July 11, 1970 - New York City
Michael Don Riessi, known by his long-standing nickname as the 'boss of bosses,' was a man at the peak of his maturity, almost reaching his fifties. It could be said that he no longer had the old excitement and enthusiasm since he had achieved more than what he wanted. He was neither as lively as in his old days, nor was he a fearless man anymore! The man who used to get what he wanted in a very short time seemed to be far away now. The passing days had worn him out excessively.
He was lost in thoughts, staring into the distance from his ocean-view villa in New York City, very far away indeed... He seemed to be thinking about where he came from. Everything had happened so quickly that even he was amazed at times how he had come this far.
Looking at his men wandering around the garden with guns on their waists, he thought this place could be a haven of security, but the outside was far from it. The streets had been dominated by chaos for some time. Everywhere was filled with people from opposing groups eagerly waiting to throttle each other because of the Vietnam War.
The difficult situation the country was in seemed like a harbinger of upcoming confrontations. The Riessi family had long been prepared for this showdown, but Michael preferred to resolve all his matters through peace and without bloodshed. For him, diplomacy always came first.
However, for problems that could not be solved through discussion, he would resort to his armed forces as the last stand. Therefore, keeping his hitmen strong and ready was always a top priority in this world. This strength was also the key to their family's existence. In short, this was the first and indispensable rule of survival in this wolves' den...
