Meanwhile In At A Warehouse,
"Come on, people, we gotta get this sh*t out pronto!" Lil Tony barked, waving his arms through the air as he walked past the rows of Luciano grunts.
Warlocks and witches stood at their designated positions, commanding the gates to open as their grimoires hovered softly at the side.
Through those widening rifts, the grunts carried crates of drugs and contraband, the heroin shipments pushed forward with a particular urgency.
Ricky's Veil Method was slowly rolling along now, the first two phases coming to fruition as they readied themselves for the next steps.
But for now, the job was simple: move the shipments.
Not merely to Otherworld, but to the growing constellation of sites where the Veil had begun to settle, to the territories sliding quietly under Ricky's reach.
This warehouse, along with several others, was the very reason Lil Tony had not departed for D.C.
If Ricky was the magician in the veil method, Lily Tony was his stage assistant, diligently working behind the scenes while the world was just utterly captivated by the show.
"When will the entire shipment be delivered-"
"For someone who can't even breathe down my back, you're sure trying." Lil Tony scoffed, not bothering to fully turn as he addressed the voice behind him.
Only then did he shift, casting a glance at the sole reason there was any urgency with the heroin shipments at all.
Because there, carrying the authority of the sorceress who sent him, was Morgana's own butler himself, Jenkins.
"Her Majesty is very instant-"
"I get it-"
"Do you?" Jenkins wondered, his eye sockets flaring with a green fire, the spark of his necrotic life.
"Do you understand what it means to rule the most coveted city in the lands, surrounded by various races who are seeking to tear your down-"
"Listen dingus, you're literally describing all the sh*t the Luciano family went through in New York." Lil Tony scoffed, casting the skeleton an annoyed look.
"But instead of weird-ass fairies and talking skeletons, we had Jews and Blacks and everyone else." Lil Tony added, shaking his head while flicking his clipboard at the side.
"Now, like the flies, go buzz around at the side and let me do my-"
"LIL TONY, WHERE IS HE!"
SIGH
"Job." Lil Tony finished with a heavy exhale, his expression weary as he turned his head toward the source of that familiar tone, Ricky.
"There you are!" Ricky let out a menacing laugh, pushing past the made men crowding around him, ignoring every attempt to get his attention as he strode forward.
"Your Majesty, there you are, about the Herion-"
"Not now, Jenkins." Ricky said, brushing the bony man aside without looking at him.
Then, Ricky stepped up to Lil Tony, stopping just inches away, and Tony met him with that same defeated expression he had whenever dealing with the head of his family.
"Lil Tony, good, you're here." Ricky laughed, patting Tony's shoulders and giving him a quick shake.
"Wait, where's your Merlin?" Ricky asked suddenly, his eyes drifting past Tony as if expecting the answer to appear somewhere in the room.
"He's-"
"Whatever, doesn't matter, we're moving it up." Ricky said with a shrug, dismissing whatever Lil Tony was about to explain with a casual wave of his hand.
"Wait, what-"
"Get your boys, get everything you need, and start heading down to D.C." Ricky said, smiling as he spread his arms wide, his expression brightening with an excitement big enough for both of them.
"Wait, I thought the plan was for me to get more leads?"
The reason Lil Tony hadn't left with the rest of the inner circle wasn't D.C. at all.
It was Capitol Hill.
More specifically, the House and the Senate, the politicians Ricky had always aimed to target, became a priority sooner than planned after his first meeting with JP Morgan Jr.
FLASHBACK CHAPTER 221
"Okay, so, when you go to D.C, let's be honest, it's gonna be hard to really get a foothold if I'm not there." Ricky said, gesturing with both hands as Rhino hovered nearby while walking around the bar.
Lil Tony didn't argue because that was a given.
Although Lil Tony didn't know much about the city, or the opportunity he had thrown himself into, he had managed to dig up a few pieces of information.
To summarize, the entire capital, from the marbled halls of the House to the chambers of the Senate, practically moved at FDR's thumb.
And during this time, the president wasn't just a man in a chair signing bills; he was the city itself.
A man wielding a 70% approval rating, unprecedented at any time, was a force only rivaled by his own shadow.
"It's why you're gonna go to Elias to purchase leads."
Which, ironically, was the very thing Ricky had an agreement with.
"Who?" Lil Tony interrupted, completely unaware of the name, as Rhino spat to the side.
