BIA Ch. 11

The Varone Family had already been expelled once from La Cosa Nostra for violating the rules. They were allowed to rejoin La Cosa Nostra after ten years because they expressed deep reflection and remorse but this time, the organization’s boss had confessed everything to the government, information more than enough to endanger other organizations, all to avoid the death penalty.

There was no way Bran would miss that golden opportunity. He sold a large quantity of hidden drugs to a third-world country at a high price and only then did the Varone Family realize that the culprit who had stolen their drugs a year prior was a young gang member of the Kalisz family.

But even so, it was too late. By then, all the organizations within La Cosa Nostra were debating whether to kill or spare the Varone Family. While everyone seethed over whether they should let the brothers live after they had betrayed them twice, there was no chance their pleas would be heard even if they begged, “Aren’t we still brothers? In the name of brotherhood, please help us punish those thieves.” In truth, the Varone Family hadn’t even dared to consider asking for help before then.

Bran then used the money he had earned from selling the drugs to hire Russian hackers and began extorting money from various illegal gambling sites. Simultaneously, he ran a carousel, which seemed to refer to some sort of customs duty fraud scheme during the import process to generate even more money.

That money went directly into financing the organization and thanks to this, the Kalisz family, which had been just another unremarkable gang in Eloy City, quickly grew into a major organization, rivaling the five major Eloy mafia families. The Varones, Rossettis, Martinos, Rinaldis, and Coppolas.

“The problem is, because of what happened back then, our organization is now on La Cosa Nostra’s radar. Anyway, if we want to do business in America, we have no choice but to appease them and that damned fool completely messed things up.”

Chester was furious, blaming everything on Bran but to Isaiah, it just sounded like nonsense. They seemed to be doing quite well in business without La Cosa Nostra, so what reason did they have now to worry about appeasing them? He thought, He’s grasping at straws, trying to find any excuse to complain.

Isaiah, with an indifferent expression, didn’t even bother to respond. Perhaps feeling anxious about Isaiah’s apathy, Chester suddenly changed the subject.

“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, I remembered something.”

“That woman was one of the Russian hackers Bran hired back then. Irina Smirnova.”

Before Isaiah could even ask who she was, Chester continued.

“Bran’s girlfriend. The one you killed.”

“…….”

Isaiah’s heart plummeted. The person I killed. No matter how many times he heard it, he would never get used to that.

“She was a beauty. Blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a typical Northern European beauty and a hacker, so she must have been intelligent. No wonder Bran fell for her.”

Chester chuckled, seemingly amused, while Isaiah’s mood continued to sink. Such a captivating woman, someone Bran couldn’t help but love…and I killed her. And not intentionally but by mistake, misjudging his aim while trying to kill Bran.

He suddenly recalled Bran’s face, arms crossed, watching him. He had been smiling. That was strange. Based on Chester’s account, Bran should have been furious enough to strangle him on the spot but that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, he had almost seemed…amicable. Although he had drawn his gun.

Perhaps, since we agreed to work together, he decided to bury the past? To set aside personal feelings for the greater good? … But are those the kind of feelings, that level of resentment, one can so easily forget?

The car pulled up in front of his house. Even though it was his home, Isaiah was the last one out of the car and into the house. As soon as he saw the corpse sprawled on the floor, he screamed involuntarily.

“Quiet. Don’t make a fuss.”

Chester clicked his tongue as he unbuttoned his jacket. He sat down on the sofa with an air of arrogance. Isaiah, terrified, asked.

“Are you really going to leave them like this?”

“They have to be taken care of, obviously.”

“When…?”

“When does it matter?”

His tone implied that the corpse was of little consequence.

“…….”

Isaiah swallowed hard, looking down at the body at his feet again. Who was this person? Why would Bran kill him? And why leave the body here, as some sort of…gift for me? Surely he wouldn’t kill a complete stranger and present them as a gift.

“Chester.”

Manny, who had retrieved two cans of beer from the refrigerator, offered one to Chester.

“Put it down.”

Chester pointed to the table with an arrogant gesture and said, looking at Isaiah entering the living room,

“Well, we have three options. First, you would revive your memory sometime today.”

“What? That’s impossible!”

Isaiah, startled, cried out just as he was about to sit down on the sofa.

“Second, you would face work tomorrow without being able to remember anything.”

“Crazy, that’s even more impossible!”

Chester continued calmly, paying no heed to Isaiah’s resistance.

“Third, we postpone the announcement of the successor.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“No, this is the most impossible.”

Chester shook his head after he had said it.

“What? Why?”

“Why? Because it’s tomorrow! I have already informed the organization members and everything is prepared, so how can we postpone it? Unless a war breaks out right now, we absolutely cannot postpone it.”

While Chester was speaking, his cell phone rang. Chester took out his cell phone, checked the number, sighed and answered the phone.

“Mama, please. I’m busy right now.”

Chester called his mother “Mama.” Isaiah thought to himself, ‘It’s shocking, but it suits him.’ Suddenly, Chester sprang up like a coil and shouted,

“What? Really? …Oh my goodness. How could this happen! Okay, I’ll go right away!”

After hanging up the phone, Chester continued to scream while holding the cell phone in his hand.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!”

“Why? What happened?”

“I heard that Aunt Angelina passed away.”

“Yes?”

Manny’s eyes widened as he was about to open a can of beer. Seeing Manny’s reaction, Isaiah thought she must have been a close relative, even though he would not know her.

As Isaiah was trying to decide what words of comfort to offer, Chester suddenly knelt down on the floor and clasped his hands together.

“Thank you, Aunt. Thank you, Lord! Hallelujah!”

“Crazy, your aunt passed away. What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind?”

Despite Isaiah’s astonishment, Chester paid no heed.

“She had been on a respirator for four years. She had been in a vegetative state the whole time.”

Manny said excitedly to Chester, who stood up, brushing off his knees,

“If this is the case, it would be difficult to announce the successor tomorrow, right?”

“Of course. Aunt Angelina was like a parent to my father. With her passing, announcing a successor is unthinkable. We would have a wake ^[1]for at least three days and knowing my father, all organization business would be on hold until after the funeral.”

“Hallelujah.”

Before Chester could finish speaking, Manny put down his beer can and made the sign of the cross.

“Anyway, Isaiah,”

Chester said, his mouth stretched in a wide grin as he hurriedly buttoned his jacket.

“Aunt Angelina has bestowed her final grace upon me, so you should stay home, clear your head and see if your memory returns. I have to go see our angelic aunt off so she can go to heaven.”

“Oh, I understand.”

Isaiah would not know what to do to get his memories back but he responded automatically.

“Then I’ll be back! Call me right away if you remember anything!”

“Okay. Oh, wait a minute! Chester! The body in the foyer…!”

Isaiah shouted, remembering belatedly but the only response was the sound of the front door closing.

“Oh dear.”

Isaiah muttered softly and sat back down on the sofa.

It felt like everything had happened so fast that he was completely disoriented. He would not understand what was going on. He would not understand, but it seemed certain that Chester had been overjoyed by the news.