Chapter 90: Carl [1]

Their voices echoed throughout the warehouse.

The children looked at the armed men with apprehension, but the personnel made no threatening movements. Instead, they carefully approached the children, offering them water and helping those who were too injured to stand.

One by one, the children were escorted out.

Lorenzo watched them leave.

He had no intention of raising them himself. That wasn’t his responsibility, nor did he have the time to concern himself with every unfortunate person he encountered.

However, allowing them to remain in this place was unacceptable.

He had already dealt with the person responsible.

There was no reason to leave the children behind.

Just as Lorenzo was about to turn around, he noticed something.

One boy was still sitting against the wall.

Unlike the others, he hadn’t moved an inch.

His hair was dark black, and his eyes were equally dark. His expression was completely blank, as though he had already accepted whatever fate awaited him.

Even when Lorenzo approached, the boy didn’t flinch.

"Why aren’t you leaving?" Lorenzo asked.

The boy remained silent.

Lorenzo crouched in front of him.

"Are you injured?"

No response.

"Can you hear me?"

The boy slowly raised his eyes.

"Yes."

"Then why aren’t you going with the others?"

The boy lowered his gaze.

"Because I don’t want."

What rude child.

"What’s your name?"

"I don’t have a name."

Lorenzo paused.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"I don’t have a name," the boy repeated.

His voice was devoid of emotion.

Lorenzo studied the boy’s face.

For some reason, the sight reminded him of someone.

No.

Not someone.

Himself.

A long time ago, before he became Samuel, the Mafia Boss who commanded an entire organization, he had once been a child with nothing.

No family.

No home.

No one to rely on.

He remembered the days when survival was the only thing that mattered. He remembered how easily people could discard someone who had nothing to offer.

And he remembered the man who had stood beside him through everything.

Carl.

His most loyal subordinate.

His closest friend.

The man who had remained by his side until the very end.

A faint smile appeared on Lorenzo’s face.

"From today onward, your name is Carl."

The boy looked at him.

"Carl?"

"Yes. Carl."

Lorenzo extended his hand.

"Come with me."

For a moment, the boy simply stared at his hand.

Then, slowly, he raised his own and reached for it.

Lorenzo pulled him to his feet.

"Let’s go."

The boy followed him without saying another word.

And just like that, a boy who had never been given a name finally received one.

Carl.

---

It was nine at night when Lorenzo returned to Nova City through a teleportation gate, accompanied by Salvatore and the boy he had named Carl.

Lorenzo had changed into his new suit. Not a single bloodstain remained on his clothes or face.

’Everything is finally perfect.’

The moment the effects of his [Hitman] trait faded, his [Perfectionist] trait returned with full force.

Lorenzo glanced down at himself and couldn’t help feeling disgusted.

’There was nothing perfect about my appearance.’

He had barely been able to tolerate the sight of his bloodstained clothes during the journey. The moment the battle ended, he had ordered everyone to stop at a hotel in Berlin.

There, he had taken a shower, cleaned himself thoroughly, and changed into the new suit he had purchased earlier.

Only after ensuring that not a single detail was out of place had he agreed to leave.

Carl, on the other hand, had undergone an even more significant transformation.

The boy had been given a proper bath, his wounds treated, and a fresh set of clothes. His previously dirty appearance had been replaced by a neat black suit.

It was slightly oversized, but Lorenzo had no intention of wasting time searching for a perfectly fitting outfit in the middle of the night.

’He’ll grow into it.’

Lorenzo glanced at Carl, who was standing quietly beside Salvatore.

The boy hadn’t said much since they left the Hiroshi mansion.

He simply followed their instructions, occasionally looking around with an expression that suggested he still hadn’t fully understood what was happening.

Well, that was understandable.

Until a few hours ago, he had been one of the children imprisoned by the Hiroshi Family. Now, he was standing beside the heir of the very organization that had destroyed his captors.

His entire life had changed in a single evening.

But there’s was one thing that bothers Lorenzo.

He didn’t wanted this kid to follow him to Riina family residence, going there won’t change nothing for Carl.

It would be same jail to him only the master will be different.

Lorenzo wanted Carl to grow away from this all criminal activities.

Bringing him to Riina family would do exactly opposite.

But he also didn’t wanted him to send Carl to some orphanage, because he himself has grown into orphanage and this world was even more cruel then his previous ones.

’Maybe Salvatore will know something...’

"Salvatore, is there anyone in this city that would look after Carl? I don’t want him go to orphanage and bringing with me would dragged him to criminal world again."

Salvatore glanced at Lorenzo, then at the quiet boy standing beside him.

"Someone to look after him, Young Master?"

"Yes. Someone who can provide him with a proper home and education. I don’t want him growing up surrounded by criminals."

Lorenzo paused before adding,

"And I certainly don’t want to send him to an orphanage."

Salvatore seemed to understand what Lorenzo was getting at.

"Are you planning to take responsibility for him?"

"I haven’t decided yet but I want to look after him till he’s capable of handling himself."

Lorenzo looked at Carl.

The boy was staring at the ground, his hands hanging stiffly at his sides. He hadn’t interrupted their conversation, nor had he asked where they were going.

He simply waited for someone to tell him what to do.

It was an unsettling sight.

’He really has no idea what to do with himself.’

"I know someone," Salvatore finally said.

Lorenzo turned toward him.

"Who?"

"An old acquaintance of mine. He was once part of the Riina Family, but he eventually retired and opened a shop in Nova City. These days, he runs a clothing store."