Castle had no interest in the events unfolding in Rome, as they were strictly internal matters of the D'Antonio family. Despite being good friends with the D'Antonio family's son-in-law, it wasn't appropriate for an outsider like him to meddle in their family affairs.
Our writer, after casually chatting at home with his mother and daughter about the latest developments in his daughter's godfather's love life and impending fatherhood, retreated to his study. Sitting alone in his chair, he slowly reflected on everything that had happened today.
Suddenly, Castle remembered his "Plot Reversal Assistance System." Hadn't he just managed to reverse the plot by dealing with Santino today? Why was it silent now? Where was his reward?
"System, what's going on?"
Castle was frustrated. Did he not get any rewards for his actions?
"Attention, host. The Plot Reversal Assistance System is designed to help the host assist other characters in altering their fates. The host himself is not included in this range. Please refer to the system's user manual..."
The system's mechanical voice shattered Castle's hopes.
"Figures, I'm just a 'wise old man' figure..."
Full of resentment, Castle accepted the reality that he was on the weaker side and couldn't drag out the designer of this system to beat them up.
Having given up on the system and its rewards, Castle refocused on the day's events with Santino. He picked up the phone and called his father, Sean, intending to report the outcome.
"Dad, it's Rick. Yes... I've dealt with Santino!
How? Well, I did this... then that... and then this...
In the end, he promised never to trouble me again, and I forced him to make a blood oath. Yes...
I had him put his fingerprint on the blood oath crest...
Yes, he's now on the plane Gianna arranged for him, headed back to Rome...
No, no, it's not about being soft-hearted. Okay? He's Gianna's brother, and Gianna is pregnant now, with heightened maternal instincts. You don't know; because of this, John called me several times, hoping I'd spare Santino's life, subtly and openly...
After all, John and Gianna are my friends, and even the news of Santino coming to New York to find me was given to me by them. Without their notification, I wouldn't have known about this in advance. It's because of them that I could find you to protect Mom and them before Santino could act...
By the way, Santino will hand over all the family power he holds to Gianna. That's the price he paid to save his life. So, in the future, Santino will pose little to no threat to me...
Yes, these two points are why I gave Gianna a face and sent Santino back to Rome!"
After carefully listening to Castle's actions and his final handling of Santino, Sean was quite relieved. Although there were still some parts of the whole affair that didn't satisfy Sean, the final outcome greatly pleased him.
Castle had not only eliminated the personal threat from Santino to him and his family but also forced Santino to relinquish his family power to save his life, gaining Gianna's gratitude and favor in the process. Moreover, Castle cleverly made Santino swear a blood oath, ensuring that Santino would not only avoid retaliating against Castle but would also help Castle fend off unknown external threats. Castle's possession of Santino's blood oath crest alone was enough to keep Santino in check.
Throughout the whole process, Sean was particularly pleased with Castle's strategic maneuvers. One was his clever use of the tactic to frighten Santino out of the Continental Hotel, where fighting was prohibited. This maneuver, aided by Santino's foolish subordinates misinterpreting Castle's actions as a bluff, removed the Continental Hotel's protection for Santino and enabled the subsequent ambush. This also allowed Winston to remain neutral, avoiding a difficult situation between Castle and the D'Antonio family.
Another commendable aspect was Castle's understanding of his friends' predicaments and his ability to utilize advantageous situations. If he hadn't picked up on Gianna's unspoken plea through John's calls and agreed to spare Santino, Gianna wouldn't have had her butler assist Castle with the surveillance equipment and the subsequent ambush.
What satisfied Sean the most was Castle's ruthless decisiveness when needed. He used the deaths of five people to shock Santino into submission, successfully making him surrender his family power to Gianna and owe Castle a massive favor, while also securing a blood oath to eliminate future threats.
Reflecting on Castle's adept handling of the crisis, Sean couldn't help but marvel at his son's growth. The strategies of frightening the enemy, making an example of them, and taking advantage of opportunities were executed with skill, and his ability to adapt was top-notch. This, to Sean, made watching from the sidelines all the more satisfying.
When Sean first learned of the situation, he planned to intervene and eliminate Santino himself. After all, the Paris incident was orchestrated by his men. But Castle refused his help, asking only for protection for his family while he dealt with Santino himself. Sean turned the situation into a test of Castle's crisis management skills, even informing Winston and the King to stay out of it. The final outcome, though not without minor flaws, delivered an exceptionally satisfying result for Sean.
Considering Castle's rapid growth over the past few months, transitioning from a law-abiding citizen to someone actively involved in the underground world, Sean was extremely pleased. Castle's recent performance and development filled Sean with immense pride.
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