My eyes followed Paul as he went to meet one of Takahashi's Capos before the orchestra stopped playing the music and my father gently tapped a fork on the side of the champagne flute in his hand, garnering everyone's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening." He paused. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence. Tonight, we commemorate the alliance with our Japanese friends."
Next to him, Takahashi stood, a faint smile plastered on his face and a champagne flute in his right hand.
"It has been ten years ever since we have formed this alliance. Ten years of good friendship and great business. A toast for more years to come." My father raised his champagne flute as everyone followed suit.
"And now we would be hearing a few words from the new Oyabun of our Japanese Yakuza."
The sound of applause filled the hall as Takahashi stepped forward, taking my father's place in the podium, before it became quiet again.
"Thank you. Thank you for the warm welcome. My people and I are grateful," he said as he gestured to his Capos who were standing behind him with smiles on their faces.
"You have given us food and wine and you have given me an extremely beautiful bride, Mary Serrano," he stretched out his hand to her, gesturing for her to come over to him.
She was the only one sitting at the table.
I sensed her discomfort as everyone turned to face her. She slowly stood up from her seat, glancing in my direction.
Right at that moment, I wanted to hug her and whisper words of comfort to ease her distress. However, just like her, I wasn't capable of doing anything. And for a brief second as I held her gaze, I didn't know what to do to show her my support.
Winging the first thing that came to mind, I blew her a flying kiss.
She smiled, mouthing a thank you before turning her attention back to Takahashi.
I watched her sucked in a breath as she made her way over to him. Takahashi gently pulled her to his side when she had gotten close, placing a kiss on the side of her head. She plastered what I recognized as a fake smile on her face as he continued his speech.
"You have given me all this and for that I couldn't be more grateful." He handed his champagne flute to Mary.
"I don't want to be the only one on the receiving end of all these," Takahashi gestured to my father who let out a laugh and waved him off.
I was beginning to get a little bored. I need a distraction.
I let my eyes wander around, catching sight of the balcony where some men had begun to appear.
The hairs on my arms stood at the sight of them. There was something strange about the way they were standing over there. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, getting on my feet as slowly realization dawned on me.
"You deserve some things too." I heard Takahashi say before my surroundings seemed to have played in slow motion as the men in the balcony suddenly pulled out their guns, pointing it in our general direction.
"Dad!" I barely heard myself shout as all hell broke loose.
Screams rang out as bullets tore through the air. Some people began to run around in a hysterical manner while some threw hands over their heads and crouched low to the floor.
Bodies fell one by one as people were gunned down. It was a mass slaughter, a massacre.
It was straight out murder and a betrayal of the highest order.
I hurriedly scanned the crowd looking for my family but I only saw my father who was still standing next to Takahashi with a mortified look on his face.
Both of his guards were lying on his feet, a pool of blood surrounding each of their unconscious forms.
"Dad!"
I began to push my way through the people that were running around. The ground was slippery with blood and I almost fell a couple of times. There were bodies lying on the floor with multiple gunshot wounds in them.
"Madelein!" I cried out when I saw her on the floor. My heart dropped at the sight of her.
Oh, no. I kept repeating the expression in my head seeing our mother lying next to her, blood tainting their clothes gushing from the bullet wounds.
"Mom!" I shouted though it was useless. I knew that they were dead.
They were gone. But I refused to accept that inevitable truth.
They can't be gone.
Only moments ago, we were sharing a laugh. And now, I was staring at their lifeless forms.
My left shoulder jerked back violently as a bullet hit it, jarring me from the emotional roller coaster flooding my mind.
My world exploded with pain as I fell on the floor.
It was when I noticed that the bullets had ceased coming like rain as the great hall was now reeking with both blood and death.
I pulled myself to my feet, feeling a warm liquid trailing down my left arm.
"Margie!" I heard my father calling out "Run! Go!"
His voice was frantic and fear was evident on his face when I saw him, limping towards me. He was desperately begging for me to leave with a dreadful look on his face.
I stood frozen to the spot as I saw Takahashi coming up behind my injured father raising the gun he was holding, aiming it towards him.
"To the Golden Island," he stated, firing the gun point-blank at the back of my father's head.
I watched in horror, the world seeming to stand still, as the life from my father's eyes slowly ebbed away, his gaze never straying away from mine.
I was back to seeing everything in slow motion, unable to do anything while my father's body fell on the floor, lifeless.
At that moment, I knew that my father's death would haunt me, forever.