The Mafia King's Unknown Doctor Wife novel Chapter 313

Elena woke up early the next morning. She and Massimo needed to look picture perfect—after all, this would be the first day of the competition.

Elena had redone her hair at least five times. Even as she waited next to Massimo's side on the stage in front of all their guests, she had to fight the urge to further fiddle with it. She kept her hands clasped tightly at her side as Massimo spoke.

"As you all know," Massimo said in an even, neutral tone, "scores will be determined by kill—with larger, more dangerous animals earning more points. Every family member's score will be added to their family's total, which will be displayed on the real-time digital board behind me."

It was such a pain to find a screen large enough, Elena silently recalled. After all, they needed to fit thousands of family names on it. It was even a bigger difficulty to design a counting program around it that the servants acting as referees could use—it took Luca nearly a month to get it just right.

But there's not a single sign of all that silent struggle. Even just looking at Massimo, Elena can't see a hint of worry or the effects of many sleepless nights.

He's dressed immaculately in a light blue suit and matching tie. He could've walked straight off the fashion runway.

"However," Massimo continued, speaking into his microphone, "safety is our number one priority. To that end, we have separated the hunting grounds into colored trails so that less experienced hunters won't end up in serious danger. At the top level, we have the red zone, followed by the yellow zone, followed by the green zone—the lowest zone, white, is at the edge of the estate, where competitors will not be shooting at live targets but rather test their skills at our shooting range later today."

"This goes without saying, but stick to the zone corresponding to your entry and experience level." Massimo allowed himself a small smile. "Let's all do our best during these next few days, and may the best of the best win."

Elena was glad Massimo had decided on these safety measures. She was even more pleased that she wouldn't have to shoot at actual animals. She couldn't stomach the thought of hurting such innocent creatures—though she knew mafia traditions meant that there would need to be live targets for the more experienced marksmen.

All around her, families were gearing up. To add a sense of comradery, the different levels of the competition still started at the same time.

"No," Elena said. "I'll head out now—just... be safe out there. And good luck."

Elena didn't know why she nearly stuttered over her words. Was it because Massimo's soft care reminded her too much of Max's? Or was the cause the pre-competition jitters.

All she knew was that Massimo's quick reply of "Good luck, Elena" settled somewhere deep in her chest. It acted like a calming charm that helped settle her nerves.

As Elena moved through the crowds, she spotted her half-brother Matteo. He already had a green band on his arm—a sign of what rank he was competing at that all competitors had to wear. Most of the competitors had entered at the green rank.