Dean's voice trailed off. At the end of the inner hall's corridor, a door was pushed open, and a sweet-looking woman with an impatient expression stepped out. The woman was none other than Niel.
She hadn't expected these long-unseen kin to be so obnoxious, trying to persuade her even after she had clearly stated she had a boyfriend. What did they take her for? If it weren't for the New York Lucchese Family's support during her mother's early years, she would have turned her back and left long ago.
Niel's arrival captured all the attention in the hall. They all knew Niel. Before Niel's arrival, their elders had reminded them not to make Niel hostile toward the Lucchese Family. After all, Niel's mother's influence had already surpassed that of the waning Lucchese Family.
Blood ties are no match for the ravages of time. Moreover, Niel had only visited this place as a very young child with her mother, so she actually didn't feel much attachment to these people.