"A dirty man who can only inspire affection through dependence," Rhino said, his thick Russian accent cutting through the air, the bottle of vodka swaying in his hand.
"I think he's a f*cking prick, but that too." Ricky chuckled, gesturing casually to the side as Rhino raised his bottle in silent agreement.
"However, the guy's got some serious strings, ones I want." Ricky muttered, a flash of pure greed igniting in his eyes.
"Alright boss, but-"
"But he's probably gonna be difficult, so just do what you can and then get me to finish it off." Ricky said, not wanting to start the negotiating himself since he wanted a sort of buffer to take the initial damage.
However, what caught Lil Tony off guard was that he was about to suggest the same thing.
An old trick his father used while working under Lucky, sending someone in to feel out the situation before the boss stepped in.
But Ricky had already unconsciously read it.
By letting Lil Tony start the negotiation, Ricky could observe Elias' reactions, note his weaknesses, all without ever exposing himself.
"Uh, ok." Lil Tony said, caught off guard at being beaten to the punch by Ricky of all people and it was why he stood in front of him awkwardly.
"Oh, and could you get some guys to clean this up?"
FLASHBACK END
"I almost got him in a good spot-....I-I think. I can't really get a good read on him with the whole floating eyeball thing." Lil Tony said, scratching the back of his head with a very confused expression.
Right now, Lil Tony had been in the middle of the negotiation.
Weeks of maneuvering, quiet meetings, and careful negotiating with Elias to reclaim the old network of leads Ricky wanted.
It was delicate work, the kind of arrangement that required patience and keeping tempers with a person who thrive by unearthing or causing the most horrid tragedies.
But after everything with Raven, and the Foundation stepping in the way it did, Elias had grown sour toward the Luciano family.
Just as Lil Tony thought he was gaining some ground, Ricky shifted the direction entirely.
"Plans change, rearrange, and anything that rhymes after that," Ricky said, waving his hand as if to rush not just his words, but the whole conversation.
"But-"
"This ain't a debate." Ricky's word cut right through Lil Tony's rebuttal as the underboss froze at the only one who could ever order him around.
"The president moves a pawn, I move my knight." Ricky gestured sharply, tapping Lil Tony's shoulder he was a chess piece, emphasizing the role he played on the board.
"Got it?"
"Yes, boss." Lil Tony nodded, actually taking pride in knowing he wasn't just another pawn in Ricky's army.
"Good. You've got the entire Luciano family at your disposal and discretion, just get us burrowed deep into that city, like a cancer." Ricky reiterated, referencing their earlier meeting.
"Yes, boss."
"I need those politicians eating out of my hand by the end of the month," Ricky reminded him, wanting to picture his intentions for him.
"And listen, I'll be honest, I don't understand politics or how they approve mergers," Ricky said, admitting his ignorance without any hesitation.
"But I do know that FDR's gonna find a way to burn me." Ricky said, stepping in closer, lowering his tone as he stared at Lily Tony.
"That's why you're gonna go and make sure that sh*t doesn't happen, capeesh?" Ricky finished, tapping Lil Tony's shoulder like he was stamping the order into him.
"But-"
"Before I give you a chance to speak, I won't lie, I really don't wanna hear anything that isn't yes or something close to it." Ricky cut him off, lifting a hand to stall whatever excuse was about to form.
"Yes, boss, it's just that I wanna ask you something." Lil Tony said, eyes flicking nervously as Ricky made a quick, impatient gesture, telling him to speed it up.
"If I can do this, if I can somehow get this merger through-"
"Oh, f*ck me!" Ricky cursed, throwing his hands into the air as Lil Tony ducked his head.
"Don't tell me your about to spin this toward your f*cking brother-"
"He made a mistake, a stupid, f*cking idiotic mistake, and-"
"He made a choice, and just like any other choice, he has to live with it." Ricky cut him off, ending their back-and-forth before it could start.
As a sudden silence settled over them, Ricky's green eyes glowed, deliberately stretching the awkward moment.
"P-Please." Lil Tony stammered, his shame palpable as he shuffled under Ricky's gaze, feeling the weight of every second he didn't speak.
"He's a dumbass that can't ever think farther ahead than what's right in front of him," Lil Tony muttered, almost as if confessing a truth he wished he didn't have to say.
