Earlier, it was mentioned that Sicilians believe in one thing above all else: first build a family, then build a career.
Before a man goes out and does serious business, he’s supposed to settle down first.
Get married, start a family, become steadier.
And Don Corleone, a man obsessed with family, believes that with all his heart.
Don Corleone staying silent for so long leaves Fredo completely speechless.
Is the old man getting up there in age or what?
How can he not tell good advice when he hears it?
So the father and son sit there awkwardly in the office, each lost in their own thoughts.
Then the office door opens, and Tom walks in.
“Godfather, Luca Brasi has been notified.”
Don Corleone nods and motions for Tom to come inside.
Then he turns to Fredo.
“Repeat what you just said.”
With no choice, Fredo repeats everything he told Don Corleone earlier.
But after finishing, he doesn’t stop there.
“And another thing—we need to be careful now.
Sonny already tipped our hand back there.
Sollozzo knows Sonny is interested in the drug business, while you aren’t.
That means they might decide to remove the people who refuse to cooperate.”
The moment he hears that, Don Corleone’s expression changes.
Tom can’t hold back anymore either.
He immediately looks at the Don.
“Godfather, I think Fredo’s right.
Let him handle the investigation.
And your security needs tightening too.
Better safe than sorry.”
Don Corleone scratches his cheek thoughtfully before finally looking at Fredo.
“Alright.
I’ll leave the investigation to you.”
“…To you?
And this is the mess you hand me?”
Facing Philip Tattaglia’s anger, Sollozzo can only force a bitter smile.
After all, the deal really did fall apart because of him.
“Vito Corleone refuses to budge,” Sollozzo says helplessly.
“I tried every angle I could think of, but the man just won’t agree.
But…”
Philip Tattaglia immediately snaps impatiently:
“But what?
Damn, this old guy’s impatient.
Couldn’t even pour me a drink first.
Don Corleone at least had manners.
After grumbling internally, Sollozzo finally continues.
“But Vito Corleone’s eldest son, Sonny, seems very interested.
Maybe we could…”
Philip suddenly slaps his hands together.
“That’s it!
We get rid of the people who won’t cooperate and push up the ones who will.
Sonny’s already the heir anyway.
This could work.”
Without wasting another second, Philip excuses himself and leaves to discuss the matter with Barzini.
Once downstairs, he gets into a car surrounded by bodyguards.
He thinks killing Vito Corleone is a solid idea.
And now… he’s making his move.
Meanwhile—
Fredo is moving too.
The second the Godfather gives approval, he starts acting immediately.
Of course, the first thing he does isn’t asking Sonny for money.
That’s a minor issue.
Instead, he goes straight to Tom to ask about Monica inheriting her aunt’s farm.
Not because it’s urgent, but mostly while he’s already there.
As the family lawyer, Tom is as reliable as ever.
“No problem,” Tom says.
“Leave it to me.”
After that, Fredo tells Rocco to contact Mikey and gather the crew at the house outside the city.
Work time.
As for Fredo himself, he plans to head back to the apartment first and tell Monica the good news.
Ever since visiting her aunt’s grave yesterday, Monica’s mood has been a lot better compared to before.
Still…
Because she’s feeling down, Fredo spends the whole night just holding her while they sleep.
Purely sleeping.
And honestly?
For a guy with his current physical condition, that’s torture.
By early morning, he has to jog for more than two hours just to calm himself down a little.
When he gets back to the apartment, Monica still seems a little gloomy.
So Fredo decides to cheer her up with a game.
I’ll describe an object, and you guess what it is.”
Monica blinks those innocent big eyes at him and nods, curious about what kind of nonsense he’s about to pull.
“Alright, listen carefully.
There’s something on the human body.
For some people it’s hard, for others it’s soft.
Adults have a bigger one, kids have a smaller one.
Some people have more hair on it, some less.
Guess what it is.”
The second she hears the description, Monica’s face instantly turns red.
“What kind of thing are you making me guess?!”
Fredo grins.
“Hey, we agreed to play.
So what is it?”
She shoots him a glare but still answers shyly:
“Isn’t it obvious?
That thing down there on you.”
Fredo immediately puts on a disgusted expression.
“Wow.
Monica, your mind is filthy.
I was talking about a hand.”
Then he bursts out laughing.
“Pfft—”
Monica first smacks him a few times with her little fists out of embarrassment, but eventually she starts laughing too.
The two of them end up collapsed together on the couch.
Their eyes meet.
Maybe it’s love.
Maybe it isn’t.
But sometimes, when two people click, things just naturally fall into place.
One deep French kiss later, things almost spiral out of control.
And in the end, Fredo still can’t resist the temptation.
He can’t endure it, can’t fight it, and definitely can’t suppress that fire burning inside him…
Outside the window, the sun quietly drifts westward.
Near dusk.
After washing up, Fredo and Monica finally leave the apartment.
Since exercise burns energy, the two of them stop to grab a meal before heading out toward the house in the countryside.
The gathering point outside the city.
To be continued…
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