Global Film Emperor

Chapter 537 Atonement (Part 2)
Steam rose and pushed against the pot lid, and water droplets gradually flowed down the edge of the pot towards the flames. He hurriedly turned off one of the stoves, while his left hand continued to stir the ready-made meat sauce canned from the supermarket.

He couldn't cook, and he couldn't even control the temperature of frozen food properly. He hadn't made any progress in decades. Before he knew it, the meat sauce had reduced too much, making it look more like a dish than a bowl of noodle sauce. He usually ate noodles rinsed in water and topped with meat sauce. But with a child visiting, he was a little annoyed. He rummaged through the refrigerator, took out all the vegetables, simply picked off the rotten leaves, chopped them into sections, poured some salad dressing on top, and the vegetable salad with green peppers, onions, celery, and other odds and ends was ready.

Tonight's dinner consisted of a platter that looked like frozen food and looked completely unappetizing, resembling a green belt. Bonnie straightened her turtleneck sweater and walked towards Sarah's room with extreme insecurity, knocking on the door.

"Let's eat."

"immediately."

He returned to the dining table, crossed his hands on the surface, and waited quietly for Sarah to appear. Not long after, she came out. When she saw the food on the table, she showed no expression, as if she was used to eating this kind of food. She pulled out a chair, sat down, gently smoothed the hair at her temples, tilted her head slightly, ate a bite of noodles, and nodded slightly as she chewed.

"Can I eat it?"

"I eat these things at home too, and they even have a salad, which is pretty good..."

She wasn't a picky eater, which made things much easier for Bonnie, since his wallet couldn't afford all those gourmet dishes. But that wasn't a reason for her to eat junk food all she wanted; she was still growing and needed extra nutrition.

Thinking about her future life, it's fine for her to live here, but she can't just stay in her room forever, or be left to wander the streets, right? She needs to do something serious, and at her age, the only serious thing she can do is study.

Where do you study?

"what?"

She glared at Bonnie warily, but then she remembered that Bonnie was her grandfather. Even if she didn't want to admit that this bastard who had abandoned his wife and children for decades was her biological grandfather, the blood relation still existed. To be honest, if it weren't for her father always cursing the old man when he was drunk, which led her to also feel disgusted with the old man after being taught by example, she wouldn't have such a bad impression of Bonnie, given the old man's current behavior.

She relaxed her guard slightly and took the initiative to lower her psychological defenses. After all, she was just a child, and her emotions were always written on her face. She rolled up her noodles and replied with the same sense of uncertainty about the future, "I've been on leave from school for half a year."

"Go back to school. I'll take you back to school tomorrow to complete the formalities."

"No."

It's already a new semester, and her former classmates have all moved up to the next grade. If she were to return to school, she would definitely have to repeat a grade. For a child who only goes to school to pass the time and play with her friends, it's inevitable that she would feel resistant to being in a familiar environment and meeting new people again. In a class of this age, a classmate who suddenly appears out of nowhere wouldn't be very welcoming. Bonnie understands this, so she's not surprised by Sarah's resistance.

"I don't think it will be difficult for an outgoing child like you to integrate into a new class..."

“I said no, mind your own business. I said I will make money and leave once I have enough. You don’t need to arrange my life.”

And so the unpleasantness began. When a child already dislikes you, a rebellious child will defy everyone who tries to control her and lead her down a path she doesn't like. She put down her cutlery, her head still fuming, and didn't even walk into the room, leaving Bonnie stunned for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

He had never experienced the rebellious spirit of a child, and he himself was too old to feel the same rage as young parents. Raising a rebellious child in his old age was like placing a piece of candy on his aging taste buds that hadn't tasted sweetness in a long time. He didn't feel it as clearly as when he was young, but he could still taste the flavor.

After finishing his meal alone and washing the dishes, a wave of discomfort began to wash over him, and the pain gradually intensified. He finished washing the dishes without changing his expression, only the sweat on his forehead testifying to the severity of his pain. He took a few painkillers, and since there was a child at home, he had to give up his habit of sleeping on the sofa and lay in bed. The pain still did not lessen at all. He then realized that he should probably go to the hospital to get some medication for conservative treatment, otherwise he might not live to see the day when his child got back on track.

……

Over the next few days, the two rarely saw each other, not mainly because she stayed in the room all the time, but because Bonnie had a lot more things to do.

It took five days after all the preparations—including getting checkups, picking up medication, and going to school alone to complete Sarah's reinstatement procedures—to be finished.

Having the school reopening documents made Bonnie feel much more relaxed. When he went to the mall to buy some groceries and found that he was short a few coins in his wallet, it didn't spoil his good mood. After all, he's a kid, and it's normal for him to buy fast food outside if he doesn't like to eat what he makes himself.

On the way back, a casual glance at him made his smile gradually disappear. After pulling over, he walked seriously in the direction he had just seen.

A group of young men and women sat on the roadside railing, laughing and joking. Among them, the boys were clearly from South America, and their hands were not well-behaved as they flirted with the girls. Bonnie was very disgusted by their improper behavior. He walked over to the group, but before he could say anything, Sarah, who was dressed somewhat provocatively, spotted him immediately. She turned around in surprise and tried to run away, but Bonnie called her back.

"Sarah, we should go home."

Instead of foolishly stopping, she quickened her pace, even putting on the coat she hadn't wanted to wear earlier while fleeing.

"Sarah, come home with me!"

She finally stopped, turned around slowly with an embarrassed smile, looked at the South American boy who had touched her inappropriately, waved her hand gently, and then walked to Bonnie's side with her head down.

Young girls always have more opportunities to get involved with petty thugs, and it's not impossible for them to become intimately involved in just a few days, especially in Bonnie's neighborhood, a place full of scumbags where anyone with a job is considered decent.