"But he's my brother," Lil Tony admitted, revealing just how much family meant to this underboss before him.
SIGH
A heavy sigh escaped Ricky, dragging the edge of his patience with it as he stared down at his underboss.
This man whose greatest flaw was the same thing that made him so dependable: his love for his family.
"If you do this-"
"Boss-"
"Let me finish." Ricky lifted a hand, staring down at him with almost no emotion in his green eyes.
"If you do this, we'll talk about a role for him, maybe something in a company or in politics, but just talking." Ricky decided, delivering the words with a certainty that made Lil Tony briefly forget he was still a teenager.
"But I can't ever have someone in the family who isn't on board with me, one hundred percent." Ricky revealed, the words slipping out with a calm finality that left no room for argument.
"I-" Lil Tony wanted to argue, to keep pushing, but when he slowly looked up at Ricky
He saw that Ricky wasn't smiling.
There was none of his usual relaxed demeanor anywhere; Ricky just stared down at Lil Tony with a seriousness so unlike him that it made the hairs on Tony's neck stand on end.
"I understand." Lil Tony immediately said, ducking his head as a bead of sweat trailed down his face as Ricky frowned.
"Then you understand what's gonna happen if you don't get me what I want after asking for all that." Ricky clarified again, staring down at Lil Tony, whose eyes stayed glued to the floor.
"Cause I got so much other sh*t going on, that if I give this to you, something this important, with me actually willing to bend on something-" Ricky paused, stopping himself as his eyes slowly began to glow.
"Then you know that I don't want little crumbs of profits, I'll need results." Ricky said, needing to hear that Lil Tony actually understood what he was implying.
"Ye-"
"And if you don't get them for me, then I won't just blame you, you'll be the one paying."
"Yes-"
"Do you?" Ricky asked, his voice tightening as annoyance flickered across his face.
"Do you really f*cking understand?" Ricky pressed, leaning in just enough to make the question feel heavier.
"Because this merger is happening." Ricky revealed, his annoyance blooming again at the thought of the president standing in his way.
"I will get what I want and if there are any delays-" Ricky warned, the pause deliberate, his eyes narrowing as the threat settled between them.
"Lil Tony, I'm just gonna blame you."
Ricky wasn't even looking at him.
His gaze was fixed on the distance, on the path he was desperate to walk, as that growing lust for power crept into his glowing green eyes.
"Regardless of who's at fault, it's on you, that's the price of getting me to talk about your little brother." Ricky revealed, his eyes slowly fading back to their usual shade as all his skills pulled him back into a calm mindset.
"So, lemme ask you again." Ricky continued, tilting his head slightly as his eyes fixed on Lil Tony.
"Are you really sure you understand?"
"I-I understand." Lil Tony muttered, his shoulders tightening as he tried not to shake.
"Good, now, go get it done so I can focus entirely on my expo." Ricky laughed, effortlessly shedding that heavy atmosphere as he gave Lil Tony a light tap on the shoulder.
"Oh, and good work everyone!" Ricky added with a bright grin, cheering on his crew as they nodded back in respect toward their boss.
"Also, Jenkins, chill the f*ck out. Just 'cause Morgana's up my ass doesn't mean you have to do the same with the family." Ricky snapped lightly, tossing the words over his shoulder as he turned and walked straight out of the warehouse.
"Yes, your majesty!" Jenkins dutifully yelled, bowing to the king of Camelot as Ricky waltzed right out of the warehouse.
Ricky fiddled with his suit pockets, tossing a handful of sunflower seeds onto the ground the moment he stepped out of the massive building behind him.
"Where is he getting all these f*cking sunflower seeds?!" Ricky muttered to himself, pulling out two more handfuls, when those should've been his cigars.
"Boss, over here!" Marino called, already pulling up outside the warehouse.
"Went from having the sweetest morning, waking up with a busty, beautiful girl, naked from her ass all the way up to her perky tits, just laying on my chest." Ricky whispered to himself, flicking his hand toward Marino as the door opened.
"To driving down to my expo and everything getting f*cking complicated," Ricky muttered, taking another slice from the box and leaning back.
"Well, boss, while you were talking to Lil tony, I got a lead-"
"I don't care about breadcrumbs, just get me my results," Ricky sighed, cutting Marino off as the made man nodded, understanding immediately.
