The Mafia Empire

"You need to understand one thing: this is a task given by Madam Vivian, and it hasn't gone public yet. What do you think will happen if you fail to frame Julian?" Pronto sneered with anger. "Yes, I might face punishment, but you, Mr. Gador, the future big shot—you will face a much worse outcome."

Pronto's finger jabbed Gador's chest as he spoke, pressing harder with each jab. Gador's eye twitched, but he didn't move, simply staring straight at Pronto, the police chief. Explore m,v,l,e,mpyr today.

Pronto wasn't exaggerating. The fact that Julian had managed to leverage his connection with Kevin meant he likely had ties to other influential figures as well. Ternell city didn't belong to any one person. It belonged to a small group of people, visionaries with power. Moreover, the vice president of the city's Chamber of Commerce was a Guar who had once pulled Graf out of prison.

Pronto found it hard to believe that such a prominent figure had no connection to Julian.

If there was one connection, it likely meant there were more—possibly many more—that Pronto wasn't aware of. Julian's grand gestures had even left Pronto with little resistance, so the higher-ups were probably even more impressed with his sincerity.

Whether Julian knew more powerful people wasn't the real issue. The real danger was what would happen if Gador's attempt to frame him failed and Julian retaliated.

Pronto knew that Madam Vivian had entrusted him with this task not just because she cared, but because it was a private matter—something best kept quiet.

A private matter is private only as long as it remains so. Once it's public, it's news. If they couldn't catch the culprits and Julian was offended in the process, and if they also ended up angering Madam Vivian, Pronto figured he might as well jump out the window to spare himself further torment.

For this reason, Pronto was completely against Gador's plan to frame Julian.

This wasn't digging a hole for someone else—it was digging a grave for himself.

"So, what do we do now?" Gador asked, taking a sealed envelope from his pocket and placing it on the table. Pronto glanced at it and sneered. The envelope contained little money, no more than two thousand. In the past, Pronto might have thought Gador was a decent young man—aware of the rules, quick on the uptake. But after his dealings with Julian, Pronto now saw Gador as short sighted.

In terms of making money, Julian wasn't yet Gador's equal, but Julian had offered ten thousand as a greeting gift, while Gador, with his bigger name and higher status, had only come up with two thousand to bribe Pronto. The comparison made Gador seem insignificant in Pronto's eyes.

Pronto calmed down a bit, considering his next move. Madam Vivian's order was to capture the culprits and lock them up. Surely, she wouldn't show up to personally witness it. Casually, Pronto pocketed the envelope, then put an arm around Gador's neck, forcing his head slightly lower than his own. "There are many people named Corder in Ternell city. Go find the one you're looking for!"

...

"Ship this batch out as soon as possible... no, don't wait for the evening. Send it during the day," Julian said to Ellis, giving instructions about the bootleg liquor shipment.

Several bars in the city had already begun inquiring about how to stock 'First Love' and 'Snow Elf.' They had little choice. Beyond a few wealthy young patrons, the core customer base for bars consisted of successful men in their thirties, forties, or even fifties. The key was that they were successful.

These patrons didn't mind how much they spent in a single night; they only cared about getting their money's worth.

Not everyone might like the taste of "First Love," but if one in three did, that was already a remarkable number. And right now, many of the core customers loved the flavor of "First Love." After all, not everyone's life from birth to success was smooth sailing, and "First Love" resonated with those who had experienced hardship.

So, the bars that hadn't yet received the liquor were desperate to avoid losing their clientele and quickly reached out to Julian, hoping to stock "First Love" and "Snow Elf" on their shelves as soon as possible.

Ellis, who had been in charge of production lately, followed Julian's instructions without question, nodding repeatedly. Just a moment ago, he had asked whether they should transport the liquor at night to avoid Gador's surveillance. But Julian immediately rejected the idea and instructed him to ship it during broad daylight.

Ellis still didn't fully understand why, but that didn't stop him from executing Julian's orders.

In fact, Julian was right. The danger of transporting at night far exceeded the risks of doing it in the day. No matter how reckless Gador might be, he wouldn't dare engage in street violence in broad daylight, unless he wanted even more trouble.

After settling the shipment arrangements, Julian and Ellis chatted briefly, just as Dave entered the room with a serious expression. In the past, Ellis might have taken this as his cue to leave, closing the door behind him, but his role had changed. Now, he no longer needed to step aside like an ordinary member of the guild.

Dave's expression was grim as he kicked off his boots. "They found Corder and took him to the police station. The police have already convicted the three men for robbery and plan to send them to the regional jail in the coming days." The thought of how his "sacrifice" had been dismissed so easily filled him with an unspeakable fury. He glared at Julian, who simply smiled.

"Don't worry. The more tricks they pull, the quicker they'll die," Julian said, understanding that nothing ever went exactly as planned. Whether you were a noble or just an ordinary person, you had to constantly adjust to the complexities of the situation. His original plan was to exact revenge on Gador and Wood, but somehow Pronto had been pulled into the mix as well.

While this wasn't part of his plan, he didn't mind.