Following Sarah's gaze, Bonnie met the eyes of the boy who looked quite young. There was not a trace of nervousness or apprehension in the boy's eyes; he was chewing his gum with complete composure, even with a hint of provocation.

Bonnie often saw this look in their eyes; it was a common sight on the faces of South Americans. These guys were naturally frivolous and dissolute, and after banding together, they acted like they were the most important person in the world. They had this expression ever since that group of South Americans arrived in Italy decades ago, and it hasn't changed to this day.

They stared at each other without any attempt to avoid each other until Sarah got into the car. Only then did he slowly turn around and get in. In the car, Sarah crossed her arms and looked out the window without saying a word. Even after they got home, she still didn't have a good look on her face and went straight to her room.

Bonnie couldn't hold back any longer. Even though he knew an argument was about to break out, he still started to lecture the obviously misguided child without any hesitation.

"You should stay away from them. These guys are no good and will do you no good for your future."

"Yes, they are not good people. You are, you are the great person who abandoned his wife and children."

To Bonnie's surprise, the conflict between the two did not begin with an argument. Her retaliation was delivered through sarcasm and ridicule, but to be honest, those words really hit Bonnie's sore spot. No matter what, that was Bonnie's sore spot.

"Will saying this get you away from them? If so, you can say whatever you want, but you can't deny that associating with these people won't do you any good."

"At least they can bring me happiness! They can make me forget that I was also an abandoned child! They were abandoned people too, just like me! It's people like you who have ruined me like this, am I wrong? Didn't you kill my father and grandmother?"

The sarcastic remarks had come to an end, or rather, escalated further, leaving Bonnie speechless. Perhaps seeing that Bonnie was in the wrong and had nothing to say, she began to press her advantage, further widening the rift in Bonnie's heart.

"Do you dare tell me why you left? Which woman did you run off with? I never met my grandmother, but my father always told me she was a good mother. She's not like you! Nor is she like my mother! Why can you be so heartless, taking the dog instead of me..."

She attacked Bonnie's inner weaknesses with words, while crying sadly herself. Perhaps she realized that she also had a wound in her heart, a scar that Bonnie had pierced through the hearts of three generations.

Tears soaked her cheap eyeshadow and foundation, and pain etched its marks on her tender face. She trembled all over, shaking uncontrollably. Bonnie stared blankly at her, gradually accepting the idea that the source of her pain was still herself. Perhaps her presence would make her cease to exist, but at the moment her mother abandoned her, she must have also wished she didn't exist.

His face turned pale, a result of the pain caused by his emotional distress, but the physical pain was now being suppressed by his mental anguish.

Her breakdown came too suddenly, like a flood bursting from a dam. Perhaps every night after her birth mother left, she was accumulating disappointment, which finally erupted in her conflict with Bonnie, breaking down the psychological defenses of both of them.

Unable to stand any longer, she slowly leaned against the wall and sat down on the floor, burying her face in her knees and curling herself into a small ball. Only then did Bonnie truly realize what a child under the age of fourteen should be like. She was far more vulnerable than the face covered in foundation that he usually saw. And this vulnerable child, who had no one to care for her, was his granddaughter, not a tenant who had taken in his home out of desperation and relied on favors.

The bond of blood, it existed, binding the two together tighter and tighter. He pulled Bonnie's legs forward, squatted down beside her, and gently stroked her hair. But she still had a resistant feeling towards Bonnie, and threw Bonnie's hand aside, burying her head and shouting.

"Do not touch me!"

"I won't abandon you. Let's get back on track. I've completed the formalities. Go back to school."

"..."

Her school was not a good school at all; on the contrary, it was quite bad. It was located in a dilapidated neighborhood on the other side of the city, and most of the children who came to attend the school were immigrant children who were taking advantage of the free education. You can imagine what the school environment was like.

Even so, when Bonnie parked her car at the school gate, her eyes were still fixed on the teaching building, with a slight smile on her lips. It was clear that she was actually looking forward to her new school life.

Accompanied by Bonnie, the two entered the school building together. It was during break time, and as soon as they entered the building, they could hear the loud noises of children playing and shouting. Children were running around in the corridors, swearing and using foul language that was hard to bear.

She seemed to feel a little ashamed of the environment, even though she was just as outspoken when playing with her friends. But seeing that Bonnie didn't seem to care made her feel relieved, but then she felt a little strange. For some reason, she started to pay attention to Bonnie's emotions.

Sarah's re-enrollment went smoothly. Perhaps because they all lived in the same neighborhood, the school teachers knew more or less about Sarah's family situation, so they treated Bonnie with considerable courtesy. After all, in Italy, especially in Naples, a region where Mafia crime is rampant, no one dares to offend someone connected to the Mafia.

The principal led them to Sarah's current classroom. After Sarah introduced herself to her classmates and took her seat, Bonnie didn't leave until the teacher started the lesson again. Sarah, who had just joined the class, was a stark contrast to the other students. Out of more than thirty students in the class, she was the only one pretending to listen. Based on Bonnie's understanding of her, she would probably integrate into the class completely within a day and become one of the mischievous ones.

Even so, she was still in school, which was enough to largely prevent her from getting involved with the neighborhood thugs. Bonnie didn't have high expectations for her; he didn't pin his hopes on her becoming a scientist or something else that sounded incomprehensible. With his financial resources and the school's faculty, he couldn't cultivate such top talents. He just hoped that Sarah could get on the right track and find a stable man to spend the rest of her life with. That was the only way he could make amends to his wife and son.

However, even though she was already sitting in the classroom, like the only child who remained sober in a space filled with youthful hormones, there were still dozens of troublemakers in the class who were clearly not well-behaved students. Students were not necessarily more innocent and kind than those idle scoundrels in society. Thinking of this, Bonnie began to worry that some of these children might be up to no good, or even "notorious" outside of school. These days, children can easily come into contact with things they shouldn't, especially in a school in this kind of dilapidated neighborhood.

