Five elegantly dressed princesses stepped out of Jenny's room, admiring the scene before them.
Jenny had told them not to wear anything too fancy, saying she had a surprise waiting for them.
And there it was.
All five were wearing beautiful vintage princess dresses.
Catherine, dressed in pristine white, looked like a delicate white swan.
"You look amazing, Jenny!" Ida exclaimed happily. She was wearing a black dress with a bold design that revealed half of her back. It was clear that Jenny had put a lot of thought into choosing outfits that suited each of their features.
"Jenny, how do you have so many gorgeous vintage dresses here?"
Lily asked as she adjusted her dress.
"My grandfather loves nostalgia, so he collects all this clothing. There's even a special place where he displays it."
"Really?" Lisa asked, her eyes lighting up. "Let's go take a look!"
"We don't have much time… but we can still sneak a peek."
Jenny led them down the hallway and opened a door.
Inside were mannequins dressed in elegant gowns, immaculate and clearly cleaned on a regular basis.
These were women's garments from the 18th and 19th centuries, all sharing one defining feature: impossibly slim waists, a clear reflection of European fashion trends at the time.
"That waist is tiny," Lily remarked.
Hearing that, Catherine glanced down at her own waist; it didn't look… "tight" at all.
"Ours are replicas," Lily explained. "Corsets don't actually do much. But the clothes on these mannequins are authentic 19th-century pieces—true treasures."
Indeed, they were exquisite. Some were even adorned with diamonds and gold, suggesting that a great deal of money had been spent collecting them.
Suddenly, Catherine noticed a golden corset. The longer she looked at it, the stranger it seemed.
"Why doesn't it have armholes?"
She realized that although the garment was luxurious, it looked as if it were meant for someone without arms.
"That's a Demero corset, used to bind the arms. You know, back then women's rights weren't protected, and men were into some pretty strange things,"
Jenny explained.
In a way, corsets were similar to foot-binding in China—a distorted aesthetic.
Still… sometimes a slim waist really did look good.
Lisa was clearly fascinated by the garments.
Unfortunately, they didn't have much time to linger.
"Alright, ladies, we should go," Jenny said, glancing at the clock on the wall. They were already running quite late.
A group of princesses entered the ballroom, smiling brightly.
"Happy birthday, Jenny!"
As they stepped inside, a handsome man greeted them. Jenny hesitated briefly, then returned his smile.
"Who's that?" Catherine whispered, not expecting him to hear.
"Beautiful young lady, my name is Jeffrey Gambino."
"Oh… hello."
Gambino?
Catherine froze.
The Mafia.
Those three words flashed through her mind.
In fact, the 1960s were the peak of Mafia power in the United States. The famous film The Godfather was also inspired by that era.
The Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families—these five families were the most powerful and unrestrained Mafia organizations at the time.
Catherine hesitated, then forced herself to calm down.
After all, not everyone with the last name Gambino was part of the Mafia.
But as she glanced around, she suddenly realized that things seemed exactly as they appeared…
The people on the dance floor looked refined and courteous, but the burly men standing off to the side were clearly bodyguards; weapons were half-visible at their waists. If she hadn't noticed, she would have been incredibly naive.
"Could Jenny's grandfather be involved in this…?"
Her thoughts drifted to her film.
In Hollywood at that time, it was nearly impossible not to have ties to the Mafia.
Anyone without Mafia connections had little chance of becoming famous.
It was similar to Hong Kong in the 1980s.
In other words, if pressure were applied to the Motion Picture Association of America…
It would be easy. Her movie wasn't a large-scale or high-profile production anyway. Since the application had already been submitted, it could pass without much trouble. Even the Catholics feared death.
Catherine carefully recalled the history of the American Mafia.
Originally formed by Italian immigrants, the American Mafia rose to prominence during the Great Depression of the 1930s, reached its peak in the mid-20th century, and was eventually brought down by FBI investigations in the 1970s and 1980s.
1961 marked the beginning of America's golden age—and also the start of its final peak.
The Italian-American Mafia first gained power in New York, eventually forming the Five Families, one of which was the Gambino family.
At present, the Gambino family was led by Carlo Gambino, the most cunning and perceptive of them all.
Catherine knew of him for one simple reason:
He was the inspiration for the character in The Godfather.
He had been charged countless times, yet never convicted.
Carlo Gambino was a master of politics and law—the only godfather who had left law enforcement completely helpless. Beyond his vast influence and staggering wealth, no one truly knew what he had done.
Catherine had once considered directing a Godfather-style movie herself, but now she realized she needed to be careful. She didn't want to offend anyone.
"If only I could travel to the '80s…"
she muttered to herself.
The 1980s had everything, and New York's safety began to improve during that era.
Lost in thought, Catherine bumped into Ada and finally snapped back to reality. Jeffrey, meanwhile, remained perfectly polite.
"Sorry, I was distracted. My name is Catherine. It's nice to meet you."
"No problem at all, beautiful young lady."
Looking at him, Catherine felt oddly drained.
She had always felt uncomfortable being associated with the Mafia.
"Someday, I'll reach a point where everyone looks up to me."
Somehow, that thought quietly took root in Catherine's mind.