"Don't worry boss, I got it-"
"Good, that's what I like to hear." Ricky gulped, demolishing the slice of pizza in a nanosecond and already reaching for another.
The car ride was relatively silent after that, Marino occasionally flicking glances at the rearview mirror to catch Ricky staring off into space while munching on pizza.
Completely unaware, Marino didn't notice that Ricky was already thinking about Cindy's gacha, the filler girl who would probably fade into the shadowy corners of his harem.
DING
[Received:
(Rare Item) Elixir of Swiftness: Temporarily boosts speed and reflexes.
(Uncommon Weapon) Ironfang Dagger: A small but deadly dagger that was forged for a specific purpose that was lost with the death of its blacksmith.
(Uncommon Armor) Leatherbound Vest: Reduces minor physical damage; flexible for mobility.
(Uncommon Item) Healing Salve: Restores a small amount of health over time.
(Uncommon Ring) Ring of Minor Insight: Slightly improves awareness and perception.
(Uncommon Weapon) Stonecrusher Mace: Compact, heavy mace; good for bashing armor.
(Uncommon Armor) Chainwoven Gauntlets: Strengthens grip and slightly increases melee damage.
(Uncommon Item) Smoke Bomb: Creates a temporary smokescreen for escape or stealth.
(Uncommon Ring) Ring of Stamina: Slightly increases endurance and recovery.
(Uncommon Armor) Ironkneecaps: Protects legs and knees; reduces fall damage slightly.
(Uncommon Weapon) Hunter's Bow: Standard bow with improved accuracy over regular bows.
(Epic Weapon) Golden Desert Eagle: An extremely rare and finely engraved Desert Eagle, crafted with the last remnants of a veteran's life and spirit.
(Common Item) Blender: A standard kitchen appliance used to blend food, liquids. X 5
(Rare Item) Night Vision Goggles: A high-tech device that allows the user to see clearly in complete darkness
(Common Item) Hair Dryer: A small appliance that blows hot air to dry hair. X 6
(Uncommon Armor) Leatherbound Vest: A reinforced leather vest that provides basic protection against physical attacks. X 2
(Uncommon Weapon) Hunter's Bow: A short-range bow designed for accuracy and efficiency, ideal for hunting. X 6
(Common Item) Sock: Single sock, could be thrown, if you want. X 15
(Common Item) Chair: A standard chair that can be used for sitting or thrown as a blunt object. X 5
(Common Item) Plunger: A basic household tool primarily for clearing drains. X 9]
'Can't complain.'
That was Ricky's only response to the screen before him, licking his fingers after finishing the last of his pizza as he leaned back.
Ricky genuinely just wanted to toy with the idea of his eldritch weapons in the hands of his grunts, imagining how far he could push them and how they'd respond under pressure.
He wasn't concerned at all with the consequences of his surroundings.
Right now, he was in a place in his life where he could test the effectiveness of his leadership, something he was still refining, still sharpening, and still molding to fit the man he wanted to become.
However, that train of thought was slowly interrupted as the car rolled up to a mass of reporters crowded outside the doors of the building where his expo was set to take place.
"Have a good day, Boss!" Marino blurted out unconsciously, trying to say something but it came out weird.
"Huh?" Ricky froze, his hand paused on the handle as he turned toward the driver, who immediately flinched.
"Wait, that came out weird-"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ricky couldn't help himself, picturing Marino like a parent dropping a kid off at school while a swarm of reporters snapped pictures.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
That laughter carried on as he slammed the door behind him, shaking off the last bit of annoyance and settling back into his usual mood.
"'Have a good day'? What were you thinking, Marino!" he scolded himself, smacking his head against the steering wheel.
"MR LUCIANO, OVER HERE-"
"SLICK, ARE YOU LAUGHING BECAUSE OF WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID-"
"RICKY, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE AHTELTES-"
"How about instead of yammering around me like a bunch of chihuahuas, you just talk to me normally so I can try to understand you all?" Ricky laughed, winking at a random female journalist who immediately blushed at his gaze.
"What is your position on the Olympics after receiving support from the president!?" a reporter demanded, pen poised over paper as he stared aggressively at Ricky.
"My position, huh?" Ricky mused aloud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes!" All the reporters shouted in unison, eager for his answer.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes-"
"No, like, really, really want to know?"
