Chapter 19: The Club Security Chief

In the days that followed, the aftermath of the sniper incident gradually faded, yet the people of New York continued to revel in their abstract performance art with unabated enthusiasm. The foot traffic in Times Square swelled, with many visitors coming specifically to see what this dismal, pathetic Times Square looked like.

This situation forced the government to impose strict surveillance to prevent similar heinous incidents from recurring in Times Square.

If such incidents happened repeatedly, the shameful label might become impossible to wash away.

As the instigator of it all, Luca remained detached—these past few days, he was busy scouting locations for a club.

At the same time, he had entrusted someone to investigate information on the Seven Deadly Sins killer. Once the information was found, he planned to pay a visit to deliver a message and avoid a series of future troubles. He knew the killer’s name but not their address; the original storyline did not specify any details, so he had to rely on the name alone for the inquiry.

Meanwhile, Luca’s bond with Matilda was progressively deepening.

Living together with Matilda was clearly different from their previous neighborly relationship, and their time together offered Luca an entirely different experience.

After all, they were now living under the same roof.

During the day, Matilda attended school while Luca “went to work.” Around three in the afternoon, Luca would pick her up from school, and then they would exercise together as part of their daily routine.

They would jog through Central Park and then head to a nearby gym for a workout.

Luca would wear protective gear and teach Matilda some basic boxing and combat skills—he still hoped she could develop more self-defense abilities, since New York was such a chaotic place.

With boxing gloves on, Matilda was like a little tiger, pouncing on Luca and playfully “baring her teeth,” until she was utterly exhausted, gasping for breath like a half-dead salted fish, shouting that she had no strength left, and then being carried home on Luca’s back.

Luca suspected she did it on purpose because Matilda always enjoyed lying on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck, and telling him amusing stories from school. At these moments, her voice was full of vitality, showing no signs of exhaustion.

Such a sly little one.

Once home, Matilda would be fully recharged, taking the initiative to do chores, then pulling out cookbooks to explore new cuisines. She transformed into a gourmet enthusiast in the kitchen, banging pots and pans, often becoming flustered and ending up looking like a little messy kitten.

Luca would pinch his nose and compliment her on her improving culinary skills, only to be met with Matilda’s helpless eye roll.

In the evenings, Luca occasionally helped Matilda with her schoolwork. Matilda would hang a pencil on her high, puckered lips, yawning as she listened to Luca’s lectures. Only when Luca taught her how to disassemble and assemble firearms did the little brat focus intently, afraid of missing any detail.

Days passed by, and Luca was pleased to see Matilda becoming livelier, revealing more of her innocent, girlish charm.

Matilda’s progress was promising, but as for Leon…

Compared to Matilda’s initiative and sociability, Leon was much harder to manage.

…

In recent days, the family occasionally called on Luca to handle some “troubles,” whether it was delivering a message or collecting debts.

Usually, Luca would bring Leon along to complete these tasks and help foster their bond.

After several missions, Luca had gathered 45 skill fragments. Their teamwork had become more seamless, and their bond had developed to the level of “Familiarity.”

But advancing further was not easy.

Without Matilda’s unexpected intrusion into his life, this not-so-cold assassin found it difficult to open his heart to others. He only knew how to perform dull, repetitive killer assignments day after day.

His soul was fenced in, and Matilda’s intrusion in the original storyline was a rare, unrepeatable chance. Without such an opportunity, forging a friendship with him required immense patience.

Luca wanted to help him make some changes.

“Leon, I’m planning to open a club. When it’s ready, I want you to be the head of security, maintaining order for me. Are you interested? We can negotiate salary and everything else. It definitely won’t pay less than what you make as a killer, and it’s much safer.”

At that moment, the two had just completed an assassination mission. Luca was driving Leon home and casually mentioned the club.

With Leon’s combat skills, being a club security chief would be a breeze.

Facing Luca’s enthusiastic invitation, Leon looked quite surprised. “Head of security? Sorry, I have no work experience other than being a killer.”

“That’s not important, okay? What I value isn’t your work experience but you as a person.”

