Ben turned around, raised the glass in his hand, and with his pinky finger extended, pointed at Carlo's face.
"Yes, a fool who can barely count to nine, raising a lovely little girl and barely scraping by. People may laugh at him, but they still help him however they can—especially the lumber workers."
Ben's voice turned almost mocking.
"Look at your face, Carlo—written all over it are disbelief and hesitation. Even someone like you hesitates. That shows how much the lumbermen care about this idiot.
Now imagine this: a friend gives him two movie tickets, and the fool takes his daughter to the cinema, smiling, excited. But when they leave the theater, thugs hired by the Brown family ambush them and stab them to death in the street.
Moviegoers pouring out onto the street—the crowd at its peak. Dodd's death would spread through Lynchburg like wildfire.
Carlo, that idiot… he's the perfect spark."
Ben pulled two movie tickets from the inside pocket of his suit, bent down until his face was level with Carlo's, and waved the tickets in front of him.
"I won't force you, Carlo. But let me tell you something real: your so-called conscience is what's stopping you from marrying Emily, from becoming someone truly important."
Carlo's lips turned pale and trembled slightly. Sweat dripped from his forehead, unnoticed.
Inside, he was cursing Dodd. So stupid, so kind—no wonder he became a target.
"S-sir… isn't there another way?" Carlo stammered.
Ben ignored the question. He continued, voice low and hypnotic:
"Carlo, if you do this, I will acknowledge you. You will become the Guryan family's representative in Lynchburg. Rock Meyer will no longer push you around. You'll be part of the Seven Council. You'll own land, property. You'll become a true Lynchburg elite.
Most importantly…"
Ben's lips curled into a faint smile. He relished this moment—the final struggle of a man's morality breaking apart.
"Most importantly, I can make you the official owner of Brown Lumber. Just think about it, Carlo—you'd be the one helping Emily reclaim her family's property.
At that point, wouldn't the Flower of Lynchburg be called Mrs. Renato?"
Those words struck the final blow.
Carlo closed his eyes. The young man he had initially looked down on now whispered like the devil himself. Every word had led him deeper into damnation.
With trembling fingers, Carlo took the movie tickets from Ben's hand. When he reopened his eyes, they were calm—his mind was made up.
"I'll deliver the tickets myself, sir," he said.
Ben smiled like a hunter who had finally tamed a wild beast. He knew: if Carlo went through with it, he'd be nothing more than a loyal dog from that day on.
Patting Carlo's shoulder, Ben said:
"Then go. Don't mess it up."
After Carlo left, a side door in the room opened. Rock Meyer stepped out, having heard the entire conversation.
"Dodd's a close friend of Carlo's. You think he'll really go through with it?" Rock asked.
Ben didn't answer. He returned to his piano, fingers gliding across the keys. He glanced sideways at Rock.
"I get it," Rock nodded. "I'll send someone to follow him. If Carlo chickens out, Dodd will still receive a 'lucky winner' prize from the food company tomorrow morning—two movie tickets."
Then Rock added, "But honestly, are all these theatrics really worth it just for Brown Lumber?"
Ben turned and looked directly at Rock.
"Uncle Rock, the lumberyard isn't just timber. We're building a luxury resort there—a private meeting ground for New York bankers and D.C. politicians. If that project is tainted by even a hint of scandal, do you think those sharp-eyed politicians will come?"
Ben's voice hardened.
"If they don't come, everything we've built will be for nothing. Don't forget—Mayor Patrick O'Doyle isn't on our side.
But if the workers' pent-up anger explodes—riots, violence against business owners—what do you think will happen, Uncle Rock?"
In Rock's mind flashed an image of a sickle and a hammer. He shivered.
"At that point, even Mayor Patrick will side with us in suppressing the riots—because he'll be scared too."
Ben nodded.
"Exactly. And once we incite the first riot, we can swoop in and take over Brown Lumber. The resort gets built. Michael ends up in prison. You become a Seven Council member.
We hand over $900,000 worth of timber to Londo Corp in Richmond, win favor with the governor, pull Patrick into our camp, split Thomas's faction—and gain favor with a very powerful friend.
All those benefits… so what if it takes a little extra effort?"
—
As Carlo left Meyer's estate, he felt like a ghost. He pedaled his bicycle slowly, as if every turn of the wheel drained his strength.
Memories of his time with Dodd filled his mind. In truth, of all the people in town, Carlo had helped Dodd the most.
Dodd's adopted daughter, Dolores, even called Carlo "Papa Carlo."
They were close. Every week, Carlo would take them to church, and afterward to a nice dinner.
But as the image of the angelic little girl filled his mind, Carlo stopped pedaling.
He was ready to give up.
Looking up, he found himself in the town center—a bustling street.
And then he froze.
Not far away, he saw Leo and Emily walking hand-in-hand into a shop, laughing.
Emily's radiant smile—a smile Carlo had never seen before—twisted his face with bitterness. His fists clenched.
Suddenly, he mounted his bike and pedaled with renewed purpose, heading straight to Dodd's house.
Standing in front of the modest home, Carlo hesitated again.
"Papa Carlo!"
The door opened unexpectedly. A little girl ran out, joy lighting up her face.
But her bright smile only reminded Carlo of Emily's.
His face darkened. His resolve returned.
As the girl rushed up to him, eager for a hug, she noticed something strange—Papa Carlo wasn't smiling.
Seeing her fear, Carlo quickly put on his usual expression and crouched down.
"Dolores, where's Dodd?"
"Papa's inside cooking," the girl said sweetly.
Still in her innocent voice, she asked, "Papa Carlo, did you come to play with me today?"
Carlo pulled out the movie tickets.
"No, Dolores. I came to give you and Dodd these movie tickets. Remember how you said you wanted to see another movie?"
The doll-like girl squealed in delight. She snatched the tickets and ran back inside, shouting:
"Papa! Papa! Papa Carlo brought us movie tickets! We're going to the movies tomorrow!"
Dodd, with his simple smile, came out with Dolores in hand, ready to thank Carlo and invite him for dinner.
But when he stepped outside—
Carlo was already gone.