Hearing the system's "mission complete" notification, Castle did not rush to check it. Not only because it wasn't the right time or place, but also because he had another matter of greater importance to address—one that needed immediate action to thoroughly convince John Wick.
The urgent matter concerned Santino D'Antonio, who would soon be approaching John with a blood oath, asking him to assassinate his own sister. If Castle did not seize the opportunity to make John understand the gravity of the situation now, what would happen if Santino found a loophole later?
Although the current John Wick could not foresee how terribly he would be manipulated by the duplicitous and ruthless Santino, and despite Castle's inability to explain his source of information in more detail, he decided it was still best to inoculate John with a precautionary warning, especially now that they had become partners.
"I'm glad you made this choice, John. This way, we can fight side by side in the days to come!" Castle said with a smile, like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.
"Now that we're partners, there's something important I need to tell you…" Castle began to spoil a bit of the future for his new partner.
"What I'm about to say must not be revealed to anyone!
You're aware of the relationship between the Continental Hotel and the 'High Table,' right?
The High Table is modeled after the system of King Arthur's twelve Knights of the Round Table, meaning the organization is comprised of twelve families…
What I need to tell you now concerns one of the twelve leaders of the High Table, from the D'Antonio family in Italy. According to the information I've gathered, the current patriarch, Old D'Antonio, is about to die!"
John Wick, who had just listened to a lot of secretive information at the Continental Hotel, subconsciously assumed that these hard-to-access secrets were told to Castle by his mysterious father.
Thus, with no indication of finding anything strange, John calmly listened to Castle talk about these highly confidential matters of the underworld.
Castle, who was prepared to impress John, found it difficult to contain his admiration for the former top hitman of the underworld, who maintained his composure even when faced with drastic news. Little did he know, John had completely misunderstood the source of Castle's information, thinking it was from Castle's influential father.
Unable to show off as he had intended, and seeing that John showed no other reaction, Castle had no choice but to continue with the spoilers: "If Old D'Antonio dies, then the D'Antonio family will certainly appoint a new successor. I know you've had dealings with Gianina, the eldest daughter of the D'Antonio family. Given the current situation, it's almost certain that Gianina will take over as the head of the D'Antonio family after the old man's death.
And her brother, Santino D'Antonio, stands no chance of inheriting the leadership. If you were him, do you think Santino would accept this fact peacefully? Might he harbor thoughts of eliminating his sister Gianina to claim the position for himself?
Suppose, just suppose, Santino comes to you with the blood oath you once made to him, asking you to target Gianina for assassination. In this scenario, what would you do?
And then, after you are forced to fulfill the oath and kill Gianina, imagine Santino putting a bounty on your head under the pretense of avenging his sister while taking over as the head of the D'Antonio family! Do you think such a situation could arise?"
Castle's words left John Wick unable to maintain his relaxed demeanor. He shot up from the sofa.
"What did you say? Santino would use the blood oath to ask me to kill his own sister?" John Wick was utterly shocked.
"No, no, no, I'm not saying he will definitely do this. I'm just proposing a scenario. You should know how likely such a scenario is to occur under the rules of the underworld!" Castle, having already spoiled much, began to backtrack.
John Wick fell silent, sitting on the sofa with a troubled expression.
He didn't disbelieve Castle; on the contrary, having a deep understanding of the dog-eat-dog nature of the underworld, John was well aware that Castle's hypothesis was more likely to come true than Santino giving up his claim to the leadership.
That was the harsh reality of the bloody underworld.
Castle's hypothesis, although speculative, was not far-fetched considering John's understanding of Santino's character. Santino might indeed take such drastic measures.
With the blood oath in hand—granting Santino the power to compel John to do anything—the only way John could avoid being ostracized and hunted by the underworld for breaking his oath would be to comply.
But as Castle hypothesized, complying with Santino's request to kill Gianina would allow Santino to use the pretext
of avenging his sister to eliminate John afterward.
This was a checkmate situation!
After a long silence, as he weighed his options, John Wick felt overwhelmed.
Because, whether he accepted or not, there seemed to be no perfect way out.
"Rick, are you poisonous or what? I had just managed to settle the issue with the Taranasov family, and now you've thrown me into an even more difficult situation with the D'Antonio family! Tell me, in your deduction, I'm stuck in an inescapable dilemma!" John Wick glared at Castle, filled with resentment.
"Hehe, don't get worked up, John. You can't deny that my concerns are valid, and the situations I've deduced based on the information are well-founded, aren't they?
But still, I wouldn't bring this up without reason. Although I only have a rough method to deal with it now, why would I mention it at this time if it weren't feasible?" Castle's cheeky grin somewhat eased John's mind.
"Yeah, this guy isn't the type to speak without basis, and with his wild imagination, maybe he does have a plan?" John thought, completely ignoring the fact that he had unwittingly come to trust Castle implicitly.
"Actually, the situation I just hypothesized isn't urgent yet, since Old D'Antonio hasn't died, and the power hasn't been transferred. What we need to do is prepare in advance.
My suggestion is, while Old D'Antonio is still alive and before the power transition, you should quickly and secretly make contact with Gianina. It would be best to meet with her in person!
Tell her:
First, that you fully support her taking over as the head of the D'Antonio family.
Second, subtly hint at Santino's unwillingness to stand by idly. Include our hypothetical scenario—even if it hasn't happened, you must make Gianina believe that Santino might hire you to assassinate her.
But remember, don't be too obvious; just let Gianina be aware of this and don't express any personal opinions on the matter.
Third, be cautious and keep a low profile. You mustn't let Santino know of your contact with Gianina right now, to prevent him from acting rashly and using the blood oath to coerce you before we're ready."
As Castle spoke with grandeur, John Wick's feelings were mixed.
"Wait, Rick, you want me to go to Gianina now?" John looked reluctant.
"Hahaha, John, what are you afraid of? Unwilling to meet your admirer?" Castle teased.
"You, you know about that too?" John Wick was stunned by Castle's seemingly omniscient ability to gather information.
"Of course, I know. Hahaha, let you show off, let you always look dashing in suits everywhere, trying to charm…" Castle's true thoughts were tinged with envy.
"I didn't, there was actually nothing between me and Gianina!" John's weak rebuttal sounded like a last-ditch effort.
"Isn't this perfect? At least if you see her now, the basic issue of trust won't be a problem anymore." Castle gleefully watched the unfolding drama.
Finally giving up his struggle, John Wick calmed down and carefully considered the pros and cons of this approach, confirming that Castle's suggestion was indeed the most appropriate method at the moment.
"Alright, I'll get ready and head to Italy tomorrow!"
John Wick made his decision.
"Haha, Miss Gianina, thank me. I'm sending your beloved John Wick thousands of miles just for you!" Castle laughed inwardly…
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