Chereads / THE SECRET OF CASANOVA / Chapter 12 - IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THE CITY OF VENICE

Chapter 12 - IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THE CITY OF VENICE

St Mark's Basilica Church.

10:00 AM.

This church is one of the cultural heritage of the Byzantine Empire and is the grandest old church in the city of Venice. The architecture of the building is extraordinarily beautiful, with stunning sculptures on the walls and columns, and high-level naturalist-realistic paintings attached to the interior walls.

Not only serves as a place of worship but this church is served as a status symbol of the wealth and power of Venice since the 11th century. So do not be surprised if this church is known by the nickname Chiesa d'Oro, which means the Church of Gold.

Casanova and Mrs. Merry arrived on time. They found a view of a row of luxury cars belonging to guests that had been neatly parked in the churchyard.

Meanwhile, they came using a classic black car from the '70s, left behind by Mrs. Merry's late husband. Casanova, who was acting as the driver, stopped the car right in front of the main door of the church, then someone in a neat black suit rushed over to open the door.

"Glad to see you are always healthy and looking fitter, Mrs. Merry," said the man very politely, offering to take Mrs. Merry's hand.

But the old woman gently refused. "Yes, thank you, Leo. But today I brought my guard. So sorry… I'll go to church with him."

Leo EL Santo is a military veteran who has now defected into the mafia to serve the EL Santo Family. He is Mister Adam's right hand in all matters. Starting from business, security, and even the affairs of war strategy. Mister Adam trusted him so much that he was assigned to greet the guests today.

The man then nodded, inviting Mrs. Merry to enter with Casanova into the church.

"Well, have a nice day, Mother Merry."

"Oh, of course, Leo. Thank you," replied Mrs. Merry, then took Casanova's hand to enter the church.

Inside the church, dozens of guests were dressed neatly and were already sitting on the available benches. The church room had been arranged to be in two groups.

The group on the right is filled by EL Santo's own family, as the party holding the event this morning. While the group on the left was filled with guests, such as city officials, businessmen, and other important figures who influenced the city of Venice—Mrs. Merry herself was invited because she was quite familiar with Miss Bianca, her late husband was a former officer.

"Strengthen your body, young man. And smile at people who happen to meet your eyes," whispered Mrs. Merry telling Casanova when the two of them were walking among the guests who had arrived earlier.

Casanova quickly straightened himself. Although very nervous, the young man quickly adapted. Before long, a guard dressed in all black waved his hand. The two of them were invited to sit on a bench on the left side, exactly in the back row.

Merry's mother thanked the guard. Casanova followed the old woman to sit beside her, and the two of them tried to be comfortable.

"Can you see the neatly dressed men all in black standing on each side of this building?" asked Mrs. Merry in a whisper. Casanova nodded as he studied them.

"Who are they?"

"EL Santo Family special bodyguard"

"Hmm?" Casanova turned his head, asking for an explanation.

"Listen, young man. The EL Santo family is one of the 4 most dangerous mafia groups in the province." Merry's mother shifted her seat so that it could more easily reach Casanova's ears.

"Now, let me explain briefly about the 4 most dangerous mafia groups..."

"The first mafia group is the EL Santo Family from the north. They dominate the business of prostitution, women's trafficking, and nightclubs. The boss is the person you once pissed off at the restaurant. Do you still remember it?" Mother Merry slightly tilted her eyebrows.

"Mister Adam?"

"Yes. Mister Adam EL Santo, to be precise. He has mixed Italian-English blood, and still inherits blue blood from his mother's line. Well, coincidentally this morning Mister Adam also invited 3 other Misters—Mister: the title for the leaders of mafia groups. So that I can explain it to you more easily, Casanova."

The young man nodded, impatient to find out quickly.

"The second mafia group is the EL Capone Family from the south. They focus on monopolizing the circulation of drugs and liquor in Venice. Now the scope of its business is expanding, and the cartels are spread throughout Italy and even to mainland Europe. Look at that middle-aged man dressed in all white, Casanova." Merry's mother gestured using her face. "He is the leader. His name is Mister Capone. As a guest of honor, of course, Mister Capone gets a seat in the front row."

Casanova nodded, as he watched the middle-aged man dressed in all white sniffing his cigar in front of him. Even though it was clear that no one would dare to stop him, the man still knew he didn't want to light his cigar. All for the sake of respecting the church as a holy place. It is an act that knows good manners and reflects the behavior of a gentleman.

"Carry on. The third mafia group is the EL Rio d'Bonuchi Family from the west. If you want to know who is in control of the illegal goods smuggling business, then this group is the expert. Firearms, illegal items, antique collections, and even rare animals and plants can all be arranged to get to your place as long as there is money. The leader is Mister Rio, that very charismatic handsome figure."

Casanova then looked at the front row, a handsome man in his 30s sitting talking to the others. His hair was neat, it matched his current suit. It seems Mister Rio is the 'stylist' type of person.

"And the last mob group, the fourth, is the EL Selena Franco Family from the east. His biggest business is gambling houses and casinos which have mushroomed all over Italy. What is unique about this group is that all the members are not male, but female." Casanova was quite surprised to hear that. Merry's mother again said, "Can you see that beautiful woman in sexy clothes who is folding one leg? Yes, she is the leader, her name is Miss Selena."

"Wait a minute… is it possible that a mafia group could consist of and even be led by women?" Casanova interrupted, frowning at Mother Merry.

Merry's mother shook her head. "It's not uncommon. Even since the beginning of its history, this new mafia group whose members are all women is also led by a woman. But make no mistake, even though all the members are women, their strength is equal to that of men. And you should know too, Casanova. Previously, the leader of the group was Mister Franco, Miss Selena's late husband. And because Miss Selena has no children, after the death of her husband, she was also named the leader of the group to maintain the stability of her business, "explained Mrs. Merry.

Casanova nodded in understanding. He quickly took out a small book from his pocket and began to summarize the four largest mafia groups.

1. EL Santo family from the north, led by Mister Adam.

2. EL Capone family from the south, led by Mister Capone.

3. The EL Rio d'Bonuchi family from the west, led by Mister Rio.

4. EL Selena Franco family from the east, led by Miss Selena.

"Why do you write all that, young man?" Merry's mother glanced at him in surprise.

Casanova smiled lightly. "I don't know… but I'm sure these notes will come in handy in the future."

"Oh, I see ... well, since you are quite interested in all of this, I will also explain the names of officials and other important people who came this morning as guests," said Mrs. Merry.

Casanova nodded happily, his eyes sparkling.

And while listening to Mrs. Merry's explanation, don't forget, that she continues to record all the information in her booklet.