"YES!"
"Well, I'm happy to answer it." Ricky said, giving them all a toothy smile as he spread his arms toward the hopeful journalists.
"At my expo-"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A man screamed like a child, his large frame bouncing as he stomped his foot in a full-blown tantrum.
"Uh, yes?" Ricky said, awkwardly, having no clever response to that outburst.
"Mr. Lucaino-Ricky-Slick, whatever, please!" A journalist whined, dropping to his knees as the juicy story threatened to slip through his fingers.
"Sorry guys, can't do it." Ricky shrugged, shaking his head as if he were the one disappointed.
"But, to make it up to all of you, press gets a free pass." Ricky added, watching their downtrodden expressions lighten.
"Seriously-"
"Sure. I've got nothing to hide, but I just wanna hype up my event," Ricky revealed, waving his hand like it was obvious.
"Also, let's be honest, are the questions you have right now really gonna be better than the ones you'll have next week?" Ricky said purposefully, using his narrative skill to plant the thought.
"Of course not. It's why I'm giving you a week to come at me with the hardest, most controversial questions, ones that'll have people buying your papers like hotcakes." Ricky laughed, giving them all a cheeky smile as the narrative within the reports mind bloomed at this thought process.
RIP
"Anything?"
A reporter peeped up from behind, unaware that the narrative had subtly shifted under the influence of Shadow Broker, who loomed over them all with a single piece of paper.
RIP
"Just leave my family outta it, and all of you will get a green pass to ask whatever you like about me-" Ricky warned, his voice calm but carrying an unmistakable edge.
"What about the Lucky Corporation and the bank-"
RIP
"Anything with my face on it is free game, deal?" Ricky asked, gesturing toward the reporters, who exchanged hesitant glances.
It was clear they were frustrated that they couldn't get a juicy response, but as they slowly met each other's eyes, they realized that being given this time was actually a blessing.
More relevant information still needed to be released, and this pause would let them dig deeper later.
RIP
Which was utterly convenient for Ricky, whose eyes began to curve into crescent moons at how easily he was manipulating the masses.
"Deal!" all the reporters said in unison, and Ricky laughed at the sound, turning with a satisfied grin.
"Good. Now stop cramming my f*cking venue entrance and stick to the sides," Ricky said, waving them off as he glanced toward the space where his event would take place.
"And let me get-"
"Bella Freeman."
A name suddenly echoed in the vicinity as Ricky was just about to grab the doors of the building only for his hand to freeze.
"Do you know that name?"
The same fat man, the one who had been whining earlier, couldn't help himself and shouted, even as the narrative, guided by Shadow Broker, tried to suppress his urge to have the question answered.
"Mike, the hell are you-"
"I have a source that says she gave birth to a baby boy on October 27, 1918," Mike revealed, tapping his notepad with an oddly specific date.
"Your birthday, Ricky Luciano or, if you prefer, your birth name: Ricky Freeman," he added, watching Ricky stand at the front of the door, flashes flickering across his back.
'Can't smile without you, I can't smile without you~'
Barry Manilow drifted through his mind at the mention of his mother.
The same song that once scraped at old wounds, wounds that never seemed to heal.
A song that used to choke him with memories he loathed.
Snort
"What a coincidence," Ricky chuckled, turning to look at the fat man, all the other reporters a step back, the same man who had flinched earlier now trying to square his shoulders.
However, what seemed to unnerve Mike at this moment was that Ricky's smile wasn't warm, or fond, or forgiving.
It was the smile of someone who remembered the past but no longer lived inside it.
Someone who didn't need to run from his mother's shadow anymore because it simply didn't touch him the way it used to.
"Is that your mother-"
"Would it change anything if it was?" Ricky asked genuinely, spreading his arms toward the reporter, who squinted up at him.
"Mike, stop it-"
"Is Bella Freeman your mother, Ricky Freeman?" Mike yelled, his voice almost demanding an answer as Ricky stepped forward slowly, closing the distance until he stood directly in front of him.
"What's my name?" Ricky whispered, his tone deadly as his eyes stared down at the fat man who slowly gulped
"Is your mother-"
"What's."
"My."
"Name." Ricky uttered, breaking each word apart deliberately as the man began to shake under the flow of his glowing green eyes.