Bonnie then realized that raising a child is like a pearl necklace strung together with one worry after another. Countless, even unnecessary, worries are constantly on her mind until she truly grows up and acts rationally enough, only then will she gain her trust and let her go out into the world to explore.

He lingered at the classroom door for a long time with a faint smile on his face. She also noticed Bonnie's lingering and would glance at her from time to time. Although there was no verbal communication, Bonnie's presence did attract the attention of many students. The teacher had no choice but to wave her hand to draw Bonnie's attention and extend her right hand in a gesture of leaving.

He took off his hat, placed it on his chest, apologized to the teacher, and left with the hat on. Most of the students in the class lost their object of attention, but they still did not lose interest in chatting. In the lively classroom, Sarah unconsciously showed a slight smile on her face. Finally, she stood her book up and hid behind it, laughing softly.

……

After parking the old car downstairs, Bonnie hummed an Italian folk song and carried the newly bought vegetables upstairs. Just as he was about to enter the building, he caught a glimpse of a group of children sitting on a bench not far away, also looking at him. Among these children was the South American boy who had hung out with Sarah last time.

Their eyes met, and the group of children stood up and ran towards Bonnie with malicious smiles. Bonnie didn't run away; she just watched the children run towards her quietly. They were mostly wearing the oversized tracksuits left by their older brother, with sports vests underneath. Cheap, heavy jewelry jingled around their necks. As they ran, the wind blew into their clothes, making them billow like inflated, colorful balloons.

Do you still recognize me?

The kid ran over, looking arrogant, tilting his head back and pointing his nose at Bonnie, chewing bubble gum, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, taunting Bonnie like someone with ADHD.

Bonnie liked the boy's body language and expressions. He knew this kind of person all too well. These South Americans could never pretend to be fierce. They could only show that they were gangsters by their licentious behavior and tattoos all over their bodies. They had been like this for a long time until Bonnie caught them and put them in a cage. He beat them to the point of near death like he was pinching a chick, and only then did they restrain themselves.

"Are you the leader of these people?"

Without answering the child's question, he had a gentle expression and glanced at the children of different heights and builds around him. In the same kind tone, he asked the boy standing in the middle of the crowd a question.

"Yes, let me settle the score with you."

"How much does it cost?"

The answer startled the boy. He had intended to scare the old man, warning him not to interfere with Sarah's intimate relationship with him. If he could extort some money to pay for a cigarette with his brothers, that would be ideal. But Bonnie didn't intend to follow the proper procedure, which made the boy suddenly feel a little panicked. However, looking around at all the brothers standing beside him, he regained his courage. He pulled up his baggy jeans, laughed along with his brothers, stared contemptuously at Bonnie's face, pouted his lower lip, put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, and nodded.

"You've been extorted many times before? You're quite sensible. You're too old to be easily beaten, so just hand over your money obediently."

"I have something in my hand, you can take it yourself."

Another wave of doubt washed over him, but his brothers were watching. He didn't hesitate much, but his movements became much gentler. He slowly reached out and placed his palm on Bonnie's pocket, giving it a slight pat.

"behind."

The boy looked up and met Bonnie's gaze. Seeing that Bonnie still had a calm expression, he became even more careful, gently touching his lower back. The sensation of a hard object was clearly felt in his palm.

run!
The boy had seen the real thing and even touched it. The shape of the thing matched his guess. One must be highly vigilant to survive on the streets, so without any hesitation, he immediately put his hands down on Bonnie's pants, placed his hands on the ground, and took big strides like a wild beast, preparing to move behind Bonnie.

Turning around and running away at this moment is the stupidest thing to do. In the second you turn around, the other party can draw his gun and shoot. At such close range, there is no way to dodge. The only way to survive is to take advantage of the old man's age and slow movements, crawl behind him, and make Bonnie turn around on her own, so that you have a chance to fight back or control Bonnie.

This kid must have been taught how to escape death, and he has good mental fortitude and excellent reflexes. Bonnie admires him for being able to make the right decisions at such a young age, but no one can ever escape Bonnie's gun, even though he is much slower now than when he was younger.

A bag of vegetables landed on the ground. With a smile, he swiftly drew a revolver from his waist and pressed it against the boy's head as he was about to take a step. Instantly, no one moved; no one dared to move.

"Sorry, you lost, kid."

The boy stopped being arrogant and simply knelt on the ground, raised his hands to his face, and kept begging for mercy. It was clear that this was the first time he had been held at gunpoint, and tears streamed down his face in a very short time.

Bonnie glanced at the group of boys who were clearly stunned, then slowly bent down, still smiling, and whispered in the boy's ear, "You really want me to get to know you?"

The boy shook his head repeatedly, his words filled with extreme panic. He clasped his hands together in front of him, tilted his head back, and breathed heavily.

"But I really want to get to know you. Who are you, sir?"

The slow pace of his speech carried a clear sense of intimidation, far more terrifying than when the boy had charged at him aggressively. At the same time, his thumb slowly pulled the firing pin open. The boy knelt on the ground, and the sound of the spring being gradually pulled open could be clearly heard, making him plead for mercy at an even faster pace.

"Spare me, I was wrong, please let me go..."

“You don’t have to tell me, but I’ll know who you are, including whether you have parents, who’s raising you, and whether you have siblings. I’m old and don’t want to waste my brain remembering a coward like you. But next time I see you, I’ll pay you a visit. Do you understand what I mean, kid?”

"I understand, I'm sorry, sir..."

The vegetables that had fallen to the ground were picked up by the other hand. Bonnie put away her gun, gently pinched the boy's cheek, pulled at the skin and shook it a couple of times. The smile on her face only faded now. She looked at the boy who had come with the boy and gently slapped the boy's face twice.

