Chapter 230 Meeting With Don Cesare

Chapter 230 Meeting With Don Cesare
The following week, Rico learned something he had never expected: that Don was painfully boring.

Not all the time, of course. There were important decisions to make and problems to solve. But nobody had warned him about the endless meetings, reports, and paperwork that came with the title.

By the third meeting of the day, Rico was already regretting every life choice that had led him to that chair.

He sat at the head of a long conference table inside The Palazzo while several council members argued over a shipment route.

One man wanted the route moved east, and another insisted it stay exactly where it was. The discussion had been going on for almost thirty minutes. 

Rico was convinced they were discussing the same thing over and over. His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his chair.

“Are you finished?” he suddenly asked, his voice echoing through the room, and everyone immediately fell silent.

The two men straightened in their seats as Rico stared at them, neither of them speaking.

“Good,” he said, eyes boring deeply into the men. His cold dark gaze was enough to make them shift uncomfortably in their seats. “The route stays where it is," Rico declared.

The argument ended instantly, no one daring to argue. They knew whatever decision the Don takes, it stands.

Consigliere Dario hid a smile, and the meeting continued, without any more arguments.

Once it finally ended, Consigliere Dario followed Rico back to his office. 

Rico’s office was spacious but simple. Dark wood covered most of the room, with a large desk at the center and tall windows overlooking the city. More dark paintings hung on the walls. Shelves filled with files lined one wall, while the crest of Quintara rested behind his chair.

Consigliere Dario carried several files under his arm as he followed behind, and Rico hated those files already.

The older man placed them on the desk. “We have a few matters to discuss," he said, taking a seat opposite where Rico sat.

Rico groaned, pinching the space between his brows.

Consigliere Dario ignored him. “There is a territory dispute in the western district," he said as he opened the first file, reading through. “A business agreement that requires your approval.”

Rico stared at him as he kept flipping through more files, reading out the contents.

“A security concern near the southern border," he flipped again.

Rico stared at the growing pile, and his expression darkened. “How many more of those do you have?”

Consigliere Dario paused and glanced down. “Seven.”

Rico frowned, looking personally offended, and it made consigliere Dario almost laugh.

"Which one needs my urgent attention?" Rico asked, placing the pen in his hand on the desk.

Consigliere Dario paused for a second, then closed the files and rested his gaze on Rico. "You have not chosen a date for the meeting with Don Cesare Lombardi," he said.

The frown on Rico's face deepened. "Postpone it for another week," Rico ordered, picking up his pen again and ignoring the topic. "I'm busy."

"No we can't," Consigliere Dario refused. Rico pulled his face up and stared at the old man. "We need to set up a date. And an alliance must be made as soon as possible."

Rico let out a sigh, his fingers clenching around the pen. He was stalling on purpose. This meeting should've been held weeks ago, but he kept shifting the date, making up excuses till there were none to give anymore.

Usually, he would use the situation with Marco and the council, to avoid Don Cesare. But all that had trickled away. He knew he had no other choice but to carry on with this meetup.

"Sophia wouldn't like this," Rico said after a while, his voice was low but heavy.

Consigliere Dario sighed. "It is her obligation. And I'm certain she knows this."

They sat in silence, looking at each other, before the office door suddenly opened. Ezio and Bruno walked in, with Bruno carrying another stack of papers.

Rico immediately pointed at him. “No.”

Ezio raised an eyebrow, glancing between Rico and Consigliere Dario, before stopping at Rico again. “No what?”

“No more papers," Rico said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the desk.

Bruno placed them on the desk anyway. “These are important," he grumbled.

Rico looked ready to commit a crime, earning a smirk from Ezio. “You wanted power," he said with a shrug.

Rico leaned back in his chair. “No. You people forced it on me.”

That earned a laugh from Consigliere Dario. Even Ezio’s mouth twitched slightly, and for a brief moment, the tension in the room disappeared.

But when Rico looked at the new stack of paperwork, the tension returned immediately.

Over the next several days, he slowly settled into his new responsibilities. He approved business agreements, settled disputes between territory leaders, and reviewed security reports.

He also met with businessmen, politicians, and allies from neighboring regions.

The more he learned, the more he realized how much responsibility came with being Don. Every decision affected thousands of people, and one wrong move could create problems for entire territories.

It wasn’t something he took lightly.

Because of that, Rico rarely rushed his decisions. He listened more than he spoke, gathered information before acting. And when he finally made a choice, he made it with confidence.

The council quickly noticed. So did the territory heads, causing many of them to enter meetings looking nervous. Some even avoided direct eye contact, while others became unusually polite whenever he entered a room.

Rico pretended not to notice. But he noticed everything.

One afternoon, Rico sat behind the desk in his office, head buried in documents he had been working on since the early hours of the morning. 

Consigliere Dario entered his office. Bruno followed closely behind him, carrying a thick folder. Bruno had spent most of the week observing meetings and learning how things operated.

Bruno placed the folder on the desk, and stepped to the side, arms crossed behind him.

“I’ve made a decision," Rico said, finally glancing up.

Consigliere sat on the chair opposite Rico. “What decision?” He asked with furrowed brows and glanced toward Bruno.

“It’s time he starts training properly," Rico answered, closing the file before him and leaning back. His eyes scanned the standing, Bruno.

Bruno frowned, a bit confused. "Training for what?”

Consigliere Dario turned and glanced briefly at Bruno. “For my position," he explained and Bruno blinked twice, the words processing in his head.

Rico watched the entire exchange with amusement. He had been thinking for a while about who would eventually take over the position of Consigliere, and Bruno seemed like the perfect fit.

Bruno had been loyal to him for more than two decades and had proven himself over and over again. 

He was calm under pressure, sharp when making decisions, and never allowed emotions to cloud his judgment. He understood people almost as well as Consigliere Dario did and had a way of seeing problems before they became disasters.

Most importantly, Bruno was one of the very few people Rico trusted completely. That was exactly the kind of man Rico needed beside him.

He would have easily chosen Ezio, but Ezio had never been interested in positions like that. He hated politics, avoided paperwork whenever possible, and preferred being out in the field instead of sitting in meetings. 

Bruno, on the other hand, had the patience and judgment the role demanded.

“You’re intelligent. You understand the organization. You understand politics. And most importantly, you understand people," Rico praised.

Bruno looked completely caught off guard, and the older man nodded in agreement to Rico.

“I am officially appointing you as Consigliere in training," Rico declared and Bruno looked speechless.

Rico smirked at his reaction, leaning backwards into his chair. That stunned expression on Bruno's face alone made the appointment worth it.

“Congratulations,” Rico said.

Bruno kept looking at him. He was a man of little emotion, but right now, it was as if he wore his emotions on his sleeves. Even though he tried to hide it, Rico still sat past it, widening his smirk.

Consigliere Dario ignored both of them and continued discussing upcoming matters in Quintara. There were new trade agreements to review, additional security measures along certain borders, and several business proposals from powerful families.

The work never seemed to end.

As Consigliere Dario continued speaking, Rico leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face.

Months ago, he had been hunting Marco Bellini across the country. Now he was debating shipment routes and signing documents. Life had a strange sense of humor.

Still, as he looked around the office, Rico couldn’t deny one thing. The territories were stable, the council was united and people were no longer living in fear.

The Quintara was finally at peace.

And despite all the paperwork, endless meetings, and constant responsibilities, Rico found himself satisfied with that.