The Mafia Empire

Yes, Julian had orchestrated the entire plan himself. He had someone play Delier under the lights, counting money, knowing Corder would "just happen" to come across it and rob him. There had been at least five witnesses to the whole event.

Julian had also arranged for Corder and the other two to be kidnapped in an unlit part of the street—where he had someone break the streetlights at dusk—and brought to the warehouse.

He had come today to deal with the three of them and bury them on the farm. Once Gador couldn't find them, Pronto would have no excuse to protect him. When faced with someone of Lady Vivian's stature, just saving himself would take all Pronto's effort. Why would he risk helping Gador? Gador wasn't his son, nor had he given Pronto any significant benefits.

By then, regardless of what Pronto wanted, his only way to remove himself from the situation would be to tell Lady Vivian that he had done his best, but Gador refused to hand over the people. He could even raid one or two of Gador's territories to prove his dedication to the task.

Feeling guilty, Lady Vivian, in gratitude for the sacrifices made by "John," would likely bring the matter up with the mayor.

Of course, not the matter of her affairs with "John," but asking the mayor to put pressure on Gador to avenge Delier—without needing to say too much.

Whether or not the mayor had ties with Gador, he would have to consider which side offered him more benefits before making a decision.

One was the daughter of the former governor, who still held considerable power in Kanros State and had an extensive social network.

The other was merely the leader of a gang in Ternell City, who could help with some shady business occasionally but didn't offer much else in return. Besides, Gador knew too many things for his own good.

With such a comparison, the mayor would easily decide who to keep and who to discard.

By then, even if Gador somehow survived, his power would be significantly diminished, making it much easier to deal with him later.

Gador's manor was brightly lit, with people constantly coming and going. Everyone belonging to Gador in Ternell city had been mobilized. Though they didn't fully understand Gador's orders, it didn't stop them from carrying them out.

Find Corder at any cost—that was the task Gador had given them. It had been years since anyone or anything had made Gador use the phrase "at any cost." Now that he had said it, all the gang members understood the gravity of the situation. Gador's people were acting both visibly and behind the scenes. They even searched trash cans, thinking perhaps Corder had heard something and was hiding there.

They lifted sewer covers, assigning dozens of people to check the pipes thoroughly. These men scoured every corner of the city, yet there was no trace of Corder.

Staring at the woman kneeling in front of him, disheveled and terrified, Gador showed no sympathy. He considered himself a ruthless man, or at least that's how he saw himself. He would rather reserve pity for small animals than waste it on humans. A small animal might bite you when you're not paying attention, but a person could take your life.

His face remained stern, head lowered, and the glow from his cigarette flared up as he took a deep drag, momentarily illuminating his face, which lay in the shadows outside the light's reach.

He flicked the cigarette ash, which tumbled and shattered on the floor.

"Where did Corder go?" he asked.

The woman before him was Corder's "old flame." She wasn't his girlfriend, nor his wife, just a woman with skills. With her talents, or perhaps for other sentimental reasons, she had become Corder's most frequent companion. Sometimes Corder would even stay at her place, and many people thought it was only a matter of time before they'd live together permanently.

Corder occasionally entrusted this woman, named Amy, with personal matters. She knew quite a bit, so when Corder couldn't be found, she was the first to be brought here.

Amy's lips trembled, the corners of her mouth quivered, and even the muscles on her face twitched uncontrollably. Tears streamed from her eyes, ruining the makeup she had carefully applied earlier, creating a black torrent as her cheap cosmetics mixed with her tears. She wanted to cry but didn't dare to make a sound. She knew Gador's terror better than most, and that fear kept her from crying aloud.

"I... I don't know!" she stammered, her voice shaking as much as her erratic heartbeat. She quickly bowed, her forehead hitting the ground with a thud. Ignoring the burning pain and brief dizziness, she added, "I really don't know where he is. He hasn't come to see me in days. Please, spare me."

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Gador indifferently took another drag from his cigarette, exhaling a column of smoke. In the darkness, he tilted his head slightly. "But I heard that three days ago, you were still with him. Am I being deceived, or do you think I don't know what's going on?"

Under the immense pressure, Amy broke down into soft sobs. She slowly straightened herself, her once neatly styled hair now covering most of her face. With her forehead wrinkling from the upward gaze, she pleaded, "God as my witness, I haven't seen him in days. He was with me three days ago, but I had to go to work that night, so I left alone... Oh, right, he said Ken would come find him.

They were going to have some fun together."

"I swear, I don't know where he went... God, I just want to go home!" As soon as she finished speaking, at least four men rushed out of the room. If they couldn't find Corder, then they'd go after Ken. Ken was also a member of the gang and close to Corder. The two were like brothers, always playing together.

Someone had already gone to Ken's house, but he wasn't home, and not wanting to waste time, they hadn't looked further.