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Chapter 111
Roger and Emily quickly disappeared into an alley after leaving the Pantheon Club.
In the third shop down the alley, Messina was already there, having ordered coffee and waiting for them.
“Did you both get back safely?”
Messina waved to them as she greeted them.
“Yes.”
Roger replied casually and began to step inside—but then he recoiled as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.
Seeing Roger hesitate, Emily followed behind, glancing in the same direction, only to freeze in place herself.
“How are you… here?”
Kilian was sitting at the table right next to Messina.
Watching the shocked expressions on Emily and Roger, Messina sighed.
“You’re surprised too, huh? So am I.”
She glanced sideways and continued.
“I told you not to worry since I’d be with Emily, yet this paranoid husband still came all the way here?”
At that, Kilian raised one eyebrow and said coldly,
“I don’t recall explaining that my wife was with Roger.”
Emily took a deep breath to hide her embarrassment and spoke.
“Mr. Goldwin had some urgent business.”
She emphasized that it wasn’t anything to worry about, then went to sit next to him.
“I already explained roughly what it was about.”
Messina looked exhausted, as if she had been dealing with Kilian for a long time.
Roger, wary, took a seat across from Emily.
Left alone at the table for a moment, Messina muttered, These guys… as she nudged Roger aside and took the seat next to him.
She then waved to the waiter.
“Two more iced coffees, please.”
Kilian couldn’t take his eyes off Emily, fascinated by her unusual appearance. After all, he had been in prison and had never seen her disguised as Stella, so it made sense he would find it odd.
Emily awkwardly adjusted her wig.
“I just wanted to stop people from gossiping about Mrs. Starr, so I tried a disguise. Does it look strange?”
“Why would she look strange in my eyes?” Messina scoffed.
Kilian, relieved that Emily had returned safely, silently held her hand under the table.
Seeing Emily’s shy smile, Messina’s eyes narrowed slightly—but she didn’t want to ask about the situation. Instead, she turned her attention back to Emily and Roger.
“So, did you learn anything at the Pantheon Club?”
“Yes, but…”
Roger frowned and, rather than answering, posed a question to Messina.
“How did you come to suspect that Enoc Blua is connected to the Giuliano organization?”
Messina’s eyes lit up.
“Why? Did my guess seem convincing?”
Roger and Emily exchanged glances and nodded.
Emily spoke cautiously, glancing around.
“The gang controlled by the Pantheon Club chairman supports the Giuliano organization.”
“I knew that. Knowing someone in my territory is collaborating with the Giuliano organization feels disgusting. I’ve been keeping an eye on it,” Messina said.
Roger sighed in irritation.
“You should’ve told us that sooner if you knew.”
“Upset? Sorry.”
Judging by that cheerful expression, it was clear she had intentionally not told them.
At that moment, the waiter brought over the two iced coffees.
Thirsty, Roger gulped down his coffee and continued.
“I just wondered if the chairman’s deference to Enoc Blua had any connection to what Messina suspected.”
Kilian’s face darkened slightly as he listened to their conversation.
“Messina, what exactly do you know on your own?”
“Who knows?”
Messina shrugged and feigned indifference.
Roger opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Kilian’s gaze, which silently instructed him to wait patiently until Messina spoke.
Enjoying the attention, Messina rested her chin on her hand and said,
“They say the lemon tarts here are delicious, right?”
“…Roger, bring the lemon tarts yourself.”
“Understood.”
Roger glared at Messina’s side profile before getting up to order from the waiter.
“Madam, would you like anything?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Thanks to the snacks picked up at the Pantheon Club, she wasn’t very hungry.
After a tense day, she had even managed to relax and eat, realizing how much her composure had grown.
Soon, Roger returned briskly and placed the lemon tart in front of Messina.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Messina smiled, and Roger forced a smile in return.
Since the Rezetta Family specialized in assassinations, their information network was superior to other organizations. Right now, keeping her in a good mood was the top priority.
“Mm~ this is delicious!”
Messina took a big bite of the tart and exclaimed.
“Sweet things really do lift your mood, don’t they?”
