Chapter 45: Santino's Rage

"Yes, sir, due to the explosion and fire at Valentino's club after his assassination, our people were unable to detect the marks left by 'The Elder's' direct squad initially. It wasn't until after the fire was extinguished and the site thoroughly cleared that we discovered the mark," explained the butler, sweat beading on his forehead under the intense aura of Old D'Antonio.

"Why would 'The Elder' intervene? It doesn't make sense. Even if there is a conflict between Gianna and Santino, it's strictly an internal matter for the D'Antonio family. We have always maintained a peaceful coexistence with 'The Elder' over the years. Could it be that he wants to meddle in our family affairs through Gianna?

But that's unnecessary; his power far exceeds our family's!"

Old D'Antonio was confused; the information was too sparse to support a comprehensive analysis.

"Continue..."

Unable to deduce more from the current information, Old D'Antonio could only hope for more intelligence from his butler.

"At the time, Mr. Wick's writer friend, Richard Castle, was confirmed to have stayed in the hotel and had no involvement in the attack on Valentino's club.

However, he did intervene during the day to rescue two girls and annihilate the Albanian kidnappers, along with executing two of our family members involved in the kidnapping. This gives us reason to suspect that Mr. Castle knew that Valentino was behind the kidnappings.

Normally, after rescuing the girls and eliminating the kidnappers, he wouldn't need to pursue Valentino, right?

But considering his relationship with John Wick and Mr. Wick's relationship with Miss Gianna, we have to wonder if he harbored any thoughts of completely eradicating the threat after learning that Valentino was an underling of Santino.

What baffles us is how he could be connected to 'The Elder'."

Old D'Antonio and his butler exchanged a look of bewilderment, and silence once again filled the study.

After a while, Old D'Antonio made a decision and instructed the butler standing by, "Notify Gianna and Santino to come back immediately. 'The Elder's' unexpected involvement means I can no longer remain a bystander to this fratricidal strife. If things escalate and outsiders take advantage, our D'Antonio family could suffer greatly and become a laughingstock.

Also, tell Gianna to bring John Wick with her!"

"Yes, sir, I will handle it immediately."

The butler bowed and then left the study, leaving Old D'Antonio alone in the dimly lit room, his gaze murky and mood fluctuating as he fell into deep thought.

After leaving the study, the butler immediately sent a message to Gianna and Santino, instructing them to drop whatever they were doing and return to Rome promptly.

Gianna, upon receiving the message to bring John Wick back with her, was actually delighted. This would provide an excellent opportunity to confront Santino in front of their father and perhaps force him to surrender the blood oath crest, thus eliminating a potential threat.

While Gianna cheerfully arranged for her private jet to fly back to Rome, Santino D'Antonio, who had just arrived in Paris from Italy to investigate and manage the aftermath of his club being attacked, was not in a good mood.

For Santino, the attack was a disaster. He had lost valuable contacts and manpower due to an event he had no hand in initiating. The loss wasn't limited to his own people; several wealthy clients, including a Middle-Eastern prince he had recently connected with, were killed. This disaster had him scrambling to appease the families of the deceased and investigate the incident, nearly driving him mad with frustration.

Moreover, Santino harbored a deep-seated fear that Gianna had discovered his schemes and orchestrated the attack to undermine his operations and connections, effectively cutting him off at the knees.

His fears and frustrations only compounded when he received the butler's message to return to Rome immediately, and that Gianna and her boyfriend would also be there.

After making arrangements to stabilize the situation and leaving instructions for his trusted aides to continue the investigation, Santino and his bodyguards hurried back to Rome.

Upon his arrival, he was unable to meet with his father immediately but was informed by the butler that Gianna was en route to Rome and that a meeting with their father, Gianna, and her boyfriend was scheduled for the following morning.

Despite some covert support from a faction within the family, and a little slack given by Old D'Antonio, Santino learned that Gianna's influence had likely played a role in the incident at his club.

"Gianna..."

Fuming in his room, Santino clenched his fists. He was convinced that Gianna had made her move after detecting his maneuvers. Perhaps it was time to consider using the blood oath crest to force John Wick to eliminate

 Gianna—a drastic and risky move.

The next morning, as the family gathered in the grand hall of the castle, Santino's internal conflicts and dilemmas were overshadowed by shock and fear when he saw John Wick, looking content by Gianna's side, enter the room.

"John Wick, why is it you?"

Santino D'Antonio's mouth fell open, his face a mixture of disbelief and a sense of betrayal…

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