Looking at Rhino, Michael simply asked, "why". Ken,Rhino's brother fell on Michael's feet to plead.
"Please sir, forgive us. It wasn't totally our fault,we had no other choice. Edward feeling shocked, looked at him in disdain as he said, "Wow, this one doesn't have a spine?". Ken replied him immediately, "When family is the stake, you don't talk about pride but loyalty". Edward smiled, "thats new coming from a person like you".
Michael wavered his hand in consent for him to continue talking feeling there was more that meets the eye.
Ken began but was cut-off by Rhino not to talk and in return Ken rebuked him. "Brother,I was totally against your decision to go toe to toe with the military but you won't listen. Now,our family is still dreaming and hoping on us to free them from been held hostage but we are about to be killed. Now ask yourself if we should die, would there be any need for the Adams family to keep them? Of course no,and they can't release them as well because they may cause problems for them. In this scenario, the visible option for them is to sell all our family members away as sex workers or slave labourers where the will never return". After that,Rhino kept shut as Ken looked at Michael and continued.
"It all started with the death of Don Matteo. Sir,this is a huge secret and I would like to talk to you in private". Michael then sent-off his men except Edward and asked him to continue. Edward surprised at what Ken said asked,"Wait how is the death of Don Matteo connected to this incident?".
Ken then continued,"the death of Don Matteo triggered a massive chain reaction and power dynamic within the country. He was the previous Mafia Lord of the underworld. He was like a wicked demon and a dreaded monster in the underworld. He had all manner of illegal businesses running in the shadows but a few legal business are what the people know him for. He was feared by all including the government as he was like a Godfather to them. He can do and undo in this country. He was the one that runs this country from the shadows not the government.The are just puppet.
"Then what about the Great families? I thus the where they one in charge?",asked Edward. Rhino laughed, "Someone is still wet behind the ears. You really don't know the people that runs this country?. They are his chief puppet. The Great families do not bark loud before him. The reason there was Great families at all was because just as one major family backs another smaller family for them to have a foothold,he was the one backing the Great families. Though he is dead,the Great families still retain it's power,glory and prestige because even a dead lion is feared until confirmed dead. And to confirm if a lion is dead is not an easy ordeal because you will have to enter his den. One would have to be alive to tell the story.
"Alright,so what happened?",asked Michael.
We were one of his grass level subsidiaries. If he was alive, the Adams family would not had subjugated us to this point of no return albeit in the shadows because the were also his subordinates. When he was alive, we had no choice but to run and hide underneath his protection because we were about to be eliminated by the Adams family. That was how we knew and pledged allegiance to Don matteo but as time grew,we detested him and his endeavors because it went against our conscience but we couldn't do anything. When Don Matteo found out about our detest and sway of heart,he gave the Adams more power to suppress us. But when he finally died in the hands of the White Deity, we couldn't resist them at all,so they subjugated and conquered us. They forcefully took and held our family hostage and asked us to terrorize people in the middle north border knowing fully well that we might cross path with you, the God of War. I told my brother this was an elaborate plan to borrow you as their sword to kill us. My brother only saw it as a do or die affair to defeat you in other to save our family. I also think their is an inside plan to this plan apart from killing us with a borrowed sword. We really had no choice but to obey them even though we knew we could die in this conquest".
Edward sat down to digest all he heard and wasn't surprised as he had being feeling odd about the resent happenings he couldn't fathom. The sudden boldness of some people,the constant command to suppress, subjugate and total elimination of some families in a roll. The distress calls and the wailing of the people. It was really thought provoking.