Elijah and Jack were not a fan of flowers. That was okay with me. I could tell from how he handed them to his wife, Romeo appreciated it. Theodore, James and Noah all seemed to like it. Romeo had saved my life 3 times. It was not really needed. I had more than enough health and stats that I could take on just about anyone in the game. NPCs could not keep up with me anymore. Everyone clapped and cheered when I was finished recounting all of his accomplishments. His wife kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much for coming. It means a lot that you would come all the way here for me. Protecting Martino has been something that's helped me discover who I am." he said. Everyone nodded. "The war is winding down slowly. Let's stay sharp and finish strong." I said. We then had a toast for him. The goons and Romeo were acquaintances from all the times we worked together. They did not hate each other, but they were not close either. Theodore, James, Noah, Elijah and Jack had me down shots with them. I had a couple before calling it quits. Getting drunk was bad.
Romeo was now a made man. Theodore, James, Noah, Elijah and Jack were now associates of the Diamond Butterflies. That was the end of my obligations. I could now enjoy the rest of the party with my children. They had a lot of stories to tell me. Dante and the others were now all pulmonologists. That was pretty exciting. Marco, Rocco and Carlo were all over the moon with the development. It seemed that Dante was thinking he would be doing a bit more hands on work. Patting him on the head softly, I said "It might be a bit challenging, but I know you can do it. This is something even I would not be able to do. I'm so proud of all of you." That seemed to placate him. All of them wanted to be praised by their father. Because I wanted them to continue getting points toward skills, I made sure their floor was open in the evenings. They could do it after school. Dancing and skating could be done on the weekends now. It was our private practice. The hours could be as many as they wanted them to be. As long as they had enough time to see all of the patients they managed to get, it was good.
Happy to hear that Rocco and Carlo were getting along great with their mothers, I turned to ask Marco. His frown told me everything. I lived with Dante and Daphne. We were doing great. Looking at Marco was easier that it was to get him to look at me. The others were noticing and the mood was dropping. I did not want them to feel bad on a day like this. We were here to celebrate good work and promotions. I did not want Marco to feel bad either. I was his dad. That meant it was on me to help him feel better. Clearly, this had to be talked about in private. I took him by the hand. "Let's go somewhere we can talk." I said to him. I then turned to the other children. "We are going to have a little chat. Have fun with other kids here." I told them. Leading Marco away from the others, I took him to the stairwell. I looked up and down to make sure we were clear. Once I was done, I returned my attention to him. "C'mon. Tell me what's on your mind. I want to help." He still looked at the ground. I decided to give him space. I waited for him to start, but he did not say anything. This would be a problem.
