Tony stayed silent, still fiddling with his antique.
Manny turned to Susan.
Susan read the papers, wearing her reading glasses. Sensing Manny's gaze, she replied indifferently, "Manny, you should know that I have never interfered with the family affairs. It's not like this is in my power."
During her younger days, she put up with Tony's affairs. Now that Manny had taken over from Tony, she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
However, Susan remained discreet at home since Tony was still alive.
Tony was a cold-blooded monster.
Susan did not want to be killed at her age.
"I'm up there in years now. I don't have the energy to deal with these matters. I'm sure there's nothing you can't do at your age.
"You're not a child anymore. You're the head of the Longbottoms. Sure, you might only hold an acting position, but you're still the leader. Show what you got and command some respect.
"It's not about brute force at this age. It takes wits and wisdom to succeed, or people won't have your back.
"It's not like you can earn loyalty by killing those who don't respect you."
Susan did not even meet Manny's gaze when expressing her opinion.
Tony was able to pull off the coup to kill the previous family head because the direct lineage had dwindled. All Tony had to do was kill that family.
Now, Manny's threat was the entire extended family. She doubted Manny could kill them all.
"You can't deal with the problems right in front of you, yet all you think about is killing everyone who gets in your way. Do you honestly think murder is going to give you peace of mind? The kid from Longtail Group is watching you.
“He's going to know if anyone goes missing in the family, and the suspicion will lead to an investigation. What if he uncovers evidence and hands it over to the police? What are you going to do then?"
Susan sighed. "If you want my advice, I suggest you make peace with Longtail Group. Since both companies dabble in similar industries, joint ventures for profit are possible.
"It's better to be a friend than a foe. We need to face the fact that Longtail Group has held its own while our family business is on the decline."
Manny said spitefully, “Momma, the guy looked down, humiliated, and embarrassed me at the gala, and you expect me to put aside my pride to make peace with him? Where does that put me?
"I sent Roxy to get to him, but the guy didn't even look her way.
"The only woman he keeps close is the bodyguard.”
The way Manny saw it, Roxy was a lot prettier than Noelle. However, Laurence trusted the bodyguard. As an experienced man, Manny could tell that Noelle meant a lot to Laurence.
Noelle's loyalty was exclusive to Laurence. No one could buy her off or win her in a fight.
Aside from Noelle, Laurence's security detail was absolute beasts. Manny wondered where Laurence secured his bodyguards.
His security team made the contracted assassins look like amateurs.
That night, Manny's hired killers planned an ambush on Laurence's route home. As
it turned out, Laurence's vehicle did not drive past the entire night.
Though the mission was a bust, Manny still had to pay up.