Inside Don Corleone’s office.
After hearing Fredo lay everything out so logically and clearly, all three men in the room were genuinely surprised.
Tom stared at him in disbelief.
Sonny even stopped chewing his food.
Even the usually unreadable Don Corleone turned and looked at him differently.
At that exact moment, the same thought flashed through all three of their minds:
Who the hell is this guy, and what did he do with Fredo?
After listening to both of his younger brothers talk things through, Sonny finally snapped out of it.
He clapped his hands together and looked at Don Corleone.
“So, Pop… what’s your answer?”
…
“And what is your answer, Don Corleone?
I need powerful friends.
I need one million dollars in cash.
And I need access to the politicians under your influence—as many as possible.”
The Turkish man sitting across from Don Corleone spoke confidently, almost arrogantly, as if victory was already guaranteed.
Virgil Sollozzo.
Inside the room sat only the true core members of the Corleone family:
Don Corleone, Sonny, Tom Hagen, Peter Clemenza, Salvatore Tessio, and Fredo.
Don Corleone scratched lightly at his cheek and adjusted his tie before asking calmly,
“And what exactly is the benefit to my family?”
Sollozzo continued his passionate pitch.
“Thirty percent.
In the first year alone, your share could reach three or four million dollars.
And profits will only keep growing.”
Don Corleone picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, then slowly set it back down.
“And what does the Tattaglia family get out of this?”
Sollozzo smiled faintly.
“My respect… and I’ll give them a share from my end.”
At this point, Don Corleone already had his answer.
“If I provide financial backing, political influence, and legal protection… I receive thirty percent.
Is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
Both Sonny and Tom subconsciously glanced toward Fredo again.
The shock on their faces couldn’t be hidden anymore.
Don Corleone continued,
“Then why come to me?
Why are you being so generous?”
Sollozzo smiled wider.
“If you’re willing to invest one million dollars, Don Corleone… then you’ll have my deepest respect.”
At that moment, Don Corleone rose from his chair using both hands against his knees.
He walked over beside Sollozzo, picked up a bottle, and personally poured him another drink.
“I agreed to meet with you because… I heard you were an honest man.
That’s why I treat you with respect.”
He handed the glass to Sonny, sat back down beside Sollozzo, adjusted his tie again, then continued calmly, New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
“But I must refuse your offer, and I’ll tell you why.”
“Yes, I have many friends in politics.
But if they learn I’m involved in narcotics instead of gambling, they’ll abandon me.”
“They consider gambling a harmless vice.
Drugs… drugs are dirty business.”
“But Don Corleone—”
Sollozzo tried to argue further, but the Godfather cut him off immediately.
“What you do for a living is your business.
But this line of work… it’s too dangerous.”
Realizing the deal was slipping away, Sollozzo hurriedly added,
“If your concern is security, the Tattaglia family will guarantee your investment.”
And then Sonny made his mistake.
“You mean the Tattaglias would guarantee our investment—”
Don Corleone immediately raised a hand to stop him and shot Sonny a cold look.
“Wait.”
Everyone in the room instantly understood.
Sonny screwed up.
The guy was too eager to show interest.
Meanwhile, Sollozzo nearly smiled inside.
Maybe there was still hope after all.
Don Corleone quickly continued,
“My weakness has always been my children.
As you can see, I spoil them too much.
They speak without thinking.”
“But regardless, Mr.
Sollozzo, my answer remains no.”
“I wish you success in your business.
I know you’ll do very well.
And I sincerely wish you luck… especially since your business will not conflict with mine.”
“Thank you.”
The meeting ended.
Don Corleone shook Sollozzo’s hand, and after Sollozzo left, the rest of the Corleone family members filed out of the room one by one.
Except Sonny.
The Godfather kept him behind.
With his enhanced hearing, Fredo could clearly hear Don Corleone scolding Sonny inside the office.
Especially one particular sentence:
“Never let outsiders know what you’re thinking.”
Don Corleone really was carrying the entire family on his back.
Then came what Fredo considered one of the Godfather’s most questionable decisions.
Sending Luca Brasi undercover to investigate.
That was basically the same as walking into a lion’s den wearing a steak suit.
Or, as the old saying goes—lighting a match inside a gas station.
So after Sonny came out and Don Corleone instructed Tom to call Luca Brasi over, Fredo immediately pulled Don Corleone back into the office.
Pretending to ask casually, he said,
Because Fredo performed surprisingly well the previous night, Don Corleone answered honestly.
“I plan to stay still and observe.
I’ll have Luca pretend he’s unhappy with the family and send him to investigate.”
To be fair, Don Corleone’s plan wasn’t entirely wrong.
After all, even he never expected the New York Mafia—quiet for so many years—to suddenly pull knives on each other without warning.
Fredo organized his thoughts before speaking carefully.
“Pop, I’m not saying your plan is bad.
But think about it.”
“If someone from the Tattaglia family suddenly approached you, claiming they had a falling out with their people… would you really trust them with sensitive family information?”
“Even if you believed the feud was real, you’d still keep your guard up, right?”
Don Corleone fell silent.
That silence alone already showed agreement.
Fredo continued,
“Exactly.
You wouldn’t trust them, and the Tattaglias aren’t idiots either.
They won’t hand real information to Luca.”
“Even if he learns anything, it’ll either be public knowledge or misinformation they intentionally feed us.”
“And worst-case scenario?
Luca ends up in serious danger.”
“That’s not worth it.”
This time, Don Corleone slowly nodded before looking directly at Fredo.
“So what would you suggest?”
Fredo instantly perked up.
“Pop, you already know I’ve been raising a team of my own.
Leave this matter to me.
I guarantee I can get useful information.”
“All I need is some funding.”
Facing his son confidently thumping his chest, Don Corleone didn’t answer immediately.
He was still weighing the situation.
Still thinking.
Fredo pressed on.
“And honestly, even if we fail, nothing changes.
We still stay cautious and wait things out.”
“But if we succeed?
Then that’s a bonus.”
“Right, Pop?”
Don Corleone suddenly found himself amused.
It wasn’t that he disagreed with Fredo.
The kid’s logic actually made perfect sense.
Last night, Fredo analyzed the situation the same way, and today events unfolded almost exactly as he predicted.
Now he was making another solid argument.
At this point, Don Corleone couldn’t help thinking:
Maybe it’s finally time to sit down with Carmela and arrange this idiot son’s marriage properly so he can start handling real family business.
Unfortunately for Fredo…
He had absolutely no idea the Godfather was already planning his future marriage behind his back.