The matron never even bothered to smile once throughout the interaction, and Fredrick waited until the couple was gone before he finally spoke to his mother.
"It wouldn't kill you to give them a smile, mother. They came all this way for the funeral, so we should accommodate them. That is how the Lucas do things."
The matron let out a scoff at her son's words and turned away in irritation. That was how the Lucas did things? How absurd! She couldn't even begin to describe how irritated she was by this entire situation! The matron was no fool, and she had been in this world far longer than most of these people had been alive! She knew all the tricks and cons that people were always trying to use to curry favor with others, and she could tell that there wasn't a single person in this funeral who gave a damn about her late husband! The only reason why any of them came here today was so that they could show their faces to the future boss and try to earn his favour!
The matron spoke with poison laced in every word.
"None of them even showed their faces for the past twenty years. They weren't there when the Bellagrini and Romanov were taking our land from us, and they weren't there when George fell sick. But now that the boss is dead, they decide to show up like vultures and ravens looking for a meal. Disgusting."
Fredrick released a calm sigh as he put on another fake smile to greet the next set of visitors who were passing through. He collected the flowers they gave him along with the wine and put them with the others in front of his father's picture. Fredrick knew that what his mother said was true. The people visiting them right now had never even set foot in this mansion before unless it was to ask for favors or money, and most of them were only here because they wanted to build favor with the family before his father's will was read. But Fredrick couldn't allow his annoyance to cloud his judgment. Their entire family ran by a set of rules that was different from others and it was their job to make sure those rule were upheld. If they started turning their back on tradition, then they would be no different from a petty gang on the street, so they needed to put up a strong front no matter the situation.
Fredrick spoke to his mother in a low voice once the second couple walked away.
"I know you're not happy, mother. But please, try to act like a proper Lucas. This is a funeral, and it is our duty to make sure the visitors are taken care of."
The matron clicked her tongue.
"Don't talk to me about duty, boy. I taught you everything you know about that word!"
The matron folded her hands and turned away, and Fredrick had to put on another fake smile as another family passed through! His mother was just too difficult to deal with, so he wasn't going to try to make her relax anymore. She could do whatever the fuck she wanted!
The matron watched the people coming and going for a few seconds, and she only felt the anger in her heart rising as she saw the fake smiles and exaggerated expressions on their faces! It was so obvious that they were all there for only one thing, and the ruthless gangster inside her was more than prepared to take a gun and eradicate all of them!
The matron spoke up in a harsh voice once her son finished greeting the next set of people.
"Once you're the boss, we're going to war against the entire city! It's the fault of those fools in the other families that we have to deal with this insult! This pathetic excuse for a funeral would have never needed to happen if George had the balls to eradicate those families as soon as they started showing any hostility!"
"Mother!"
Fredrick turned around and glared at his mother in anger, and the matron took a step back and looked away bitterly when she saw how furious her son was! Fredrick had been trying to hold in his annoyance all this time since he knew that this was an important event, but he couldn't stand back and listen to his mother insult his father like that! Fredrick knew that his mother and father didn't see eye to eye at the end of their marriage. It had been nearly ten years since the both of them were even in a room together! His father and mother couldn't stand to be near each other! But that was no reason for his mother to talk about his father like he was a weak man!
Fredrick stepped close to his mother and seethed in her face so that only she could hear him.
"Father is the only reason why we can hold a ceremony like this in the first place. The sacrifices he made as a boss were what built this family from nothing, and I am not going to stand here and listen to you insult him! Now you will either stay silent or go back inside right now."
Fredrick eyed his mother seriously, and his mother calmly adjusted her hat while saying that she was fine.
"I didn't mean to say all that. George was a great man, and I know that more than anyone. I'm fine right here, so let's continue. There are people waiting."
Fredrick kept his hard gaze on his mother for a few more seconds before he finally let out a sigh to calm himself. He made sure that his mother was really not going to go on another rant before he turned back around to give a smile to the next family that appeared. But his attention was suddenly pulled away when he saw two people approaching them.
Dante was heading towards the entrance in an all-black suit with a black coat over it, and a pair of black sunglasses that matched well with the attire. Behind him, Rosa had switched out her regular maid's outfit for a long black gown that was both modest and formal. The dress was simple and unassuming, but her natural beauty was just so unbelievable that she drew attention without even trying! Many of the men around the estate couldn't help but turn to glance at her with desire in their eyes! It was like an angel came down from heaven to visit them!
But once those same people turned towards Dante, there was no way to hide the fear that passed through their bodies!
"That's him, right? The demon?"
"I heard he's the top hunting dog for the gang. He's a killing machine."
"You know they call him the Grim Reaper in the streets, like he's some sort of devil."
"My brother once saw him take out some guys in a bar fight and it was the most brutal thing I've ever heard. He used a fork to stab someone in the fucking neck."
The rumors and murmurs about Dante were constantly being spread, and even though he could easily hear what they were saying, Dante was able to ignore them with ease. Being spoken about was something you had to get used to if you were a part of a family as large as this one.
[The user has an impressive reputation. That is good. The user should be proud.]
'Shut up.'