Pa! Pa!
Two hours after the Scarlet Syndicate emissaries knocked on the door of the Mazzanti family to invite Cesar to dinner with their leader, the Symons family knocked on the door of this group of Vice's group.
While Marcus's carriage was stopped in front of this property, two of his servants stood at the front door of this residence while several people in the area watched them from other properties, rooftops, and nearby trees.
Between the assassins and the observers from the local powers, especially the Scarlet Syndicate, they all knew that Marcus Symons wanted Cesar's head, which was why this sudden visit was somewhat unexpected.
'What are they doing? Is young master Symons crazy?' A subordinate of one of Millfall's noble families, who was there to observe the situation of Cesar's group, wondered as he felt his heart beat faster.
The assassins hired by this family were no less interested and had tense expressions on their faces, wondering if this was a good sign for them.
Then, the door to Vicente's residence opened, and one of the group's masked Acolytes appeared.
"Right?" He asked as he looked at the two level 3 Acolytes, an old man dressed as a butler and a man in armor, a guard of the Symons family.
"Good morning. We're looking for Cesar. Our young master is out here and is interested in speaking with your leader. Please let him know. We're here to negotiate." Marcus' old advisor said, feeling a bit nervous.
But he was a good actor, and only he knew nervousness in his being.
"Wait here. I'll see what I can do." The soldier from the Mazzanti family closed the door and went back into the building, quickly making his way to Vicente in the basement.
"Boss, we've got problems. Young master Symons is at our door asking to see you." He said as he entered the training room of the building where he knew Vicente was resting at that very moment.
Upon hearing this, Vice took his eyes off the pile of 30 weapons he had to upgrade and looked at his subordinate.
He hadn't expected Marcus to show up on his doorstep like this!
'What is this guy trying to do? Is he trying to kill me? Or is he trying to take a step back to ease tensions with my group?'
Vicente was a man fully capable of changing his mind and taking a step back to avoid a destructive confrontation that wasn't worth it for his group. In Marcus' situation, he would try to make peace with the Mazzanti family to secure his position as heir and turn a rival into an ally.
But thinking about what he had heard from Casey, he realized that was unlikely.
Vicente looked at the Acolyte and said. "Okay. Prepare all our men for a possible invasion of the building or an attack on young master Symons' carriage.
But do not attack without an obvious sign of confrontation or my signal."
That man promptly rushed to prepare the men around the estate while Vice changed into a more appropriate outfit to meet the Viscount's heir.
When he was done, he went to the front of his house, knowing that Marcus wouldn't dare enter his property.
As he opened the front door of his residence, Vice saw Marcus' group in a carriage on the other side of the street, with half a dozen men surrounding a beautiful gold and silver carriage.
Vicente's appearance on his doorstep drew the attention of all the observers in the area. Still, he wasn't bothered by the several men hiding nearby.
He looked at Marcus and said aloud. "Young master Symons, it's good to see you again! How are you?"
Marcus looked out the window on the left side of his carriage, maintaining a neutral expression but very angry at this masked individual across the street.
"Senior Mazzanti, I'd like to talk to you in my carriage. Is it a problem for you to come to me?" He forced a smile as he asked.
Vice smiled under his mask and walked halfway down the street. "It is a problem. I won't make a point of the young master entering my property, so I hope you won't make a point of me getting into your carriage.
I guess meeting in the middle of the street is good enough, no?"
The assassins nearby saw Vicente practically alone in that place and felt a little uneasy, sensing that Marcus' goal was to create an opportunity for them.
"What are we going to do?" One of the men in the area asked his ally.
"Let's wait a little longer. If young master Symons abandons our services, there's no point in killing Cesar. But he might give us an opportunity, so be prepared." Said one of the strongest assassins in the area to the men nearby as he felt his hand itch to attack Vicente.
While the men of the Scarlet Syndicate watched the situation and waited to see what would happen, Marcus stepped out of his carriage with his men.
Standing only five meters from Cesar, a man he knew could kill him if he hesitated, Marcus tried to ignore his heart pounding and sweat forming on his back.
He got right to the point. "Senior Mazzanti, what is it you have against me? Why did you try to kill me that night?"
Hearing this, Vicente devilishly laughed, finding the young master's question funny. "I tried to kill you? Are you sure about that, young master? I only shot in the direction of my strongest enemies. You were not my target."
Marcus took this as a provocation and said. "That is not true! If I hadn't hidden in time, one of your bullets would have hit me and killed me!"
"Young master, it was a stray bullet. It wasn't meant for you. Besides, I would have done it differently if I wanted to deal with you." Vicente moved one of his hands, and a red pentagram appeared, making everyone in Marcus' group feel their armor tighten over their bodies.
Gulp!
The men jumped back as they felt it as if Cesar was trying to move against them.
But just as they prepared to defend themselves, Vicente stopped what he was doing, leaving them as they were before he acted.
"You see, I don't have to shoot you to threaten you, young master Symons. So, your fears are unfounded. I wasn't trying to kill you." Vicente said in a soft tone before becoming more serious. "But things aren't that simple. The young master tried to kill me. May I ask why? I've never had any problems with you or your family."
