Charlie looked at Adonis in shock, his eyes widening, knowing that Ilaria had left the life and now, it was only them. He would have thought that new changes come with the days and that he would still be the Midas Left-Hand, that he would remain with the family that he truly belonged to, but no. He had received word that he should come to the Midas Airport and report to Joe. He could not believe it, business was going to go downhill for a while if he heard correctly.

"You can't be serious! This family needs you! This empire needs you! For fuck's sake, we all need Joe Adonis. You can't just hang up the gloves brother, you can't!"

Joe looked at him with a small smile, almost like he was trying to inform Charlie of something, but he would not listen, he was not going to stand here and listen as his Boss wanted to take the road down. He stepped forward, hoping to plead his case that he should fight this out and not succumb to the pressure. Only Joe raised his head, stopping him from voicing any more thoughts on the matter, he wanted to speak and knew that exercising his position as Boss for a little while would work. 

"Cat man, shit happens, you have understood that I need this and I know you do, I know you bleed for Midas, you went inside for Midas. You are one of my brothers, that is something I leave with you, but also another thing."

Joe reached into his desk and pulled out a couple of dice, he rolled them over to Charlie, which he caught with ease, tossing them in his hand, looking at Joe with an arched eyebrow. His head tilted to the side, his eyes watering, knowing what this meant, without a single word, he turned on his heel, walking to the door. 

"Much respect Joe Adonis, I will make sure that all of them live up to what we all wanted, but make no mistake, should your kin find themselves on these shores, let them know that I welcome them with open arms."

Charlie walked out of Joe's Office, heading down the steps, as men packed up, removing the last pieces of a dynasty that was too last years, but now? It would only last a good couple months, something that broke him. He looked to the side, noticing Viscorio, he nodded, motioning for him to follow to his car...

The Ultra-Luxe Casino

Charlie entered the Casino with Viscorio by his side, as he entered, he noticed multiple former people that had joined Midas, people he called family. He would always call them family, he nodded his head, heading towards the Members-Only Section, as he heard soft footsteps following behind him. He looked at the Head Seat, where Joe had sat during the Celebration that they had thrown for Viscorio and DustyKid, it was amazing. 

Now? He was to take up that seat, he was to become Boss. He walked around the table, running his hand along the table as Nikita, Viscorio, and Itachi watched him. Finally, he sat down in the seat that had once been graced by his former mentor and brother, he had felt a sudden weight drop on him, understanding that this meant. 

"You're there Nikita..."

He pointed to his right, the seat where Ilaria had sat beside Joe as his Second, as the one who would control the Family with him. He noticed that Nikita nodded, before taking the seat. Charlie looked to Itachi and Viscorio, shrugging with a smirk before Itachi took a seat next to Nikita. He looked to Vis, who had taken a seat, which was second down from Charlie's former Left-Hand position. 

"Vincent coming?"

Charlie looked to Vis with an arched eyebrow before narrowing his eyes. 

"What time is it?"

Vis looked down at his watch, stating that it was Eleven. Charlie nodded, before raising his glass in cheers to all of them. This was the start, to prove that he was the right choice in leading them. He would prove it, he would make sure that they all thrived under him.

A New Era had just begun in this very room...

I looked, again, at the message we all received from Godfather Mezzo...

"It is with sincere sorrow that we must close the Midas operation. This is due to our dear friend Joe Adonis seeking leave due to personal circumstances. He will retreat to the old country and live out his days with our recently departed Soldato, Doc Santoro.

With a heavy heart, we wish Joe a fond farewell. I could talk for days about the contribution this man has made to us. Without him, we wouldn't look like we do now. It is time for change and the natural progression of things, though. We wish Mr. Pavanno the best of luck and success in his new role."

I folded the message and put it back in my pocket. I paid the driver and stepped out of the cab.

The Ultra-Luxe was to be our new HQ. I marveled at the design and decorations of the building. Elegance is too mild of a word for this place. I made sure my tie was straight as I entered the casino.

I noticed the reception desk and headed for it. The man behind the desk gave a slight smile as he greeted me.

"Good morning sir. Welcome to the Ultra-Luxe. My name is Mortimer, how can I be of assistance?"

"Top o' the morning to ya sir. I'm James McKinley, an associate of Mr. Pavanno. If he is around or you see him, could you let him know I am here."

Mortimer nodded politely, then directed me towards the bar. I found an empty booth in the corner and took a seat. I saw the waitress start to walk over, with a smile I waved her away. She nodded with a smile of her own and headed elsewhere. I just wanted a few minutes of peace to collect my thoughts.

Charlie was called by Mortimer,  being told that one of the former associates of Midas was outside in the Casino waiting for him in a booth. He nodded towards the three that had joined him here, collecting himself into this new position, he walked out, noticing the man that had been loyal to Joe Adonis and was now showing him that loyalty. 

He walked over, sitting down in the booth as he watched the man opposite, wanting to get a read of him. He found the man a bit different than the usual Mobster that he associated with, but this guy? Well he was different and he liked it, he stuck out his hand, wanting to introduce himself officially to Mckinley. 

"It's nice to see you here Kin, what do you need from me? Or is it to just make an introduction?"  

I shook Don Pavanno's hand.

"With all that happened and you taking me in, I just wanted to be near in case I might be needed. Still a little taken back by it all, but here to show my respect and loyalty to you and the new family."

Unsure of where that absolute honesty came from. I decided it was time for a drink. I waved the waitress over. She took our order. When she left, I looked at Don Pavanno for a second.

"To be honest wit ya, am just happy to still have a job. When Joe gave me a job, you were the first to welcome me. I respect that."

The waitress came back with a few whiskeys. To lighten, what I'm sure, was a awkward, if not sadden, moment if our lives, I remembered one toast that we shared often back in Ireland. I took my glass and raised it in the air ...

"Here’s to cheating, stealing, fighting, and drinking. If you cheat, may you cheat death. If you steal, may you steal a woman’s heart. And if you fight, may you fight for a brother. And if you drink, may you drink with me."

Charlie watched the man, finding his words to be blunt and truthful, often like that of his boss. He did not mince his words and kept his opinions honest, something that he found a breath of fresh air from the usual. He nodded as he heard the man talking of their first meeting, knowing that he was one of the first to greet him in his role as an associate for Midas. 

He looked at the waitress and nodded his head to her as she got the order for Kin, he watched the gamblers of his finest Casino, enjoying the aura they gave off and he could honestly not wait to see the kind of money they would rake in for him, considering that most of them did not know how to play Dice or even Blackjack. It would be a pretty nice week in terms of income. 

He took the drink that was dropped off by the waitress, raising his glass in cheers, before he noticed the toast that Kinley used was from Ireland, something that made him smile genuinely. 

"To the Family, my friend, to the Family."

He drunk and could not but close his eyes tightly at the burning in the back of his throat, but he coughed lightly and leaned back, watching the Casino with his ever piercing gaze.

After the toast, I noticed Charlie looking out over the casino with intense interest. Not wanting to hold him up any longer, I finished my drink.

"Thank you for seeing me Don Pavanno. I know you are busy and I don't want to waste anymore of your time. I'll do my best to help the family succeed and prosper. I'll be around if needed... probably at the blackjack table."

I waited for him to give me my leave. With a nod from Pavanno, I stood up, shook his hand again and went looking to see how much cash I could lose.