Today, Dover clearly didn’t bring his lackeys with him. Today, he was alone.
He drove his car, took a turn around the Summuri District, and then found a street-side coffee shop to sit down.
He ordered a cup of coffee, a pastry, and watched the pedestrians on the side of the road walking by, ordinary and plain, just like their ordinary and plain lives, without any waves.
Everyone hopes that their life will be exciting, magnificent, and that when they are old, they will have countless topics to talk about with the young people.
But how many people can achieve this?
The young Dover grew up in an environment where “his father was a hero.” At that time, he had even asked his mother—
His mother had committed suicide when he was eight. He didn’t know why, but he knew that when he came home from school, he saw that woman hanging from the fan, in the living room.
Her head was hanging down, her face was bluish-purple, exuding an indescribable sense of weirdness as she looked at Dover who had just entered from the door. This had terrified him.
Before his mother died, he often asked her a question: since his father was a hero, a good person praised by everyone, why did he die?
“Heroes don’t die,” this was the children’s understanding of the world, but his father had died.
Before he got an answer to this question, his mother had also died.
He was alone.
He couldn’t tell if the praise that people around him had when talking about his father was real or fake, just as he couldn’t tell if the emotions expressed when people said “poor woman” were real or fake. He was too young to tell.
The only thing he could feel was the care from Paul, but he resisted this care very much. For the still-young him, the person who had really killed his father was not the gunman, but Paul.
If it weren’t for his father taking a bullet for Paul, his father would not have died.
If it had been another time, he could have completely avoided the fatal injury himself, and there would not have been a gunman coming for him.
So, the person who had killed his father was Paul, not the gunman.
The one who had caused all his misfortune was also Paul, not the gunman.
A child who had lost his parents, even with Paul’s care, it was very difficult to avoid being bullied at school.
This had nothing to do with his identity or background. Children of the same age would not yet understand the difference between a “gang leader” and a “great father.” They only knew that Dover was a child without parents, and they could bully him without being responsible.
And Dover, who was often bullied, was actually unwilling to expose his weak side in front of Paul. Over time, the way the two got along had instead developed a twisted relationship.
Paul felt that Dover was still immersed in the grief of losing his father and couldn’t extricate himself, while Dover thought that Paul was being a little too nosy.
A person who had killed your father was swaggering in front of you all day long, and often disciplined you. Would you not go crazy?
Dover did not go crazy, but he was close.
His life had been arranged clearly by Paul. He was very annoyed with this, yet he was unable to resist, unable to break free.
Sometimes he would do some crazy or absurd things, with the purpose of using his own way to declare war on Paul.
He wanted to provoke Paul. He even wanted to let Paul beat him up. Only in this way could he tell everyone that Paul was not as good as they had imagined.
The more he grew up, the more mature his thoughts became, and the more painful he became!
He could feel that Paul seemed to be using his family.
Using his father’s death, he was shaped into a hero to set off his own importance to the entire Pasoretto family.
After all, the person who had died to save him had become a hero of the family, so he must be a character more important to the family than a hero!
Using his mother’s death, he even once suspected that the woman had been hung on the electric fan by Paul’s men. Only in this way could he lose all his guardians.
Finally, he used him to make Paul look like a family head, a leader, and even a family spiritual leader who was full of human touch and worthy of people risking their lives for him!
The more he thought, the more he longed to provoke Paul and make him tear off his disguise regardless of everything and give him a good beating.
To grab him by the collar and tell him that everything was just a game of the superiors!
But he couldn’t really provoke Paul and was stuck in a vicious circle.
The more he failed to achieve his goal, the more he longed to achieve it. He himself had not realized that he had already become obsessed.
He was like a fish that was about to drown in the water, absurd and comical.
And also ridiculous.
He thought a lot, the coffee in his cup disappearing bit by bit. Instead, some things that had been cultivated for many years gradually made the balance in his mind begin to tilt.
He took out the business card from his pocket. There was only a name and a phone number.
“Owen…”
He read out the name, but there was no surname, and below it was a string of numbers.
He hesitated again and again, took out a dollar, and placed it on the table, pressing it down with a coffee saucer. Then he stood up and walked to the phone booth on the side of the road and dialed this number.
“Owen?”
“Who is this?” The voice on the receiver was a bit familiar, but soon the other party seemed to remember something, “Christopher!”
“How about it, want to have a chat with me?”
“I won’t do anything to you, nor will I force you to do anything you don’t want to do. Just a chat with you.”
“Here, perhaps, I have the answer you have been looking for.”
“Of course, the premise is that you dare to do so!”
“If your uncle finds out, he’ll spank you again!”
