hoffa continued to refuse again and again, the Mafia's patience finally ran out, and the situation escalated beyond repair as Hoffa secured loans for all union-related projects, effectively cutting off access for everyone else, which even caused Luca's furniture mall project to run into financial trouble and forced him to use his own money to keep it going.
That was the final straw.
In the eyes of the Mafia, Hoffa was beyond saving.
The Commission convened and quietly issued the execution order.
It was time.
Late June, Pittston.
Frank Sheeran, still unaware, received a call from Russell Bufalino and drove there alone, where inside a restaurant he saw Russell sitting with Luca—two powerhouses at one table—forcing him to sit across from them with unusual tension as Luca swirled his wine glass and asked if he knew why he had been called, and when Frank shook his head, Russell answered directly that they needed him to go to Detroit.
Frank froze.
In that instant, he understood everything.
They wanted him to kill Hoffa.
His face went blank as he sat there like a statue, because for years Russell had given him orders without hesitation, but this time was different, as he knew exactly why Hoffa had to die and what it meant for him.
Luca watched him closely, knowing this had to be done by Frank because no one else could do it, since only someone that close could prove where they truly stood, while Russell spoke gently, saying he had to involve him or else he would never stand aside, because he knew him too well.
Frank said nothing, his eyes filled with exhaustion, as Russell continued, explaining that things had reached this point and there was no other way, that everyone had already done their best, including Luca, and that Hoffa had brought this on himself while dragging everyone else down with him.
Silence filled the air as Frank's thoughts drifted back to Hoffa, to old memories, to friendship that was now coming to an end.
Then Luca spoke, explaining that the reason Frank was chosen was because the Commission had given him face, and that Frank himself should have died there that day for getting too close to Hoffa, but was still alive only because he is both Luca's and Russell's friend.
Frank's expression turned complicated, finally realizing that the Mafia had considered eliminating him as well, because he had indeed been too close, while Luca continued, saying he believed Frank had genuinely tried to mediate but Hoffa had never cared, never considered Frank's position, and had nearly dragged him to his death.
Frank stared upward in silence.
Russell sighed, explaining that they were helping him, that Luca had fought hard for him at the meeting and vouched for him against others, and that while Hoffa had no choice left, Frank still did—this painful choice was one they had fought to give him.
Frank felt as if he had been torn apart and forced back together, knowing everything they said was true, because the Mafia would have erased Hoffa and everyone connected to him, including Frank, and now although the choice before him brought immense pain, it was still a choice, making him realize just how deep he had sunk into this world.
There was no turning back.
Frank left the restaurant alone, while Luca had already arranged everything, meaning all Frank had to do now was go to Detroit and pull the trigger.
Luca had already sent Léon ahead to gather intelligence, partly for the assassination and partly for something else—Bobby Mercer.
Rare cards were not limited to one place.
Detroit had more.
The police station alone held valuable targets, and Bobby Mercer's mother, a well-known philanthropist, was still alive for now, even though in the original timeline she would be shot, meaning if possible, Luca wouldn't mind eliminating that gang early while also using the opportunity to expand his influence into Detroit.
Detroit itself is a mess, filled with too many gangs—especially powerful Black gangs that posed a real threat to Mafia control—as a large influx of Black migrants had flooded the city, while the police were notorious for racial discrimination, fueling resentment that led to more gangs, more violence, and more chaos, making the situation far worse than Harlem, with Detroit and Chicago ranking among the most dangerous cities in the country.
Soon, intelligence from Léon arrived—photos and profiles that matched everything—but one photo made Luca freeze, showing a police officer from Four Brothers, and not only that, another rare card appeared from a completely different storyline.
[Character Card Discovered: Philip Krauss (Unlocked)]
[Rank: B]
[Source: Detroit]
[Skill: Forceful Law Enforcement]
[Bond: Strangers]
Luca stared at the photo for a long moment before muttering under his breath, his expression darkening as he realized what this meant.
"…What the hell?"
"Are you kidding me… the Detroit race riots too?"
That wasn't just any event.
That was one of the deadliest riots in American history.
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