"R-Ricky-"
But as the last name hovered on his tongue, Ricky's lips curved into a slow, knowing smile, as if already aware that Mike didn't have the courage to finish it.
"R-R-Ricky Luciano." Mike finally whispered timidly, ducking his gaze as the courage he once had fizzled away at the will before him.
"And don't you ever forget it."
The answer came out of nowhere, causing Mike to raise his gaze to Ricky walking back to the double doors.
"Also, to answer your question, yeah, she was." Ricky said, slowly smiling as he had a sudden idea that he would plant within this crowd of reporters.
RIP
"But she died giving birth to me, and I was sent to be raised in the Roosevelt Orphanage," Ricky revealed, his green eyes flashing as his narrative skill worked seamlessly with Shadow Broker.
"Roosevelt?" Mike chirped, widening his eyes as the other reporters began scribbling down the revelation.
"So does that mean-"
"But that's your only question, meaning you're not invited," Ricky chuckled, pointing at him with a mocking stare.
"W-Waitm but-"
"I said no questions. We all agreed, no questions. Then you ran your mouth like a f*cking prick," Ricky laughed, turning his gaze back to the doors ahead.
"Wait-"
BAM
The double doors slammed shut behind him as he rubbed his face and loosened his tie.
Yet, there wasn't any weight on his shoulders at the reminder of his mother, instead, there was a semblance of relief in his eyes.
"I can't laugh, and I can't sing, I'm finding it hard, to do anything~" Ricky muttered to himself, slicking his hair back as he stared forward.
"Ricky, you're here. Good," Chester said immediately, turning away from the Lucky Corp workers and flapping his wings toward him.
"Ricky?" Chester asked, addressing the man who was humming some random tune he'd never heard before.
"How is my favorite-" Ricky began, spreading his arms toward Chester, until his gaze caught another figure standing near those same blue-collared workers.
"Uh, what is she doing here?" Ricky asked, watching Chester land on his shoulder and glance toward the direction he was pointing.
But more specifically, the figure, who was none other than Agatha.
"And I love you too, honey bear." Agatha chuckled, removing her glasses as she handed some papers to her assistants.
SIGH
"You were interviewing for Lucky Corp, I should've seen that one coming." Ricky sighed, putting it together quickly as Agatha slowly walked toward him.
"Oh honey, don't get down on yourself. I never said what job~" Agatha said, approaching him. She placed both hands on her chest, then rose onto her tiptoes, leaning in to kiss him on the lips.
"Well, you're still under me~" Ricky murmured, kissing her lips gently as his hands slid down her waist, cupping her plump ass.
"Not for long~" Agatha whispered, pressing her lips to his lower lip and nibbling it ever so slightly.
"Please, do that anywhere else but here-"
"Hey, you're the one who hired her-"
"Yes, I did." Chester squinted, watching Agatha, who seemed to burn under the his gaze.
"Are you going to tell me-"
"To get back to work?" Chester asked, glancing at Agatha, who chuckled dryly as Ricky's hands traced down her back.
"Yes, yes I am." Chester almost hissed, his eyes narrowing as he watched his employee slacking off during her first day.
"Honey-"
"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the boss, just the pretty face they slap on all the billboards," Ricky chuckled, watching Agatha's smile fade as she took a step back.
"We don't have any billboards." Agatha muttered, turning her back to Ricky and swaying her hips toward her assistants, who were diligently working around the clock for the expo.
"Chester, make a note, get some billboards with my smug smile on them." Ricky said, turning to the crow, who was barely paying attention.
"Uh huh." Chester muttered, barely registering Ricky's words as if he was looking for something.
"Ricky."
"Yes?"
"Where are the products you promised me?" Chester asked immediately, his eyes narrowing as he realized Ricky had nothing.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhh, I knew I was forgetting something-"
"Ricky!" Chester yelled, his eyes immediately bloodshot as his stress peaked in that moment.
"I'm just busting your balls, relax~" Ricky scoffed, glancing at his system inventory before commanding the products to appear before him.
Then, before Chester's eyes, the blueprints he had studied so meticulously materialized into the appliances:
Stainless Steel Insulated Mug, Electric Kettle, Coffee Maker, Steel Refrigerator, Blender, Vacuum Cleaner, and the Wine Cooler.
But the crowning achievements, the ones even Chores couldn't produce, were the Washing Machine, Dryer, Air Conditioner, and Stainless Steel Microwave.