"If you're a coward, don't even bother coming out here. Someone like you will never get into a gang. You have no chance. But it's fine, this way you can avoid having your throat slit open one day and becoming dinner for rats. Go back and do something honest, just don't let me see you again. Oh, and stay away from Sarah, or I'll be the one slitting your throat. Why don't you take your boss to the public restroom to change your diaper?"

After saying that, Bonnie didn't look at them again, as if nothing had happened. She carried the vegetables into the elevator, but before the elevator doors closed completely, the boy could see a pair of murderous eyes through a crack in the door.

……

Bonnie picked her up after the first day of class. Another pearl had been added to her necklace. It was lucky if a pretty girl could take public transportation from one dirty and chaotic neighborhood to another without being harassed. So Bonnie was willing to go through the trouble of making two extra trips to pick her up.

It was clear she was in a good mood. She put down her bag and sat on the sofa to touch up her makeup. Bonnie had asked her why she was putting on makeup if she wasn't going out, and her answer was that it was so that she could see a face in the mirror that would make her feel confident.

Girls are always good at finding small flaws on their faces, whether it's someone else's or their own. These flaws can make a girl feel like her face is full of imperfections. When it comes to appearance, girls are always strict with themselves but lenient with others. It's okay if someone else's face is ugly, but it's definitely not okay if it's ugly on their own. So, using tools to cover up flaws to get rid of worries and to maintain a good mood for a day, or even a few hours, is a worthwhile and highly profitable investment for girls.

That's what she said, but Bonnie didn't understand.

So he focused on cooking, listening intently to Sarah's complaints.

"Why are there no pay TV channels? Have you even paid your TV fees?"

"..."

"What do you do when you're home alone? I'd be bored to death if I were home alone. Say something!"

"I'll go pay the bill tomorrow..."

Her attitude had clearly warmed up somewhat, but it hadn't completely thawed. She kept complaining and couldn't help but say she was bored. If it were a younger Bonnie, he probably would have thrown her off the building. But now, he was in a good mood, listening to her complaints while busily making dinner. Doing things he didn't like and hearing things he didn't like suddenly had meaning.

She no longer shut herself in her small room after returning home, but stayed in the living room, complaining to Bonnie, trying to add some warmth to the lonely old woman's life in a less shameful way.

Dinner was served, and no discussion of studies took place. Bonnie could guess the outcome; there was no need to steer a grumpy, academically challenged girl toward topics that gave her a headache. That wasn't Bonnie's expectation of her anyway. She simply watched Bonnie hug her antique radio, turning the knobs to tune to a station that interested her.

In an interview, the host was chatting enthusiastically with a guest who didn't know Bonnie but was clearly well-known in Sarah's age group. They were telling funny stories that weren't vulgar. Perhaps Sarah really wanted Bonnie to laugh along, since she had never seen Bonnie laugh heartily. He was always so calm and collected, yet full of worries.

Unfortunately, he really didn't understand the humor in the interview, and was only focused on slowly chewing his food.

But his behavior made Sarah start to find the radio program a bit boring. She poked her face in her hand, turned over the noodles in her plate, and suddenly asked curiously.

Bonnie.

"Ok?"

Where were you all those years...?

"Magnesium Country".

"Oh? You went to the US? Which city? Los Angeles or New York?"

She suddenly became excited, gripping the table with both hands and moving closer to Bonnie. She took a closer look at the grandfather, who was dressed in retro style and looked shabby. This was not surprising. For a girl who lived in a poor neighborhood and had never experienced prosperity, it was hard not to yearn for bustling cities and a life of extravagance after being bombarded by American propaganda. Perhaps her limited worldview could not conjure up images of modern cities with towering buildings, but the fact that she knew there was plenty of good food and fun things to do there was enough to make her envious.

"Chicago."

Compared to her excitement, Bonnie kept her head down, trying to swallow her food. This indifferent attitude did not displease her; instead, she was eager to know what information he could give her.

"Chicago? That sounds familiar. Is it a fun place?"

"Not fun."

"Liar, how could it not be fun? Tell the truth, did you run off with another woman? Did you go over there to have some fun?"

A woman? It wasn't a woman who made him leave his home and family to run off to the United States, but a man. But if he said it was for a man, Bonnie was afraid she would think of something bad. As for the truth, he would keep it to himself for the rest of his life, so he had no choice but to lie.

"Ah."

Sarah was very dissatisfied with this answer and looked at Bonnie with disgust. The little bit of warmth she had just felt vanished instantly. She hadn't forgotten that the source of all this misfortune was this man, nor could she understand the mistakes her grandfather had made back then just because they had spent a few days together. She just endured it and forced herself not to turn against the grandfather who had taken such good care of her.

"Ha, as expected... You really have no shame. Where is that woman? Why did you come back by yourself? Didn't she come back with you? Did she abandon you?"

"died."

"Dead? How did you die?"

Bonnie didn't say anything, but simply put down her fork, made a fist with her right hand, raised her thumb, and lightly drew a line across her neck.

"Pfft, you're bragging, haha. You must have gone to the US. There are so many fun things there. You're such a country bumpkin, you're not good enough for her. You maxed out your credit card, so she dumped you. Serves you right!"

She could picture it in her mind. The way it was always portrayed on TV made her feel that it was perfectly reasonable for the story to happen this way. She suddenly felt a sense of joy at getting revenge, and she couldn't stop laughing. She even started laughing so hard that she slammed her fist on the table.

Bonnie looked at Sarah, who was laughing hysterically, with no expression on her face. She lowered her head, picked up her fork again, stirred the noodles in the plate, took a bite, and suddenly laughed.

He chewed gently, swallowed the noodles, put down his fork again, pinched his forehead with his palm to cover his face and hide his expression, and laughed along with her. Gradually, the laughter became uncontrollable, and he laughed until he coughed.