Luca smiled. “The position of head of security is quite important. It requires responsibility for the club’s overall safety. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with it, but I trust you, Leon. Your professional ethics and work attitude have impressed me.

You never kill women or children. You never reveal your employer’s information. You handle things cleanly and efficiently… I can tell you’re principled and follow rules. I need you, Leon.”

Leon was stunned, mouth agape… Trust me? Need me?

He was a silent and restrained man, much like his silver queen plant—not accustomed to sudden warmth from others. It felt like a big stone had been thrown into the calm lake of his heart, disrupting his peace and leaving him somewhat bewildered.

Luca gave him some time to think and silently awaited his reply.

“I don’t think I’m suited for this job.” Leon shook his head, instinctively choosing to avoid the topic. “I only know how to kill, not how to protect.”

Luca chuckled silently.

“Brother, don’t joke with me. If you can’t protect, where did your ‘Oath of Protection’ come from?”

“So I’m not a little girl, huh?”

Luca knew he was making excuses, tangled up in the false dichotomy between killing and protecting.

“Leon, have you ever thought about trying a different life? You can’t be a killer forever.”

Luca analyzed from another angle. “The Continental Hotel’s influence is growing. More and more people want to become assassins. In a few years, you’ll lose your competitive edge… In my view, maintaining security at a club should be much easier than being a killer. You just have to point your gun at their heads and make them choose: either live and follow the club’s rules or die and be carried out. It’s that simple.”

Leon hesitated.

Luca continued, “Besides, you won’t be alone. You’ll have a team to help you.”

“Greco, you’ve been a killer too. You should know most assassins are lone wolves, used to working alone.”

“Oh, man, you just broke my heart. I thought we worked well together these last few times.”

“...”

“You’re also a killer, so you should know assassins rarely expose their backs to others. But I can watch yours—that’s how much I trust you.”

“...”

“The club hasn’t opened yet. Take this time to think it over.”

“All right.”

Leon felt he really needed time to consider this. The man beside him was meddling too much in his life… and he wasn’t quite used to it yet.

…

The weekend soon arrived, and Luca took the excited Matilda to experience a simple taste of family life.

Matilda’s idea of the Mafia was full of violence and conflict, with everyone acting on impulse, ready to start a fight or shoot at the slightest disagreement—just like those scumbag cops who killed her scumbag father.

As one of the most powerful gangs, the Mafia’s members should be feared wherever they went.

But everything Luca showed her was filled with peace.

First, they went to Arthur Street to visit Uncle Biao, the supermarket owner.

“Uncle Biao!”

“Luca!”

They greeted each other warmly. Uncle Biao’s Black girlfriend even gave Luca a cheek kiss.

“Uncle Biao, let me introduce you—this is my little sister, Matilda.” Luca presented the little one.

“Oh, such a lovely little girl.” Uncle Biao casually grabbed several snacks and chocolates off the shelf. “Matilda, take whatever you like. Don’t be polite with Uncle Biao. Make yourself at home here.”

Matilda was speechless.

She wanted to say she had never met such a generous supermarket owner before. Back when she bought groceries, the owner wouldn’t even give a single cent’s discount.

“Thank you, Uncle Biao! The snacks in your supermarket look delicious!” Matilda smiled sweetly.

Uncle Biao’s girlfriend hugged Matilda affectionately, constantly saying they should have a beautiful, sweet-talking child like her one day.

Luca casually asked, “Uncle Biao, when are you two planning to get married?”

“Within this year, but we haven’t decided on the exact date yet.”

Uncle Biao sighed, “Lately, no one has dared to rob the supermarket. Business is much better than before. Everyone knows the Luces family is protecting this place, so no one dares to cause trouble. I’m so busy with business every day, I haven’t had time to think about anything else.”

Luca was dumbfounded.

No, Uncle Biao, if you don’t get married, when will your big nephew from Hong Kong come to New York to experience the “Red Light District” life?

—The big nephew had crossed the ocean just to attend Uncle Biao’s wedding.

It seemed the storyline was shifting ever so slightly due to the butterfly effect?