Chapter 101: John's Implication

Santino's anger flared once again in the manor. The reason? He had lost contact with his trusted aide at the Continental Hotel, who was supposed to hire some desperadoes.

Santino didn't naively think his aide had run away or retreated after sensing danger. From the very first moment he couldn't reach his aide, he realized that something unfortunate had likely happened to him. And in New York, Santino's only enemy was that novelist, Castle, who couldn't stick to writing and had to stir up trouble.

The disappearance of his trusted aide made Santino both angry and afraid. He was angry because Castle had acted against him before he even made a move. He was afraid for the same reason. Santino came to New York to vent his frustration on Castle, whom he had considered a minor figure. But now it was clear he had greatly underestimated Castle's influence in New York. If the information about him coming to New York for revenge and staying at the Continental had leaked, it must have been Gianna who informed Castle. This raised the question: did he still have a sure chance of victory?

The long-standing fear of Gianna, combined with the recent humiliation of being slapped by his sister due to the blood oath with John Wick, made Santino even more fearful. When he learned that his Paris club had been destroyed because his associates had foolishly kidnapped the wrong person, he didn't immediately think of revenge. Instead, under Gianna's wrath, he initially thought Castle was just a random interloper. He chose Castle as his target simply because he seemed like an easy target.

However, after arriving in New York and experiencing a series of unexpected events, including Winston and King's clear avoidance of the issue, Santino realized that he had made a grave error due to insufficient intelligence and his own arrogance. Then things took an unexpected turn.

Castle brazenly walked into the Continental and had the staff deliver a message to him. How did Castle know he was in New York? The only people aware of his trip were his four bodyguards and two close aides, who had no reason to betray him. Thus, Castle's information could only have come from Gianna. This meant his revenge against Castle was now intertwined with his power struggle with Gianna.

Moreover, Castle's audacity was bolstered not just by Gianna's information but also by the ambiguous stance of Winston and King, two major players in New York's underworld.

Upon arriving at the manor and failing to contact his aide at the Continental, Santino truly realized he might have bitten off more than he could chew. 

The poor, abandoned son of the D'Antonio family was unaware that his father knew all about his actions and planned to use his reckless move to test the mysterious figure who had destroyed Santino's club in Paris with a team directly under the Elders. The reality was that Santino was being watched by his father, Gianna, John Wick, Castle's father Sean, Winston, and King, all of whom were observing the conflict between Santino and Castle with cold eyes.

Santino, however, was oblivious. Since arriving in New York, nothing had gone right. The refusal of the Continental and Barry Street to assist him had already made him furious and somewhat fearful. Now, his aide had gone missing, which finally made the arrogant Santino realize something was seriously wrong.

But what could he do next? Should he return to Rome in disgrace?

Santino hadn't considered the possibility of Castle retaliating now that he knew Santino's intentions. He hadn't thought about whether Castle would let him leave. His only concern was that returning to Rome in failure would further damage his already fragile pride and dignity.

Santino didn't realize that Castle was no pushover. Castle, empowered by system-awarded skills, was a fierce beast. Santino had come to New York to protect his pride, and now Castle, equally determined, was set on teaching him a lesson.

As Santino paced anxiously in the manor's living room, every move was captured by hidden cameras installed by Castle and transmitted to his laptop. Watching Santino's agitation, Castle, sitting in a car not far from the D'Antonio manor, laughed heartily.

Seeing his plan to rattle Santino achieve near-perfect success, Castle was satisfied. He had successfully lured Santino out of the Continental and into surveillance. Now, knowing his enemy's position, Castle's next step was to prevent Santino from fleeing in fear.

Having gone to great lengths, including seeking Sean's help to protect Martha and Alexis and installing surveillance in the manor, Castle decided Santino must be taught a lesson, ensuring he wouldn't cause further trouble.

As Santino was stuck between continuing his hopeless endeavor or retreating to Rome, Castle had already resolved to infiltrate the manor at night and give Santino a proper scare.

At this moment, John, who had been closely following the situation, called Castle again.

"Rick, how are things? We've just been notified by the New York manor's caretaker that Santino has moved in. Did you install the surveillance before he arrived? What's your next move?"

Castle, in high spirits, updated John on the current situation and his plans, assuring him that as long as Santino didn't continue to trouble him or his family, he would consider sparing his life.

Castle sensed that John's repeated calls were more than just concern. Despite Santino's incompetence, he was still part of the D'Antonio family and Gianna's brother. John's frequent calls hinted at a desire for Castle to consider this relationship.

Thus, Castle made it clear during this call that if Santino didn't push his luck, he wouldn't take his life.

Satisfied with this response, John reminded Castle to be careful and then ended the call.

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