She achieved her goal of the two of them laughing heartily together, but it wasn't the result or effect she wanted. Watching her grandfather, with his full head of silver hair, laugh heartily with his head down, she suppressed her smile.

"Is it funny?"

There was no answer; Bonnie simply waved her hand.

"Then stop laughing."

“Okay…” A few seconds later, he suppressed his smile, looked up at the ceiling, and Sarah was not sure if she had just seen it wrong. She seemed to see tears welling up in Bonnie’s eyes.

She suddenly realized that what Bonnie said wasn't the truth, and the truth about him abandoning his wife and children... no longer mattered.

The deceased are gone, there's no going back.

……

Five years after he left Italy, Italy launched a crackdown on the Mafia. The Camorra leader was shot dead by Mafia, and a large number of Camorra members were imprisoned. From then on, the Camorra never recovered and even disappeared for a time. Mafia was not spared from the purge either. He could only shrink his power and engage in some legitimate business in a low-key manner, trying to avoid crossing the gray area and touching the black economic sources on which he originally depended for survival.

However, the crackdown on organized crime did not yield real results. In the absence of a leader, small-scale gang fights began to occur frequently, and the lives of ordinary people did not improve much. They still lived a life of fleeing for their lives amidst gunfire every day. Until the emergence of the "Gathering of Light," an organization whose main source of income was economic crime, Bonnie did not know much about it, only that they were very rich, even richer than the former Camorra and Mafia.

Although he escaped the calamity of the Camorra's downfall, he was caught in the FBI's Great Mafia purge. Starting with the New York Mafia, the five major Chicago families could not escape the law and were wiped out even more thoroughly than in Italy. He himself was sentenced to 25 years in prison for reselling fuel and violent crimes.

When he was released from prison, the American underworld had completely declined, and no leader-level figure had emerged for a long time. The low-level thugs in the black community became the general perception of gangs in society.

On the contrary, the Italian underworld revived after the millennium, with mafia groups such as the Camorra, Mafia, and Lucerne resuming operations and even venturing into legitimate industries, becoming seemingly legal and compliant conglomerates.

But his return this time wasn't to rejoin Camorra. Even if he returned to Camorra as a former member, he would be an undisputed veteran and might even receive a large pension from the gang. However, the gang now has a completely new personnel structure and composition. He's old and probably can't do the dirty work anymore. The only value he can offer is to take the blame for the current core members based on his status as a gang veteran, ultimately dying in prison.

After wandering the world for decades, he returned to Italy simply because he wanted to go home, to the place where his wife and children lived, to eke out a living, nothing more.

But he was unable to fulfill his wish to grow old with his wife and children.

……

"Haha, really? Shall we go check it out tomorrow? That jerk's here. Never mind, I'm not in the mood anymore."

The classroom was noisy. When the door was pushed open, Sarah could feel a wave of human presence rushing towards her. Compared to the warmer temperature in the corridor, the air was filled with the smells of grease, sweat, and cheap shower gel, which was not pleasant. In fact, when she first inhaled the air in this space, she would subconsciously hold her breath until she reached her limit before forcing herself to try to adapt.

Her arrival did not cool the atmosphere in the classroom, but it did make the girls sitting next to her roll their eyes. Their smiling faces turned frosty, and they turned away, not wanting Sarah to see them.

Just as Bonnie had predicted, integrating into a new group wasn't so easy. The children would be friendly to the newcomer for a short time at first, but once the newcomer did something they didn't like, the situation would take a sharp turn for the worse, until all the boys or girls in the class, or even the whole class, would gang up on the new student who had joined halfway through.

Sarah wasn't disliked because she said anything offensive; it was just that her presence made the girls in the class feel uncomfortable, because she was very pretty, prettier than all the girls in the class.

Compared to these children from low-income families in the city, she appeared very healthy, with fair skin, delicate features, and a figure that was not childish. She wore good-looking makeup and had dyed her hair with rainbow colors, which they considered very fashionable. She looked as beautiful as an underage female model. On the other hand, because they mostly ate frozen food and high-calorie junk food, the children in the class were at two extremes: either extremely fat, so fat that they had to squeeze through the classroom door, or extremely thin, so thin that they seemed to live on liquid food every day.

The only similarity between them was their sallow complexion and the freckles on their faces. Sarah was different, so different that no one could ignore her presence just by her sitting there. She quickly became the newest dream bed partner for the boys in the class, and also a thorn in the side of the girls.

After all, her personality was too slow to warm up, and her miserable life made it difficult for her to open her heart. However, in the eyes of other girls, she became a bitch who was also from a poor background but was aloof. This caused those girls who didn't dislike her at first and wanted to try to communicate with her to also join the group of girls who found Sarah annoying at first sight.

Because her commute to school was the longest, she was inevitably the last to arrive. Just as she sat down, the teacher entered the classroom and began the lesson. At that moment, she was the only one in the class who took out her book to read along with the teacher. This wasn't because she had changed her personality and become more studious; it was simply because she had only been in the class for a short time and didn't even know all her classmates' names. The girls also displayed obvious hostility, which made her subconsciously keep her distance. The boys near her desk were all shockingly fat and always reeked of a sour and oily smell. Let alone chatting with them, just managing not to gag was a success.

For this reason, in order to pass the boring class time, she had no choice but to follow the teacher's pace and listen to the topics that were like gibberish. After a while, she could find some fun in them, such as the strange accent of the immigrant teacher, or the fact that their shirts were pulled up when they wrote on the blackboard, revealing underwear of various colors. This would make her secretly laugh until she got sleepy and fell asleep on the table.

She felt sleepy a little late today, probably because she slept so soundly last night that she listened to the lesson a little longer. When she turned to the next page, she paused, looked at the book full of insults and belittling words, scoffed disdainfully, tore off the page, crumpled it into a ball, and was about to stuff it into her pocket to throw it away after class when she heard whispers and snickers next to her.

