Delivered to His Door

"My name is... Marlena."

Hearing the woman's answer, Luke froze for a moment. The name sounded familiar.

Then he quickly realized that this was most likely another one of Mafia boss Alessandro's brilliant ideas!

Was this to make up for his nephew's offense against him?

So he had sent a woman to him overnight?

Did I really look that desperate?

Luke silently added Alessandro's name to the little notebook in his heart.

"Do you know who I am?"

Those trivial, unimportant thoughts passed in a flash.

Luke looked at Marlena beneath him, and a hint of amazement rose in his eyes.

It had to be said that this woman perfectly embodied the meaning of "ravishing beauty."

Like Venus herself, she constantly radiated a captivating charm that could leave men utterly infatuated.

She was like a plump fruit hanging from a branch. Even without tasting it, one could imagine the rich fragrance filling one's mouth.

"Mr. Corleone... Alessandro said you were a wealthy businessman."

Marlena turned her face away, seemingly unwilling to meet Luke's gaze.

Her voice carried sorrow and resentment. Alessandro must have used force to send her into Luke's room.

"I had no idea Cosa would... make such a mess of things."

Seeing the tear tracks on Marlena's face, Luke felt somewhat awkward.

He had the Superman Template—he was supposed to be a righteous character. How could he possibly do something like forcibly taking an innocent woman?

This was all Alessandro's fault!

"Then, Mr. Corleone, could you... get up first? You're making me uncomfortable."

The mature beauty beneath Luke spoke with a trace of grievance and embarrassed anger in her voice.

"Huh? Oh, right!"

Only after hearing Marlena's timid request did Luke realize that he was still pressing her down.

He promptly climbed off her, sat on the edge of the bed, and asked, "Did Cosa send you here?"

"Yes. Alessandro said that as long as I could... satisfy you, the Mafia would help me get rid of the constable's harassment and provide me with enough food every day."

Marlena lowered her head and turned onto her side, hiding herself in the shadows.

Unfortunately, such beautiful scenery could not be concealed.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, clearly outlining the alluring, graceful curves of the gorgeous woman, whose entire body exuded mature charm.

The thin silk nightgown draped over her body, leaving her shoulders bare, served no purpose beyond adding a tantalizing, half-hidden allure.

Her lovely eyes, brimming with tears, were filled with pitiful sorrow, constantly stirring the protective instincts of any male creature.

"The constable?"

After talking with her for a while, Luke roughly learned that Marlena was a schoolteacher. Her husband had been conscripted on their wedding night and sent off to join this brutal war.

Her beauty had brought her countless covetous stares and unnecessary troubles.

It was like having such a ripe, enticing fruit in an unattended orchard. Anyone would feel the urge to pick it themselves.

The difference was that some people could only bury their desires in their hearts, while others had the power to act on them.

Angelo, the constable of the Town of Taormina, was exactly that sort of man—one with ideas and the courage to put them into practice.

If not for his fierce wife, whose arms and legs were thick and whose voice sounded like a broken gong, making a scene every few days,

Constable Angelo might have long since used threats and coercion to pluck Marlena, this gorgeous delicate flower, for himself.

These were turbulent times. The flames of war between the Axis Powers and the Allied Nations had already reached Sicily.

During wartime, Italy's monetary system had collapsed, and prices kept soaring.

On top of that, Mussolini's control measures restricted the trade of food, gold, and jewelry.

As a result, the Italian people could only spend all their wealth scrambling to buy food while loudly cursing that damned dictator.

Marlena had originally had a job of her own. Aside from enduring the filthy remarks of bored men in town and the constable's harassment, she could still make a living and hold onto her principles.

But as the war swept through Sicily and shattered its former peace,

everything changed!

The men in town seemed to turn vicious overnight.

Like a pack of hungry wolves, they all waited for someone to be the first to enter the orchard and pick that plump fruit.

After that, once Marlena lost her resolve and her chastity, she would sooner or later become a plaything for the entire town.

"Your father is ill?"

Luke's expression did not change as he continued questioning her.

"Yes. Medicine and food are both under restriction. The constable said he could get them for me, as long as... I was willing to spend one night with him."

Marlena seemed to find the words difficult to say. With sorrow in her eyes, she said, "I was already prepared to give in. It's too difficult for a woman to live alone. Besides, I couldn't just sit by and watch my father be taken by illness."

"But Alessandro came to me. He said that as long as I came here... and satisfied you, my life would be secure from now on."

Marlena's tone was helpless. Whether it was the town constable or the Mafia of Sicily, neither was an existence she could resist.

"I understand, Marlena. Rest here tonight for now. As for what comes next, Cosa should explain it to me."

Luke spoke calmly.

He withdrew his gaze, rose to his feet, and prepared to leave the room.

Without question, Marlena was a bedchamber beauty capable of stirring any man's desire. But Luke was not so desperate that he would let his lower half control his upper half and make such a low-class choice.

Compared to other animals in nature, one reason humans stood at the top of the food chain was probably that they knew how to learn and think, rather than easily allowing desire to rule their minds.

Animal nature was necessary for a species to remain aggressive, while human nature was the foundation for building order.

"Mr. Corleone..."

When Marlena called out to him, Luke waved a hand and said, "There's been a misunderstanding here, and it's difficult for me to explain it to you. I'm very sorry for frightening you and causing unnecessary trouble."

Seeing the lingering fear in the beautiful woman's eyes, Luke said nothing more and simply walked out of the room.

Tonight, he would have to sleep in the guest room.

At least it was better than sleeping on the sofa.

Luke thought so.

The next morning, Luke went downstairs and ordered breakfast, while also passing a message to the Mafia men stationed at the inn.

Less than twenty minutes later, Alessandro hurried over.

He entered Luke's room and stood there with utmost respect, not even reaching up to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Was that really necessary, Cosa? Sending a woman into my bed overnight, and using such disgraceful methods."

Luke sat at the dining table, leisurely enjoying a local specialty breakfast: fried pizza turnovers.

He lifted his coffee with his right hand and took a sip before continuing, "I came all the way to Sicily. Did you think I came here just to find women? Cosa, I understand what you meant, but compared to flattering someone, I value a person's capability more."

Alessandro nodded repeatedly. He had thought that a hot-blooded young man like Luke would never be unmoved by a beauty like Marlena.

Besides, in this Mafia boss's view,

wasn't the most effective way to please an important figure simply to offer money and women?

Why did it not work with Mr. Corleone?

Luke seemed to have guessed Alessandro's thoughts, but he did not explain further.

Whenever he thought of that mysterious code beginning with 4 and ending with 4, he could not help becoming much more upright.

PS: He was here, he was here, he came rolling in with an update (ω)