Chapter 148 - Being Useful For Marcel

For once, as he went through the videos from last night, Victor was grateful that he was on Marcel's side. With every mission sent, their soldiers always provided evidence to prove it's success, and today, it was video evidence that he watched over and over with wonder. 

They were in the middle of a family meeting, how did Marcel have the time to organize all of this in a few hours. And he did it without consulting him. 

The only logical explanation was that Marcel had been counting their sins and planning their execution at the meeting when they had been persecuting him and thought they were winning. Gosh, his cousin was scary. Well, that was as expected from Daniel's son.

Victor took his eyes off the screen and turned them on his cousin who was typing down on his phone, probably giving out orders to his men. How he was able to keep their hundreds of men in check was still baffling.

Although that was the reason for the Caporegimes to handle things on the lower level and now he's got an underboss, the responsibility would be fair on him. But knowing who Marcel was, Victor knew the emergence of an underboss would not change his schedule. Just a slip and he's given his enemies the upper hand, Marcel would always say. 

This was the time to be more alert than ever. 

"Is there something on my face? You would bore a hole in my head if you keep staring at me like that. Above all, its awkward." Marcel said and all this while, without lifting his head while typing away. 

Victor was on top of the desk right in front of Marcel who was seated comfortably in his swivel chair with his leg over the other. Victor scooted over to him on the desk such that their thighs were touching and that finally made Marcel look up at him with a questioning brow. 

If they weren't blood related, Marcel would have thought Victor was in love with him. But then the boy had been clingy from young as well.

"Have I ever told you that I love you, right?" Victor said, his eyes gleaming with expectations of a positive answer from Marcel. 

Marcel blinked twice, taken aback by the awkwardness of the question until he realized it wasn't what he was thinking. 

He sighed, finally putting down the device in his hand, "If you're worried that I'm sending the soldiers after you, you don't need to worry. I don't need proof of your overwhelming love, it's disturbing already," He pushed Victor's thigh away so it doesn't touch him anymore.

Unfortunately, his cousin was like a pest, the more you killed them - or in his case, the more you pushed him away - they always came back - and stronger.

As he expected, Victor drew closer and this time, he captured his thighs with his so he was straddling Marcel's, trying to keep his attention on him. 

Marcel stared down at the gesture with creased brows and tried to free his thighs but Victor wouldn't let go and grabbed on tighter like a fucking crab.

"What do you want now?!" Marcel was exasperated. Sometimes he wondered if Victor was a baby and he was his babysitter because it sure as hell felt like one.

"Adele did nothing wrong yet you punished her," Victor accused him, "I'm your consigliere and yet ran out of ideas on how to help you out yesterday. What if you go all Daniel-like on me and decide to groom me to perfection using extreme methods?" He feared. Never forget the saying, the apple never falls far from the tree.

Marcel was dumbfounded, he gave Victor a stupid look, "You were worried about that?"

"Do you blame me? Adele was innocent -"

"Yet her family isn't," Marcel interrupted him with a tone of finality. As if his cousin ever listened. 

Victor shook his head, "If you're worried she'd join forces with them, you of all people should know that they don't get along," 

"No matter what, their blood runs through her veins. I hate my father but that doesn't mean I want him dead, that's how deep family relations run," Marcel said to him.

"Even at that, punishing her just because her father -"

"Don't get me wrong, Victor, I didn't punish her," Marcel claimed not to be wrong, which totally didn't make sense after what he did. 

He frowned at him, "But you had her pushed suddenly into the pool when you knew her phobia for large pool of water,"

"I was just taking insurance against the future. It takes less than a second for a thought to be planted in the head... " Marcel gestured to his chest, "And a minute or hours for the thought to grow deep in the heart. And finally, days, months, or years to execute. I was just trying to squash that thought from thriving in her heart. She should thank me for setting her priority straight," Marcel said with a casual shrug of his shoulder. 

"And threatening your underboss before she even took over her role is the best way to go about her loyalty?" Victor was close to face-palming. He should have known his cousin was the worst at social relationships. 

Marcel relaxed against his seat, "You would come to realize that people react better to actions than words. Why do we need to cut some fingers during interrogations when the offenders should have just told the truth in the first place?" 

"Also," Marcel told him, "You were the one who gave me the idea of choosing her for underboss," 

"Huh?" Victor stilled at once, blinking twice to confirm he heard right. He pointed to his chest, "I did?" 

"And I quote, 'There's no one on our side of the family to hand over the position to, neither are my sisters interested in the organization, lest we could have used one of them to buy time till we come up with a solution,' Marcel stated perfectly every single word Victor uttered yesterday. 

At once, Victor's face scrunched up, "Show off," He kicked Marcel away such that the swivel seat wheeled him backward. A smug smile pulled the corner of Marcel's lips, It wasn't his fault he was a smart-ass. 

Still yet, a grin still decorated Victor's face, "My idea, huh?" He was useful after all. 

And speaking about usefulness, Victor had been occupied with yesterday's drama; he forgot that a certain apprentice didn't report for training.. Well, it was time to be useful for Marcel once more, you know, training up the next generation of coffee makers.