For a child who had grown up on the streets and heard many stories of the Mafia's bloodshed from her father, she wouldn't care much about such low-level humiliation and exclusion. She would never take such petty squabbles to heart, until she saw a girl reach out her index fingers and tug at the corner of her eye...

The crumpled paper, which hadn't been properly placed, flew over the next seat and hit the girl squarely on the head. This tickling attack was nothing, but it gave the girls a legitimate reason to teach Sarah a lesson. With a whoosh, the tables and chairs were moved around with a screeching sound. Several girls stood up, but before they could make a move, Sarah coldly questioned them.

"Try doing that movement again."

"So what if you do it?"

The girl had just raised her hand when a glass of water was splashed directly onto her face. Then, with a thud, the shaker cup in Sarah's hand flew out and smashed onto the girl's head.

The fight broke out in a very short time. Before anyone else could react, several girls rushed forward and used the usual fighting tactics of girls: pulling hair, scratching, and kicking. Of course, Sarah was an exception; she was really good at fighting.

They used fists, elbows, sharp corners of books, and even blunt objects like water cups brought by other students, pulling on their hair and relentlessly smashing them onto the girls' heads. As a result, the four girls couldn't gain any advantage over Sarah. Soon, two of the girls were lying on the ground, clutching their heads, with traces of blood flowing from their scalps.

The others then realized what was happening and quickly pulled the still-pulling group away, bringing the situation to a stop. Those who needed to be taken to the hospital were taken there, and those who needed to go to the principal's office were taken there.

……

“Hello, I am Sarah’s guardian. How can I help you? ...Okay, I’ll be right there.”

When Bonnie arrived at the principal's office, Sarah was standing calmly by the window, looking out. When Bonnie came in, there was no grievance in her eyes, nor any nervousness after making a mistake. She changed her posture and just looked directly into Bonnie's eyes, as if nothing had happened.

"Mr. Rossi."

"Sarah, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

Someone pulled out a section of her hair, causing a color change in her hair, but for her, it was already a great victory. Winning meant she wasn't injured at all; she was no weak or delicate girl.

Bonnie felt relieved and then turned to greet the principal who had greeted him. This action made the principal a little embarrassed. Bonnie clearly didn't take him seriously, but the problem was that he knew what kind of background Bonnie's family had and didn't dare to offend them at all. He could only awkwardly smile and get up to explain the situation to Bonnie, but... it was probably unnecessary.

"You're that little bitch's grandpa? Look at your little brat..."

"Can't you speak properly?"

The parents of the other four girls were all present. When Bonnie came in, the mother of the girl who started the trouble stood up as if to hit her, since her daughter had been beaten the most and was currently getting stitches at the hospital. This woman was very fat, and her body looked like it could fit two Bonnies. She was cursing at Sarah and raised her hand, which scared the principal so much that he quickly pulled the woman away. At the same time, several teachers came to calm down the parents of the other girls who had been beaten.

Bonnie's face also turned cold. She turned to look at Sarah, who was standing silently to the side, seemingly oblivious to the woman's insults, and pointed at the fat woman, asking her question.

"How long did she keep cursing at you like that while I was away?"

“Mr. Rossi, please calm down. Apart from one child who needs stitches, the other children are all fine. Can we sit down and talk?”

"Shut up, Sarah. How long has she been cursing at you like that?"

After reprimanding the principal, Bonnie looked at Sarah with a somewhat frightening expression, leaving Sarah stunned. She had never seen Bonnie like this before. When they were together, he was always smiling and amiable, no different from the Asian people she remembered. No matter how much she mocked and ridiculed him, his eyes were always so gentle when he looked at her. But now he was angry like an old lion, just because that woman had insulted him. He suddenly turned on her, even though he was so old that his gaping maw, which had been used to devour people, had few sharp teeth left, he still wanted to protect himself.

He was so old and frail that he looked like he would die if someone pushed him. She suddenly felt afraid that the burly woman would touch him; it might only take one touch for the old man to leave her forever.

But his words and eyes made Sarah feel indescribably sad. The calmness on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by the grievance that a child should show the first thing when seeing their grandfather.

She put her hands behind her back, her right hand constantly rubbing her left fingers together. Her voice gradually weakened, and a hint of tears welled up in her eyes. She lowered her head, burying it in her colorful hair. Her dirty canvas shoes rubbed against the ground as she stood on tiptoe, trying to hold back her tears. She answered nonchalantly, "She didn't scold me much."

"So what if I curse you? Chin..."

The woman pointed at Bonnie, but before she could even pronounce the "K," Bonnie bent down, grabbed the ashtray from the table, and smashed it down on the woman's head. If Bonnie hadn't been weak, her brains would probably have been smashed out. The woman's vision went black, and she collapsed onto the sofa. Amidst the horrified stares of the others, he picked up a pen, gripped it tightly, and stabbed the woman's face six or seven times. The sharp pen tip pierced the flesh, leaving several bloody holes oozing blue ink, as well as a bloody gash about five millimeters deep and seven or eight centimeters long. The flesh was torn open, revealing the white cheekbone underneath, and blood flowed down instantly. Everyone in the principal's office was stunned.

The woman's head was hard; she wasn't knocked unconscious by the ashtray. After a brief moment of dizziness, she felt intense pain, clutching her face and letting out a piercing scream until the pen pierced her throat.

"Are you insulting my family and my children?"

He had taken so many lives that he never considered whether he would kill someone before he took action. It was already a miracle that the pen tip hadn't pierced her eyeball but had gone straight into her brain. He grabbed the woman's hair, their faces less than ten centimeters apart. The woman could clearly see his sallow eyes and the bloodshot veins in them, and she could feel his desire to kill her. At that moment, she forgot to scream and forgot to answer Bonnie's question; only her pants were stained with water.

"Don't insult my family and my children!"