"You really have them," Chester whispered, genuinely shocked since Chores hadn't even managed a prototype of the washing machine, let alone the dryer.
"I told you I'd deliver-"
"This is way too advanced." Chester muttered, immediately flying over to the products, surveying them warily.
"C'mon, just-"
"We'll have to strip the outer layer and replace them with a more modern style." Chester muttered to himself, completely forgetting Ricky was right behind him.
"Chester-"
"Thomas!" Chester yelled, spinning around as a four-eyed, skinny man appeared around the corner.
"Yes, boss!" Thomas immediately yelped, bolting toward the crow.
"Write everything I say down and get Alpha team started on the adjustments-"
Chester started rambling, pacing back and forth as Thomas scrambled beside him, scribbling down every stray thought he fired off.
Ricky just stood there, completely left out, as if he weren't even part of the conversation, let alone the development of his own expo.
"I'm finding it hard to do anything." Ricky muttered to himself, continuing the song as he looked around.
Maybe it was because his mother had been brought up, but for the life of him, he couldn't shake that song out of his head.
It was strange.
Ricky wasn't upset, wasn't spiraling or trying to run from anything.
It was just that whenever someone mentioned his mother, that same melody started playing in the back of his mind.
SIGH
A heavy sigh escaped Ricky's lips as he walked to the side, settling onto a stool and reaching into his coat pocket for a cigar.
"I feel sad when you're sad, I feel glad when you're glad." Ricky mumbled, cutting the cigar with his telekinesis and lighting it since the best way to get a song out of your head was to finish it.
"If you only knew, what I'm going through, I just can't smile without-"
"Ricky!"
Another voice called out to him, but it was one that should have been completely foreign in this environment, yet he recognized it instantly.
"Maria?" Ricky murmured unconsciously, turning to the side to see a bright, smiling girl.
One hand held Carming, who was flying a toy plane as he walked alongside his mother; the other clutched a letter engraved in actual gold.
Yet, even when their two James were doing completely different things, her smile remained as bright as ever.
"It's here! It's here!" Maria exclaimed, jumping up and down with Carmine, who frowned at the turbulence his toy plane was enduring.
"Oh, the thing, the, uh, the RSVP-"
"No, silly, this is the save-the-date~" Maria chuckled, waddling over to Ricky and throwing her arms around him as he scooped them both up effortlessly.
Placing Maria on one knee and Carmine on the other, he kissed Maria's lips lightly, making her blush.
"You RSVP to the save-the-date," Maria explained timidly, unconsciously tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"Duh~" Ricky laughed, completely unaware of how it worked but playing along as Maria giggled heartily.
"Right, Carmine, duh~" Ricky chuckled, turning to his son, who was intently focused on flying his plane.
"Hey buddy-"
"Pops, I'm tryna fly my plane~" Carmine whined, squirming out of Ricky's sudden hug while keeping the toy plane steady in its trajectory.
"Fly, huh?" Ricky said, grinning, happy that Carmine was already picking up his slang as Maria, however, felt a sudden twinge of concern.
"Ricky-"
"And here ya go!" Ricky laughed, tossing Carmine into the air as the boy clutched his toy tightly to his chest.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh-ahahahahahahahaha!"
Carmine's scream of terror echoed through the room, until he flipped in the air, and that terrifying noise melted into laughter.
"Ricky, he's gonna get hurt-"
"Nah, I got him." Ricky said, winking at Maria and pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek as she remained in his lap.
As Ricky continued to shower Maria with kisses and cheesy lines, Carmine was having the time of his life, soaring through the air as he guided him telekinetically with a grin.
"Again, again!" Carmine begged, bouncing with excitement, only to be set down and immediately want to soar through the air again.
"Later, I promise," Ricky said, walking over to him and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head.
"But right now, I gotta focus on this." Ricky said, sharing a moment with his son as he slowly looked towards the construction.
"What is it?" Carmine asked, and Ricky couldn't help but smile widely, taking in the scene before him.
1 week later,
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Ricky announced, standing before his double doors and surveying the massive crowd.
Reporters, journalists, business executives, prospective donors, politicians, and even ordinary citizens, all gathered before the most powerful man in the city, ready to have their lives made a little easier.
"WELCOME TO THE LUCKY CORP EXPO!"