Lunch

"So...." Melina's father said as he carved the roast gammon. "Does anyone know what happened to two rolls of bread? According to the chef, they disappeared."

He looked at Kai as if waiting for him to confess to the crime. Melina, feeling a little guilty, opened her mouth to speak when Kai answered.

"I do."

"And please do tell, what happened to them." Melina's father said as he placed slices of the meat onto everyone's plate.

"Well, I found a cute bird today and she looked a little hungry. I felt bad and decided to feed her some bread."

"Oh you feed some bird bread."

"Yes, and now she should be with her lovely family enjoying lunch."

"I see. At least you're creative now…" Melina's father muttered as he sat back down. "Right. That'll be an extra drill tonight."

Jason coughed, trying to hide a laugh as Kai grumbled about injustices and birds. Melina looked at Kai with guilt but he mouthed across the table that he would be fine. James meanwhile dismissed the staff as Kai reassured Melina that he would be fine.

Once all the staff had left the room, James twirled his right hand a few times and a purple smoke appeared from it, soon covering the table in a dome shape.

"Now that everyone is gone, let's talk a little more."

"Umm… father. What about the staff?"

"Don't worry about that. They won't be coming in until I say so. The dome is also soundproof so they won't hear anything. And if you're wondering as to why I didn't do this yesterday, it's because I felt seeing everything would be best for you."

"Oh… so how does it work?" Melina asked, a little curious.

"Well, as you know our power is pride. It may seem weird but as Satan's descendants, we are able to condense the emotion pride into energy I guess you could call it. Of course, the more pride you are around, the stronger your power.

"It's one of the reasons why we went into the Underworld. Our influence would be greater and the emotions of pride as well as the other sins are felt more in these environments, making us more powerful in turn.

"However, it's important to note that you will need to train because if you lose control of your power in a crowded place, there will be some bad consequences. So, after your manifestation you'll only be allowed to use your power in the hidden room when Jason or I am around."

"Yes, father. One question through, how does the whole Mafia thing work? Like, are you the boss or something."

"Yes, I'm the Godfather or 'boss' as you would say. Jason is the Capo Bastone, underboss in a way and is directly under me. Jason is mostly learning the ropes from Steven right now. As for Steven, he is my Consigliere and acts as my advisor."

"And you Kai?"

Kai was taking a bite of food as Melina asked the question, causing him to choke on it at the unexpected question. He coughed a little, hitting his chest with his fist.

James ignored him and replied, "The boy is staying out of the business doing college. As you will in a few years. It'd be best if you'd decide your own paths. As much as the family business is important to me, I will not let you two get involved."

"But what about-" Melina started.

"It's okay sis." Jason patted Melina on the head. "I wanted to do this. One of us has to continue the business for the family clan. I even got my MBA so I could help out."

"Yes, but don't act like you're running things yet. You still have much to learn and I have quite a bit of time left in me."

"Of course father."

"About ages…" Melina said, something coming to her suddenly. "How long do demons like us live for?"

"Quite long. Maybe a couple of centuries. Depends on how direct the line is." Kai replied. "Father here is a couple of centuries old."

"What?! But then…."

"No. We're the first." Jason said, knowing what Melina was trying to ask. He leaned in closer and whispered, "For older demons like father, things like love and family are a little hard for them to understand."

"Ahem…" James coughed. "We need to talk about your manifestation. Since you're from the direct line, your powers are stronger than most so we'll need to be careful. We'll start the process after lunch since you'll need to get used to your demon form."

"When you say direct line, what exactly do you mean?"

"Satan's your grandfather is what father means." Jason replied.

"I see…" Melina ate a bit of her food. "And how do things operate? Is it all family or trusted members of the Underworld?"

"The Rana clan is mostly run by family, in that most of the higher ups have some connection to Satan, whether by being a direct line or a few generations down. We have outsiders to do the dirty work for us but they're supernaturals like us. Of course, demons from the other seven sins aren't allowed in unless they marry into the family. However they have to renounce their former lineage and both family heads have to agree to the person joining the family.

"For how we operate, it's quite simple. Jason and I run the legal side of the business along with Maria. The illegal side is run by Mullian. He takes care of all the mafia activities and filters the money in the smaller businesses we own. He is basically the face of the Rana Clan and has most of the godfather's authority but I pull the strings with certain matters."

"Why not just filter it through the legal businesses?" Melina asked. "I mean what's the point of having them if you're going to use smaller businesses."

"Two reasons. First, it'll be easy to get caught because large companies have to go through audits and random financial checks. You could bribe the auditors but after a while someone from accounting is going to bring it up because they have a conscience."

"And the second?"

"We used the filtered money to build other businesses and keep things afloat in bad times. Having the money in one spot isn't always a good idea. How'd you think the family companies lasted so long through two recessions? Tech and investment companies are sometimes the first to fall during times of hardship."

"Larger businesses also come with something that normal small businesses don't have." Jason added.

"And that is…"

"Power and connections." Kai answered, looking up from his third helping. "It's easier to make connections with politicians and other wealthy people when you have a couple million dollar companies to your name."

"That's true…" Melina murmured, looking down at her empty plate.

All the mafia talk reminded her suddenly of the loan sharks that had come to the house after her foster parents' death. She had been distracted by all the secrets being spilled that it had slipped her mind.

However, they were going to be a problem. And while she still didn't know how to solve that problem, maybe asking her father about loan sharks would help her out.

"Father, are loan sharks part of the mafia?" Melina asked, deciding that she needed to keep the whole loan shark thing a secret.

"No. Loan sharks normally operate under small-time gangs. The mafia, at least from the seven clans, don't touch those guys. In terms of Underworld hierarchy, they're quite low." James replied, looking sharply at Melina. "Now why are you interested in them? Your foster parents didn't get involve with any did they?"

Melina felt herself wincing internally. Her father had hit the nail on the head. But how could she explain that to her father....

"I was just curious about them because I saw a few in my neighborhood once."

It wasn't a complete lie. A neighbor two blocks down the road had their house destroyed by some loan sharks when they didn't pay back the loan on time.

"I don't think that's completely true." James narrowed his eyes. "I know that they gambled and probably got involved with loan sharks again. I don't care about that. Debt is easy to pay off, but if those scumbags touched you, well we're going to have some big problems."

"No one touched me but loan sharks did come to the house after my foster parents died." The words tasted weird on Melina's tongue.

"I see… Do you have a name for the group."

"No, but the ringleader said if I go to the local corner shop on Mains and ask for Big Joe, that I would be able to contact the loan sharks."

James nodded his head and took a sip of red wine. "Anyway, I believe we should get back on topic. Melina, as you know you'll be starting school on Monday. That's a few days away so during your time here, you'll need to train and learn as much as possible about demons and our powers. Both the theory and practical stuff. I can help you manifest now but afterwards, I'll be leaving you with your brothers to train. Two hours should be enough for your first time."

At the last words, James waved his hand and the dome around the table disappeared. The dining room door also opened and servants entered the room again. James stood up and gestured for the three siblings to follow him.

They did, all heading for the hidden office room.