He tightened his grip on the hair, pulling the burly woman off the sofa and onto the floor. Inside the principal's office, no one dared to approach. Only Sarah reacted, crying and clinging to Bonnie's shoulders, trying to calm him down after a long silence. The instant Bonnie struck, Sarah had already formed a basic understanding of his past. He wasn't a playboy, not a scoundrel who abandoned his wife and children to leave Naples with some other woman; he was… a member of the Mafia.

Andrew never laid a hand on her in front of her, but she often heard him use phrases like "my family," "our people," and "our business" when he was on the phone with others. In Naples, few people dare to talk about their family in public; only those living in the shadows of society would bring up their family.

"Bonnie, I beg you, don't kill her."

"Bonnie, I'm fine, let go."

"Bonnie, let it go, spare her."

"Bonnie, let go! If you kill her, you'll go to jail. Do you want to abandon me?"

"Grandpa, I'm scared..."

She woke Bonnie, who had lost his mind. She put her arms around Bonnie's neck and gently pressed her face against Bonnie's bare shoulder. He could clearly feel the warmth of the tears and Sarah's body temperature, warmth... something he hadn't felt in years.

"Forget it... Grandpa."

He ran his hand through her hair, feeling the grease in his palm. He threw down his pen and smeared the woman's hair oil and blood onto her shirt. He straightened his old suit, took out a wad of banknotes from his inner pocket, and threw them on the table. His breathing was still erratic. After taking a few deep breaths, he looked at the four parents who were also looking at him.

“Pay the money yourself, get the stitches, and settle this privately. If you want to call the police, I’ll wait here for them to arrest me. You can call them now.”

Not to mention these parents, even the principal wanted to call the police after seeing Bonnie regain her senses, but he was hesitant because he knew Bonnie's family background. The others also hesitated because they had heard Bonnie talk about her family. In fact, apart from the woman who was stabbed by Bonnie, the other parents wanted to take the money and leave.

"Or, I'll call Uncle Ovila... he'll help us resolve this."

Upon hearing the name Ovira, the other three parents abandoned their money and left immediately. The principal also abandoned his plan to call the police, but looked at the woman still lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, with a bitter expression.

Ovila, the boss of this neighborhood and a member of the Camorra, belongs to the same family as Andrew. The two are very close. He has men, guns, and can do dirty work. With just these three points, even dogs in this neighborhood would avoid his house.

No one was unafraid of Ovira. Even the principal wanted to advise the woman to take the money and leave. Otherwise, if Ovira came knocking on her door, she would probably knock out her teeth one by one and make her swallow them down like pills with water. However, he was too embarrassed to advise the victim to swallow her anger.

Fortunately, seeing the principal's appearance, the woman chose to believe that the Bonnie family and Ovira were indeed connected. This was because Ovira's reputation was so great that the fear she felt for her even surpassed that of the old man who had "gone plastic surgery" on her. She chose to swallow her anger, and swallowing it was undoubtedly the right choice.

After taking the money, the principal stood up and took out a T-shirt to cover the woman's face. After watching the woman leave to go to the hospital for stitches, he put his hands behind his back and looked at Bonnie with some embarrassment.

"Headmaster, can Sarah come to school tomorrow?"

“Well… of course, Sarah is a student at our school, why can’t she come?”

After watching Bonnie leave from the window, the principal breathed a sigh of relief. This was the first time in so many years that he had faced such a situation. Looking at the mess in his office, he pulled out a few tissues and squatted down alone to wipe the bloodstains on the floor...

"..."

"Thank you for standing by my side today..."

Reaching the car, Sarah finally mustered the courage to whisper something to Bonnie. Luckily, Bonnie's hearing was still good enough to hear the thank you. His expression remained unchanged as he picked up her backpack and put it in the back seat before speaking.

"I told you, I won't abandon you. If they dare to mess with you again, keep beating them up."

"Will you always support me?"

"Of course, I will always support you."

She blushed slightly, lowered her head, got into the passenger seat, unscrewed the water bottle she hadn't finished last time, took a small sip, and spoke a little louder this time, as if she had received courage from Bonnie. After hesitating for a long time, she rubbed her fair hands together and said.

"Thank you, sir... sir."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"You clearly heard me even when I was speaking so softly!"

……

"Will this work? Take a look."

"don't want……"

In front of the mirror, she was wrapped in a plastic bag, her eyes tightly shut, afraid to open them for fear of seeing a heartbreaking scene. But she couldn't resist Bonnie's urging and could only open her left eye a crack to look at her hair. Actually... it wasn't that hard to accept. Bonnie was standing behind her with a small bowl and comb, watching her with a smile. Seeing that she seemed very satisfied, she asked him a question.

Do you think this looks good?

"We'll only know after washing it. Go wash it."

"Do I need to wait a while before I can take a shower?"

"It's okay, the instructions say you can wash it off after applying it."

"Oh."

Her rainbow hair was broken off, and it had been on her mind for the past few days. In the end, she listened to Bonnie's advice and dyed her hair back to its original color, abandoning the beautiful hair color that she had always thought was perfect. However, due to the previous incident, her family had encountered a major financial crisis, so Bonnie had to personally take charge of giving Sarah a makeover.

My ears are black! I can't wash them off!

"Let's wipe it with alcohol later and see if it comes off."

She was yelling and complaining in the bathroom about Bonnie's poor technique. Bonnie sat on the sofa, responding half-heartedly, flipping through the newspaper, looking for any work she could still do.

He had no pension, and raising children was a huge expense. Although Sarah didn't have any particularly large expenses, just buying odds and ends and food, the household expenses had increased dramatically since she arrived, putting considerable pressure on Bonnie.

In addition, buying medicine is also a big expense, but that's not the worst part. What makes Bonnie even more depressed is that the incident at school has already taken away almost half of his savings. You could say that this money was saved to buy his own coffin. But Bonnie doesn't regret doing it. After all, this money was exchanged for Sarah's trust in him. Even if it meant taking out the money to buy his own grave, he would do it willingly.

