"Uh… Okay," Wade said. He had also heard this lesson from his father before. His father liked to repeatedly give him the same lesson. He had given up telling his father he had heard this one. He learned that it saved time if he just went along with it.
"So, how are your days?" Solomon asked. He sat back relaxingly on the chair.
"They are… productive," Wade answered.
"Productive is good. Idle is the source of failure. You must always keep going."
Wade nodded.
"I received the news that last night you were especially productive," Solomon said.
Wade shrugged. "I received the intel that William Tuton was auditing their syndicate's entire transaction records. I saw this as an opportunity. We can take them down with that data. Like you said, attack first. I see a chance. I seize it."
"Good boy!" Solomon tapped the table. "I wanted to reprimand you for not consulting me about this attack, but learning that my lessons are not wasted on you, I will let you off this time. So, what do you have to show for yesterday's operation?"
Wade's eyes twitched. He didn't want to answer this question.
"Wait, don't tell me, because Quincy already did," Solomon said. "You came back empty-handed, didn't you?"
"William had a kid. I believe he hid his data with that kid. If I can…"
"Do you remember my other lessons?" Solomon cut his son's speech. "Result is the only thing that matters! I don't give a shit about how you do it. I don't care if bad luck comes down on you like a goddamn rainfall when you are on a mission. If you fail, you fail! No excuses!"
Wade's hand squeezed the armrest of his chair. He was angry. After all this time, his father still treated him like a little child. He thought his father had finally decided to trust him when he was given the syndicate's reins. But apparently, old habits die hard.
'Lessons, lessons, lessons. Enough with this fucking lessons! I am the head of the Savino family now! You should just go back to your fucking retirement!' This was what Wade wanted to say, but he was quiet as he sat in his chair, listening to his father's berating.
He tuned out his father's words so as not to get too angry. He was afraid of what he would do if he did.
"… Hey! Did you listen to what I said?"
"What?" Wade asked.
"I told you that while it is important to strike first. It is important to identify your target. Not everyone can be offended," Solomon said.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure," Wade replied.
"Don't get cheeky with me, junior," Solomon reprimanded. "Do you think you are smart enough? Then tell me, what kind of people we are not allowed to offend?"
"The one who has more powerful backing than us," Wade said with a bored tone.
"That's correct. Our syndicate may already be the top dog of this city when you start involving yourself with this family business, so you might be used to not being concerned about who you offend. But when it was my time, we had the Tuton and the Zeron families as equals. We can't just go and shit on other people's properties like it's nobody's business. There is a certain sense of respect between our syndicates because of this balance."
"It's a good thing we shatter this balance then," Wade laughed.
"Stop interrupting me!" Solomon yelled.
Wade took a deep breath. He stayed silent.
"Now, where was I…? Yes, respect. You might have never experienced dealing with people from more powerful organizations, but you should know. Even if we are the most powerful syndicate in this city, it is only in this city, not the world. There are plenty of more powerful syndicates out there."
"Well, how do I know? You never let me deal with those outsiders," Wade said. Solomon might have given him the reins to the syndicate, but his father was still the one in charge when it came to interaction with foreign powers.
"I haven't let you deal with outsiders because I don't want you to fuck things up," Solomon said. "Dealing with outside parties requires… a certain sensitivity. Until you learn to better control your impulses, you are not ready for that kind of responsibility."
"I am ready!" Wade replied defiantly.
"You are not!" Solomon returned.
"Grh…!" Wade's grip on his chair almost broke the armrest.
"If you are, you will know when to swallow your pride and take a step back. It's not a shame to retreat. If anything, it is the wisest thing to do."
'What bullshit! Every retreat is a disgrace,' Wade wanted to say, but he kept quiet again this time.
"You need to learn when to give ground," Solomon said. "It's not a defeat if all you lose is your pride. You need to learn this for when you meet someone whom you cannot offend."
"I won't know if you never let me meet one," Wade returned.
"You are about to meet one," Solomon answered.
"Really?" Wade asked. Did his father finally let him negotiate with outside forces?
"A man named Harrison Maxhall," Solomon said.
"Harrison?" Wade asked. Wasn't that the name of the prank-caller Quincy mentioned earlier?
"You don't know who Harrison is?" Solomon asked.
"Should I?" Wade asked back.
"If you truly respect our syndicate's history, you should!" Solomon exclaimed. "Have you not heard that our syndicate had a mad demon who was responsible for the fall of the Zeron Family?"
"The mad demon? I thought it was only a make-up tale…?"
"It was not," Solomon uttered.
"Wait… Are you telling me this Harrison fellow is…"
"Yes. He is the mad demon who used to work for our family. He has asked me to arrange a meeting with you. You are going to meet him. You are going to show him respect, and you are going to restrain yourself. Do you get me, junior?"
Wade didn't know what to say. He never thought the tale about the mad demon was real. The tale sounded so far-fetched. How could anyone believe a single person stormed into a major syndicate's headquarters and wiped out almost everyone inside?
Yet, his father told him the tale was all real, and he was about to meet this mad demon.