Kilian, who disliked unnecessary chatter, calmly waited for Messina to begin speaking about Enoc first. Losing patience here would accomplish nothing.
“Sorry for hogging it all myself.”
“We’re fine, please enjoy it,” Emily said, patiently waiting for Messina’s answer, agreeing with Kilian’s approach.
Messina finished the tart leisurely, savoring the last bite, then drank the iced coffee in one gulp.
“I’ll order one more coffee.”
Roger immediately got up and returned to the counter.
“I don’t know what to do with her,” he muttered.
Messina leaned back on the sofa, satisfied.
When Roger returned with the coffee, he playfully pretended to flick her head from behind, then politely placed the coffee in front of her.
“Thanks.”
Oblivious, Messina took a sip and addressed Kilian.
“In exchange for giving you information about Enoc Blua, there’s something I’d like in return.”
Finally, she got to the point.
“What is it?”
“Our Rezetta Family needs a legitimate business too. As you know, we don’t want our cute Lucas to be embarrassed of his parents as he grows up.”
“I see. I heard you bought farms and factories on the outskirts of the capital.”
“Quick with the news.”
Messina admired it briefly before continuing.
“I want you to supply the olive oil we produce to your restaurants and grocery stores. That’s all I want.”
Kilian owned many high-end grocery stores and restaurants, so distribution there would spread by word of mouth quickly.
“If the quality is good, I’ll buy it at a fair price.”
“No worries about that.”
After purchasing expensive land with rich soil for production, Messina quietly felt satisfaction and ended the video she had been reviewing.
“We recorded all of our conversation, so no changing your story later, okay?”
Roger gave Messina a weary look.
“You don’t know our boss’s personality? Since when was this even working?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Kilian gave Roger another look, signaling him to be quiet. Finding out Enoc’s identity was the priority; a recording was trivial.
Soon, the coffee Roger ordered arrived. Messina took a sip before slowly speaking.
“Kilian, like you, I was very curious about who Enoc Blua’s biological parents were.”
“Did you find out where the previous count got Enoc Blua?”
Roger asked, barely hiding his excitement.
“Yes, the previous count brought in his half-brother’s son.”
“If it was the count’s half-brother, then Enoc Blua must have been born out of wedlock.”
Being illegitimate explained why there were no official records. Roger finally understood why the Starr organization’s informants had trouble tracing Enoc’s birthplace.
“But here’s something even more interesting. Do you know what Enoc Blua was called before he received that family name?”
“What?”
Kilian furrowed his brows.
“You’ll be shocked when you hear it.”
Messina, shaking her head at the absurdity, looked Kilian in the eye and said,
“Matteo.”
“What?”
“Matteo. Isn’t that hilarious?”
Roger and Kilian were dumbfounded, forgetting even to react properly.
Emily, confused, asked,
“Why that name?”
Regaining his composure, Roger mumbled an answer.
“Because… the current Giuliano organization boss is named Matteo.”
Enoc Blua’s real name was the same as the mafia boss?
“Do you think Enoc Blua could be the Giuliano boss?”
Even imagining Enoc as a mafia member was absurd—but a mafia boss? That didn’t suit him at all.
“No, that’s impossible. Matteo is a common name.”
“Yes, it could be a coincidence. But there’s more suspicious stuff.”
Messina’s expression turned serious.
“What is it?”
“The current Giuliano boss Matteo… he’s the grandson of the previous boss, right?”
Roger snapped his fingers, remembering something.
“Yes. The son of the previous boss’s daughter and some nobleman was Matteo, wasn’t he?”
Wrong. Messina chuckled softly and shook her head.
“They fabricated Matteo’s father as a legitimate noble to emphasize Matteo’s prestigious lineage. In reality, he was born out of wedlock.”
Roger’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
“Wait a minute.”
Emily calmly processed the information.
“So both Enoc Blua and Matteo are children born out of wedlock, and Enoc’s original name was Matteo?”
“Exactly. Could all of this really be a coincidence?”
Kilian’s eyes darkened with a chilling intensity.
The false testimonies at the trial, the assassination at the hunting tournament, the connection with the Pantheon Club chairman—one by one, the puzzle pieces were falling into place.