Looking through the job postings in the newspaper, Bonnie began to worry. There wasn't a single job that suited him. They were either recruiting highly educated people or skilled workers, and the rest were just a few physically demanding jobs. None of them were suitable for him. He couldn't lift a finger or carry anything heavy. If the employers saw him come for an interview, they would probably reject him immediately.

Just as Bonnie was frowning in worry, the bathroom door was pushed open. She rubbed her hair and lazily walked out. Today she wasn't wearing makeup, and was wearing a loose home T-shirt and baggy shorts. Her skin was fair and delicate, like a lotus emerging from water. Her thin lips were slightly upturned, and her two thin eyebrows were furrowed together. Her feet were probably wet, and her small, fair feet made a squelching sound as she stepped on plastic slippers that were several sizes too big. Leaning against the bathroom door frame, she glared at Bonnie, who had just turned to look at her, seemingly dissatisfied with her rather unremarkable hair color.

"This looks much better."

"What's so good about this?"

"I meant it looks pleasing to the eye."

"Tch... What are you looking at?"

"newspaper."

"Of course I know it's a newspaper."

Seeing her come out, Bonnie was afraid that she would find out about the family's poor financial situation and add to their burden, so she simply closed the newspaper and took out the radio to search for programs that she could listen to.

The comb pierced through her hair, making a clattering sound as it was pulled at the knots. Her still-damp hair covered half of her handsome face. She took an apple from the refrigerator, took up most of the sofa, squeezed Bonnie to the side, kicked off her slippers, took a bite of the apple, and rubbed her soles against Bonnie's white tank top. She even spread her pink toes to dry the water stains between her toes.

She had no idea where she learned to be so spineless. Bonnie and her grandmother would never sprawl out like that. With her eyes rolled back, Bonnie would rather grope around for the remote control on the cabinet than turn over and grab it. This lazy posture made Bonnie grind her teeth.

She turned on the TV and found a channel that interested her. Perhaps the radio was mixed with the TV sound, so she couldn't hear it. She turned up the volume, but then thought it was too loud and noisy, so she gently pounded Bonnie's belly with her heels.

"Keep your voice down! I'm watching TV!"

As she gradually opened up, she became overly casual, leaving Bonnie helpless. He had no choice but to turn off the radio, glancing at Sarah every now and then, finding it somewhat amusing. Such a cheerful personality was not bad, like Andrew's child, while Andrew seemed to favor his mother. However, whenever this happened, Bonnie would vaguely see some of their shadows in Sarah, making it hard for him not to feel a pang of regret that such a warm life had come too late.

He watched mindless TV programs with her, but found it hard to concentrate on the television itself. As his relationship with Sarah gradually improved, he began to cherish these moments. He liked the reassuring atmosphere, like a drifting boat finally docking at the most pleasant harbor.

But the more he did this, the more he focused on his body, constantly reminding himself that his illness was very serious and that he might leave her soon, leaving her to fend for herself in this world.

So he would always glance at her from time to time, trying to see as much as possible, to see this only child he cared about. But the more he looked at her, the harder it was for him to put his mind at ease, and the stronger his desire to stay and live became.

Sarah didn't really absorb much of the content. Even the really funny jokes couldn't make her laugh because of her own racing thoughts. After returning from school that day, she felt even more strongly that there were too many mysteries surrounding her grandfather. A girlish curiosity was constantly entangled with reason in her mind, and she was repeatedly persuaded to give up by a voice of complacency.

She wanted to know what had happened to this grandfather, but she was also worried about touching on Bonnie's sore spots and some taboo topics that shouldn't be discussed.

Like a grandmother, she maintained a tacit understanding with Bonnie, generally knowing what he had done but not pursuing it, yet always being troubled by those things. After all, having been born into a gang family, she was more or less filled with fantasies about those bloody and turbulent stories.

When her father told her bedtime stories as a child, he would always talk about the era decades ago when gangs were most rampant and gang warfare was most fierce. Every time, she would be scared but fascinated, as if listening to a horror story. And now, the person sitting next to her is a family member from that era.

But she also understood that a family member forced to flee to a distant land could not be an insignificant leader. He might have been a powerful figure in that era, and it was best not to ask about such a person. Even though Bonnie doted on her, walls have ears, and if even the slightest clue was overheard, it could become evidence that landed Bonnie in jail. Not asking was the best way for her to protect her grandfather and herself.

"The food should be ready. Let's eat."

The stew in the pot should be ready by now. He pushed Sarah's feet aside, got up, turned off the stove, and served the dishes. Tonight's main dish was corn tortillas, and the main course was tomato beef. Compared to the previous few days, he was much more efficient. A few minutes later, they started eating.

It's clear that Sarah dislikes tortillas, and her cooking skills haven't improved dramatically in a short time, resulting in unappetizing presentations. Gradually becoming more unrestrained, Sarah has started to criticize the dishes.

"We eat this every day, and it's all burnt..."

Bonnie paused, glancing at Sarah across the table with a strange look that made Sarah uncomfortable. She thought she had offended someone by saying something and began racking her brains to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"Okay, okay... I'll finish it, alright? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's okay, let's eat."

Because of their blood ties, the two could eat at the same table. Also because of their blood ties, they developed remarkably similar personalities, which left Bonnie bewildered. It was as if something from decades ago had happened just yesterday. Once again, he was in a daze, and he chuckled in surprise. He shook his head and comforted the child who didn't know what he had done wrong. He stuffed the burnt tortilla into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed the memories from thirty years ago.

……

There's still a little bit to wrap up. I haven't figured out how to write it yet. I've revised it many times, and I'm still not sure what the ending should be. Please give me some more time. I'm sorry everyone.

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(End of this chapter)