Owen knew very well how to provoke Dover. Dover’s face instantly turned a little red. This was caused by the rise in blood pressure.
“I will go to see you, but you must understand this point. I’m not going because you provoked me, I’m just going to see what tricks you are playing!”
Owen’s laughter was hearty and also carried a sense of seeing through his lies, which made Dover even more annoyed, “Don’t f—king laugh, give me a location!”
Soon, he drove his car to the agreed-upon location, a strip club.
After parking the car, he came to a small room inside. This was a place for rich bosses to consume separately. A young man was already sitting here.
He hadn’t seen him very clearly yesterday, but now that he saw this guy, he had an urge to leave immediately!
Because he knew this person!
He often appeared by the mayor’s side!
“You seem very surprised?” Owen stood up and motioned for him to sit down, “It’s very safe here, no need to worry about anyone finding out.”
“Even if you stay here until evening, your uncle will only think you are a waste who can never be entrusted with important tasks.”
“Just as you have always shown.”
Perhaps it was the last sentence that worked. Dover, who had originally planned to leave, sat down.
He knew that the Pasoretto family and the mayor were not on the same side, but were sworn enemies, opponents. This made him not trust this guy in front of him.
But this guy could always say some things that made him go against his own thoughts. He clearly didn’t want to stay.
Owen was very good at communication skills. Even though they were two opposing camps, he could also chat very easily.
“Paul must have had a hard time recently, right?” He found a very suitable entry point.
This entry point made Dover a little unhappy, and at the same time, he was a little vigilant, “I won’t reveal anything about him to you.”
Owen smiled, not very concerned, because all of this was within his expectations.
“The current situation is actually very dangerous for the Pasoretto family. Has Paul ever told you this?”
Dover didn’t speak, and Owen continued, “See, he is very busy every day, busier than ever before, but he never tells you that the Pasoretto family is at a critical moment of life and death. You have never become a real core, Dover.”
“Even though your father lost his life to save him, even though you were raised by him, he still didn’t see you as the core of the family.”
“You don’t know anything about such an important matter. This is the proof!”
Dover was a little ashamed and angry. Being told by an “outsider” that he was not the core of the family made him feel a little bit of a loss of face, “I know!” he retorted.
Owen wagged his finger, “No, you don’t.”
“The Cassia family and the Kodak family have already compromised with us, and Rick will even join us to deal with you.”
“The Tita family, the Keane family, already have our people. Although the war has not yet begun, it is actually already over!”
Owen’s smile annoyed Dover, but he was also startled by what Owen said!
He felt his breathing become a little rapid.
Although he always wanted to cause trouble for Paul, he still essentially hoped that the Pasoretto family could continue to exist. He was considering whether to tell Paul this news.
Just as he was thinking, Owen asked, “Are you thinking of telling Paul about this?”
Looking at Dover’s eyes that couldn’t hide his thoughts, Owen smiled like a forty-year-old fox, “Then how do you plan to tell him that you suddenly know these secrets that ordinary people simply cannot know?”
“Dover, a character like your uncle Paul can’t find out this news, so how did you, a marginal figure, find out?”
Dover fell into silence. He hadn’t considered this problem before, but now that Owen had reminded him, he suddenly realized the seriousness of this problem.
If he told the truth, would Paul believe him?
He couldn’t guarantee it!
But if he didn’t say…
Owen watched him struggle in his hesitation and weighing for a good while without any answer, then continued, “Actually, the Five Families becoming a thing of the past is inevitable, because you are just thieves, and the mayor represents the Federation government.”
“Dover, you are a smart person. You should know that you, a family, a gang, cannot fight against the state machine!”
“When this country decides to deal with you, you simply have no room to resist!”
“Otherwise, why do you think the Kodak family and the Cassia family came over so quickly?”
Dover seemed to have found a point to refute him, “The mayor can’t represent the entire Federation!”
“I take back what I just said!” Owen took a deep breath, which made a smile appear on Dover’s face, not for any other reason, but simply out of a desire to win.
But then, Owen’s words made his face change quickly, “I take back the phrase ‘you are a smart person.’ Dover, you are not smart at all!”
“The mayor indeed cannot represent the Federation government. That is the business of the masters in Congress.”
“But he represents the actual rule of the Federation government over the grassroots. From the moment this battle began, you have actually already lost.”
“Because what you are challenging is not the authority in the mayor’s hands, but the rule of the Federation government.”
“If there was a chance, do you think Paul would really go to war with us?”
“No, he will become another Cassia family or Kodak family. He doesn’t want to go to war, and he also knows that he can’t win.”
“Perhaps this year is the last year for the Five Families. After these few months, the order of Golden Port will be rewritten by its true master.”
