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it was remarkable that I was given an appointment with the man. He was extremely cautious and had a small army of men guarding him. He was polite and courteous, but I had very little to offer him.

I could see Pedro stiffen at my disrespect. He kept his cool and simply walked out of the meeting. There was nothing I could do as his men escorted me out of the building.

(Martinez Family Reputation -20)

It was a gloomy autumn day when everyone seemed to want my attention.

"Hey jump, Freddie screwed me!", Jimmy said into the phone.

"You have to talk a little bit about Jimmy the Carrot," said Freddie when he arrived at my small apartment.

"Text me, URGENT," Daniel texted.

"Leandro Paulino Silveira, we need to sit down," said Lisa as she got out of the car after Freddie arrived.

I arranged a formal meeting at the butcher shop. Freddie, Jimmy, Lisa and Daniel were all there. I soon found out what it was. It appeared that Freddie had heard of a large payment from Rossi to the New Daria Police Department. Jimmy and Daniel intercepted the guy on his way to the meeting. They took a suitcase full of money from him after exchanging a few punches. To make things even clearer, Lisa was the one who knew where the Rossi men would be so the robbery could take place.

Obviously, they were furious with my decision. But that was why I was the heel. Perhaps this would help them to better resolve their differences in the future.

(Won $2000, Freddie Relationship -15, Jimmy Relationship -15, Lisa Relationship -15 and Daniel Relationship -15)

Sunshine Mall opening day was very exciting. I saw all those new business owners setting up their monitors and giving last-minute instructions to their employees. The way Freddie paced up and down the hall, you'd think he owned the place. I was still excited about the lucrative construction contracts, and he assured me there was even more money to come. The mall opened and shoppers poured in. Out of curiosity, I asked which companies were giving him the most trouble with billing. I was horrified when he said he wasn't collecting from any of them. He said he was planning to squeeze money out of the entire mall at once through his rent payments. That wasn't how things were done. Intimidating the mall's investors and planning committee was not the same as catching each individual entrepreneur. I could imagine the other families picking up the business rackets one by one.

Freddie was furious, but I couldn't let such an opportunity slip through my fingers. I had my whole team there, making 'offers' for everyone. I didn't care that he had other plans, the protection/extortion racket was our bread and butter! In the end, we managed to get most of the businessmen to enlist in our team and not in rival families.

(Freddie Ratio -30 and Protection/Extortion Rackets +3)

My life wasn't just business. After all, I was a captain, and that meant I was making a lot of money. Sure, I've had stress in my life, but I've also had a lot of luxury. This meant that when I left I was given full VIP treatment. I remember the night Depraved was playing at one of my favorite clubs. Freddie was very happy with himself. The band had become hugely successful and was making a lot of money for the family. He handed me a fat envelope as we sipped drinks behind the velvet rope where we sat. The band had been paying ever-increasing tributes as they became more and more popular. My patience was starting to pay off.

(Won $2000)

The night was going well until I saw Daniel being escorted out of the club by a pair of security guards.

He was a mess. Daniel dropped into the chair and sprawled across the arms. I could smell the drink from across the table. He looked at me with bleary red eyes.

I had to ask my associates to help me carry it out of the club before they went home for the night. We went to an all-night cafe and I had Daniel sit across from me. It took nearly an hour of coffee, water, and food before Daniel sobered up enough to speak coherently.

It had its issues, but it wasn't that bad. He seemed to enjoy my company and I learned to tolerate his.

(Daniel ratio +15)

It didn't take long for me to realize why Don De Luca had so much trouble with his son. He was inconsiderate, disrespectful and totally unreliable. The only blessing I had was that he was a good earner. If he hadn't been pulling his weight, I would have been able to drop him. This all came to a head when my phone woke me up in the middle of the night.

"Leandro Paulino Silveira, you'd better come here right away," said Jimmy.

When I got to the butcher shop, I saw that only Daniel and Jimmy were there. Daniel was sitting in a chair, slumped forward with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. I could see the blood all over it. His hands looked like he'd dipped them in red paint. His eyes were red and he had dark circles around them.

"What happened?" I asked.

"He killed a Fed," Jimmy answered for him.

Half an hour later, we found the three of us in an alley behind a seedy-looking bar. They told me the rest of the story on the way. Daniel said he was picking on an FBI agent behind a bar, nothing serious, just name-calling and joking around. Unfortunately, Daniel was high and when the agent said something unflattering to him, he hit her with his fists and boots. It was hard to believe that the damned piece of rags in the alley had been a person. Since the body was still intact, I had to assume the agent never had a chance to call in backup. I bent down and took the wallet from the corpse. The FBI ID was clear as day. I was hoping it was just some random girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The name sent a shiver down my spine. It was Alexis! To make matters even more complicated, the body suddenly groaned. Remarkably, she wasn't dead after all!

Alexis feebly tried to push me away, but Daniel had done a real number on her and she didn't have the strength to fight me. I saw Jimmy turn away in disgust. Daniel, on the other hand, was smiling with sick pleasure. A few minutes later, and it was over. It was hard not to think about how different things could have been between us. The chemistry between us was undeniable.

(Daniel Ratio +20 and Jimmy Ratio -10)

We couldn't risk leaving the body where it was. The DNA was a bitch. Skin cells under the fingernails, fingerprints on the face, a loose hair... anything was possible nowadays. We put the body in my Mustang and took it to the bridge. We wrap it in chains and throw it over the edge. It wasn't elegant, but it was done. Another piece of my childhood... gone.

The years continued to pass and the money continued to flow through my hands. Don Harcourt always needed his homage. I lived very comfortably like the rich man I was. That's why Don was so strict about payments. He knew I was getting the money. The question was: where was it? I remember when Don Harcourt informed me that I owed $19,240. $6,240 of what was previous tribute.

The extra tribute from the construction and demolition companies involved with Sunshine Mall was a huge help to our team.

(Tax Due - $2,000)

This brought my total tax still due to $17,240. It was a large sum of money and I knew Don Harcourt would not accept any excuses. That number burned into my brain as I struggled to scrape together the money.