"Sit down." Shiller pointed to the chair in front of him and said, "I've heard that the Twelve Families have all changed their tune, is that right? Godfather?"
Alberto shook his head, saying, "The name is not important. They are willing to show me respect because I have completely taken over all the assets of the Falcone Family. The old Godfather no longer holds any power."
"And this, we must thank someone..." Alberto glanced at Bruce and continued, "A madman with a Red Hood drove a truck full of kids into the North District, right up to the old Godfather."
"In the past forty years, there has been no one as bold in Gotham. Therefore, the old Godfather felt the time was ripe to end his reign."
"That night, he called me into his room and talked a lot." Alberto sighed, "It was to me, not to Evans."
"We hadn't had such a heart-to-heart in a long time... I should have been glad..."
Bruce looked at him. Alberto's face was grave with none of the excitement that should come with wielding power.
He heard Alberto begin, "The situation in Gotham is far worse than I imagined. No, it's the situation of the Twelve Families that's worse. We are on the edge of extinction."
Bruce and Shiller both frowned. Even though they both had a deep understanding of Gotham, they had never truly ruled over Gotham nor knew much about the top Twelve Families.
Hearing Alberto say this, Shiller asked, "What happened? Can you elaborate?"
"Perhaps you've heard, the older daughter of the Spense Family is at odds with the younger son who just came back from a trip. Old Spencer can do nothing about it. If this continues, the Spencer family's assets will be split in two and the reputation of the Twelve Families won't be maintained."
"What exactly happened?" Shiller frowned and said, "A few days ago, I heard from my neighbor that there was a fierce dispute at Old Spencer's birthday party and someone got hurt?"
Alberto nodded and said, "Yes, I happened to be there that day..."
With his recollection, the dance floor lights gradually came on. The well-dressed mob members entered from the red carpet, straightened their ties by the entrance, stamped their feet gently, and entered the brightly lit hall.
"Hey! Charles, you old geezer, you're still alive! Come here, how many years has it been since we last met, sixteen or seventeen years..." Old Spencer approached, patting another old man's back, "Time flies."
"Yes, you damned old squirrel, back when we were hanging out at the docks, you said you'd one day hold a grand birthday party and invite me, then have Marina dance the Persian dance with me..."
The man called Charles shook his head, "Marina died two months ago. Fortunately, her grandson is filial, held a Catholic funeral for her. Neither of us could make it..."
Old Spencer revealed a nostalgic expression,"Marina was the prettiest girl among us youngsters, pity she ended with that damn Frenchman."
As these two men reminisced and walked towards the ballroom together, Old Spencer brought over a redhead young lad who resembled him and introduced him to Charles, "This is my son. You and Liv held him when he was born, you even said he was a sturdy colt."
Charles slapped the young man's back saying, "It's been so long, your little boy has grown up. Come on, let's go over there and catch up..."
They changed location. At this moment, there was a flurry of footsteps on the stairs and a dazzling woman in a beautiful dress descended. Her stunning red hair cascading down like a waterfall, her striking face carried a fierce charisma.
As soon as she came down, the faces of Old Spencer and little Spencer at his side changed. Yet, more guests gathered around her, showering her with compliments.
"That damn wench..." Little Spencer murmured under his breath. At this, Old Spencer shot him a stern glare,"Shut up, you fool, that's your sister!"
"My sister?!" Little Spencer raised his voice, "She's nothing but a damn wench out to seize the Spencer's assets!"
Charles, who was nearby, glanced at Little Spencer and made a disdainful face behind Old Spencer's back.
He then turned his gaze towards the woman who was the center of attention, squinting his eyes, seeming to ponder.
Charles, a senior mob boss, despite his family's decline, still held an influential position in Gotham.
His family and the Spencer family have been connected for generations. His wife Liv is Old Spencer's distant cousin. The two families have always been in contact and hence, understand each other well.
The one son and one daughter of Old Spencer were from different mothers. The mother of the older daughter, Freya Spencer, was Old Spencer's first wife who had passed away. Then Old Spencer married again, giving birth to his current son.
This new wife was originally from the West Coast and had been a movie star. When his son was born, Old Spencer noticed that he was extraordinarily smart and far from a normal child. He thought about keeping the child by his side and grooming him into his successor.