“You, you all, will be swept into the dustbin!”
Owen took out a pack of cigarettes, “Want one?”
Dover took one from him and didn’t speak.
Occasionally, he would strike a match to light a cigarette. He held the match and shook it, then threw the extinguished matchstick into the ashtray, “I admire you very much, Dover.”
“So I’ll give you a chance, a chance to continue the Pasoretto family.”
“Replace Paul, pledge your allegiance to us, and you will become the hero of the Pasoretto family, just like your father!”
“But this time, what you have to do is not to sacrifice for Paul, others, or the family. What you have to do is to sacrifice others, protect the family, and become a hero!”
“You can prove to your father that his choice is not necessarily correct.”
“And your choice is not necessarily wrong!”
These words struck Dover’s head like a thunderbolt. His whole person was stunned, even forgetting to smoke his cigarette.
Owen knew that his plan had succeeded.
Sometimes he felt that Paul was very interesting. Perhaps after playing certain roles for too long, he really felt that was himself.
He is a gang leader. He shouldn’t have such an obvious weakness, but he not only has it, but also lets his weakness run around!
Perhaps the Pasoretto family should indeed be destroyed!
After a good while, Dover came back to his senses. He looked at Owen with a complex expression. He had never thought that the person who understood him best was actually an outsider!
He didn’t know what to say, just lowered his head and smoked.
“I won’t force you to make a decision immediately. I will let you see, see the Pasoretto family step by step towards its demise.”
“Before it is completely wiped out, at any time, you can make a decision, but except for the last!”
“Enjoy the few remaining moments of peace, Christopher Pasoretto.”
Owen stood up. He buttoned up his clothes. In fact, the weather was quite hot now, but he was still wearing a full set of clothes.
Perhaps this was some of the price that high-society people had to pay!
When those people could wear floral shirts and shorts, they still had to maintain their decent appearance, and this matter was all the fault of a fool!
It was said that a certain fool, even in the hottest weather, would be neatly dressed and wear all his attire, including a wig.
And his reason was that a well-known and respected public figure should not, at any time, in any place, let his appearance look indecent due to the external environment.
And so this trend eventually swept the world!
You know, before this, those big shots were not as decent as people imagined, wearing strange clothes, and relieving themselves anywhere…
After Owen had straightened his attire, he smiled and looked down at Dover who was still sitting on the sofa, “I’ve already paid the fee here. Two girls will come in to serve you later. Enjoy your last pleasure!”
He showed a somewhat unpleasant smile, “To be reborn in destruction, or to be completely destroyed, it’s all up to you!”
After speaking, Owen left here. Before long, two girls walked in. It was just that this time, Dover had no interest at all!
On the way back, he noticed that the city had indeed become a bit chaotic.
In just three kilometers of road, he had seen no less than three robberies in broad daylight, and someone had even looted a shop on the side of the road. He connected this with what Owen had said to him, and his happiness left him!
These two days were probably the time when the police hotline rang most frequently. Some people discovered that even in the Starlight District, the police did not arrive so timely, and the homeless people on the side of the road had also developed some greed!
Theft, robbery, snatching, looting shops…
The city’s public security was getting worse.
Only three districts in the entire Golden Port still maintained their peace.
The Empire District, the Bay Area, and the industrial district.
Even in a place like the Xilin District, where mostly elderly people lived, many old people had reported that someone had pulled out their yellowed gold teeth…
“Someone was caught robbing on Phoenix Street. Two guys stabbed a passing pedestrian and robbed $3.77.”
“Should I hand them over to Bruce, or what?”
Bolton gave Lance a call. The public security in the Empire District was actually also becoming unstable. Although there were people patrolling, there would always be places where they couldn’t patrol.
Lance straightened his eyebrows, “Was the person sent to the hospital?”
“He was sent. The doctor said he needs surgery.”
“Pay the money, but don’t hand the people over to Bruce. I’ll be right over.”
Lance hung up the phone and frowned.
He packed some small things he carried with him and made sure there were bullets in his pistol before leaving the office.
The convoy quickly arrived at Phoenix Street. Phoenix Street was located in the eastern part of the Empire District, at the junction of the Port District and the Priliccia District. Because the three districts converged here, it was also relatively prosperous.
The roadside was almost all shops. Sometimes some middle-class people from the Priliccia District would also drive over here to buy some cheap goods.
By the time Lance arrived, a lot of people had already gathered here. Two young men were being held on their knees, and there was a pool of blood not far away.
“Mr. Lance is here!”
I don’t know who was the first to discover Lance. Soon, the people took the initiative to make way for Lance to walk in…