The wedding had been a complete farce, but it proceeded to its conclusion—for the sake of both families' interests.
What no one expected was this: the bride's family was completely wiped out that very night by the long-dormant Russian gang.
As Cossack banners fluttered against the night sky, the Monte family became the laughingstock of Surrey's elite.
They'd seen no profit from this alliance. That phrase "very accommodating" seemed more like a perfect description of the Monte family itself...
More importantly, no one who showed malice toward the Shelby family lived to tell about it.
Perhaps out of long-held respect for Tommy, Old Monte remained completely oblivious to the fact that Surrey now had only one voice.
Around Surrey's borders, the gangs the Shelbys had already crushed were expanding at breakneck speed...
"Cheers!"
"To Ivan!"
"To the Cossacks!"
"To our leader—Shelby!"
The moon hung high overhead.
The Shelby pub had abandoned its usual raucous atmosphere for a barbecue party on the lawn, where boisterous laughter had given way to casual family gossip.
The gramophone crackled softly, the vinyl record spinning slowly as Audrey Hepburn's voice drifted through the night air.
"Moon River, wider than a mile..."
"I'm crossing you in style someday..."
"You dream maker, you heartbreaker..."
"Wherever you're going, I'm going your way..."
The night breeze caressed their faces.
The Shelby brothers lounged contentedly in their chairs, radiating ease and leisure.
Lazy, mocking gazes pierced the darkness, settling on two figures in the distance who faced each other in silence.
After a moment, Monte Leal left.
Tommy returned to sit among his brothers, accepting the whiskey Arthur handed him and draining it in one gulp.
He gazed quietly at the night sky.
His deep, tranquil eyes held no trace of humor, making it impossible to read his thoughts...
"It's nothing, Tommy."
"Love always ends in tragedy."
Tiger attempted comfort, his fierce gaze revealing an unusual earnestness.
Unfortunately, Tiger's understanding of love was painfully shallow. Even these consoling words sounded dry and unconvincing—like stale platitudes randomly plucked from some forgotten corner.
"Pfft..."
Tommy froze for a moment.
He turned toward his younger brother, lips parting as if to speak, but finally burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Oh, bloody hell..."
"What are you saying!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
As if hearing the first joke of his life, Tommy slapped his thigh, unable to stop laughing.
Faced with his other brothers' bewildered stares, Tommy repeated Tiger's consolation with pure delight.
Immediately, thunderous laughter erupted.
"Mom! Mom!"
"Come hear what our love guru just said!" John nearly collapsed in his chair with laughter.
Tiger's face flushed crimson, like Ron facing the twins' teasing—angry and helpless.
He was completely unaware that despite his extraordinary height and build, in his brothers' eyes he remained that twelve-year-old little brother, that tiny kid sitting at the bar drinking warm milk.
No adult could keep from laughing at relationship advice from a little kid.
"Thank you for the comfort, Tiger..."
As he spoke, Tommy patted his brother's shoulder, casually wiping away tears of laughter.
It took everyone quite a while to catch their breath.
Only Theodore sat eating his grilled wings, his calm eyes flickering with incomprehensible confusion.
"Tiger, let me tell you something."
Tommy looked at his brother with equal seriousness, his magnetic voice tinged with gentle nostalgia.
"You're talking about marriage."
"But love has no tragedy."
"For those who truly love, how could love be tragic? Is autumn a tragedy for spring?"
"Uh..."
"Autumn?"
Tiger frowned, completely missing Tommy's meaning. His brothers shook their heads with amused smiles.
"You haven't grown up yet, my brother."
"Someday you'll understand..."
Tommy drained his whiskey meaningfully.
He wouldn't wait in memories, but the light from those memories would illuminate every corner of his heart.
That was his true wealth.
The end of love—and autumn.
Seeing Tiger look his way, John—the most notorious rake among the brothers—shrugged.
"Don't look at me, Tiger."
"I'm different from Tommy. My love has no comedy or tragedy—it's pure sensation."
"When sensation burns to its peak, it becomes like a terrible plague..."
John tapped his temple with a light laugh:
"After the disease spreads..."
"Reason, dignity, restraint—everything that limits you disappears."
"It drives you completely mad."
"In the end, there's no cure..."
"Bang!"
John's fingers suddenly splayed wide, dramatically mimicking an explosion.
"The patient erupts!"
"Either above the waist..." He pointed at Tommy, then at himself. "Or below it."
Hearing this, Tiger suddenly felt a familiar sensation.
A cool, dignified figure quietly surfaced in his mind—clearly an elegant, noble smile, yet it always gave Tiger an indescribable sense of perversion.
Without realizing it, his heartbeat inexplicably quickened...
Tiger suddenly grabbed a handful of ice from the bucket, stuffing it into his mouth and mumbling incoherently:
"Damned pervert... steal my things again and I'll twist your head off..."
Just then, a truck stopped by the roadside. The driver called for help as workers unloaded two wooden crates from the cargo hold, quickly carrying them into the Shelby pub.
Arthur clapped Theodore on the shoulder, his usually hearty laugh taking on a savage edge.
"My brother, your gift has arrived."
The next morning, Tiger yawned as he came downstairs.
However, only Mother Polly sat at the pub's bar, leisurely eating breakfast.
"Mm, where are Arthur and the others?"
Mother Polly glanced sideways at her son, retrieving his prepared breakfast from behind the bar with a casual tone:
"Gone to Diagon Alley to handle some business."
"Theodore needs to reclaim what's his."
Remembering the two Nott family members who'd been beaten bloody the night before, understanding flickered in Tiger's eyes.
"Damn, why didn't they wake me?"
Picking the celery out of his plate, Tiger grumbled with dissatisfaction. He'd been so bored lately he was practically molding—his joints had been creaking when he woke up.
"Just a peaceful takeover."
"What would you do there?"
Mother Polly flipped through her newspaper, shooting Tiger a disdainful look.
"Only two idiots left from the Nott family—Arthur dumped the rest in the Thames."
"Nothing that requires getting your hands dirty for now."
"John's off on another date?"
Tiger sighed regretfully. Having such capable brothers wasn't always a good thing.
"No..."
Mother Polly raised an eyebrow. "He and Tommy went with Theodore to the Ministry of Magic."
"The Ministry?"
Tiger looked up in surprise.
Only then did he realize Tommy had many plans he'd never shared with him.
As for his own arrangements, he only knew he was supposed to learn about the magical world and study various subjects.
His brothers still seemed to treat him like a child, unwilling to involve him in these matters too early.
"Seeking Auror protection. Trading the Nott family idiots' inheritance for Ministry Aurors to sweep Knockturn Alley and drive out the dark wizards occupying the Nott family shops..."
Satisfaction flickered in Mother Polly's eyes.
In Britain's magical world, the Shelbys' power remained insignificant. Tommy was extremely cautious about this.
Compared to their iron grip on Surrey, he preferred the Shelbys remain hidden behind the wizarding world's scenes until Tiger fully matured.
The backlash from outsiders touching their cake would be unimaginable—especially from unpredictable wizards.
"Using a borrowed knife to kill..."
Tiger nodded thoughtfully.
Clearly, the Nott family members' "accidental" deaths had all been pinned on those sewer rats by Tommy...
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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