On October 30, 1998, a blue coach slowly pulled up to Punk Noodles in Chinatown on Portland, Liberty City. As soon as it came to a complete stop, an Italian-American passenger named Antonio "Toni" Cipriani exited the bus while carrying a suitcase. He was wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt over beige dress pants and brown shoes.
As Toni hopped off the bus, he walked across the street to a payphone and punched in an unknown number to call a taxi cab. After waiting for five minutes, a taxi cab finally showed up, and Toni hopped inside the vehicle as it drove away.
Toni was taking a taxi cab to see Salvatore Leone, the Don of the Leone family. Toni had returned to his hometown in Liberty City after killing a made man under Sal's orders just four years ago. Because of this, Toni was forced to leave Liberty City to lay low for a while. Before then, his father was once a member of the Mafia families, and Toni had done everything he could to follow his father's footsteps, not just to please his father, but also his mother, who often felt Toni wasn't tough enough to be like his father.
In addition, the Leone family were in great debt ever since getting their casino in Las Venturas robbed in 1992, and in 1995, the mafia gangs were declining, making room for the more urban gangs to take over, specifically the Dukes African-American gang, The Steamers, who were at odds with a gang from Mapletown, San Andreas called The Groundbreakers during the East-West Coast gang rivalry that did a lot of harm to both Mapletown and Liberty City, which resulted in multiple members of each gang to be killed. Thankfully, however, the two gangs came to a truce after the arrogant leader of the Steamers was finally killed by the Groundbreaker's co-leader in a 1-on-1 gun war, and the two gangs had laid low ever since.
Things have changed in just four years, Toni thought.
Currently, the Leone family was declining, along with the other Mafia gangs in Liberty City, and Toni had finally returned home, hoping the Leone family would climb back on its feet. He took the taxi cab all the way to Salvatore's Gentleman's Club in Saint Marks, where he met saw Sal's son, Joey, outside fixing the hood of Sal's vehicle. Joey looked ahead to see Toni walking by.
"Toni?!" he called out, walking to the mobster. "Is that you?"
"It's only been four years, Joey," Toni replied. "I haven't gotten plastic surgery, y'know."
"Good to see ya, Toni," Joey said as he walked up to Toni to give him a handshake. "I'm just here to get my father's engine running here."
"But don't you own a garage over at the town?" Toni asked. "How come he didn't take his car over there?"
"It don't run," Joey answered. "So I have to come out over here so I could resurrect the engine myself."
"I see now," Toni replied. "So where is your pops? Inside?"
"Naw," Joey replied caustically. "He couldn't stand waiting on you, so he buried himself in the cemetery."
"Gee, thanks for the sarcasm," Toni told him sarcastically.
"Hey, an obvious answer to a question gets a sarcastic reply," Joey replied.
As Joey continued working on Sal's vehicle, Toni just shook his head and made his way inside Sal's home to see him.
Toni walked in just in time to watch Sal approach him, very glad to see him after four years.
"Hey... " Sal called as he walked over to give Toni a hug. "So there he is, huh?"
"Yep," Toni answered. "Who'd knew killing a made man suddenly became a chore? So what's been happening since I was away?"
"Well," Sal started to explain, "as you would discover, my gang here has been on a decline since... well... that incident back over at Las Venturas, and I haven't been trusting anyone ever since. To make matters worse, the entire mafia out here in Liberty has been on a stand-still since those Steamers assholes started running this whole state and their beef with some gang back at the West Coast called The Groundbreakers or something, caused a bunch of destruction just three years ago, some East vs. West bullshit war. Yeah, it just seems our time is up now. The '90s belong to the urban street gang now. Mafia gangs have been played out since '94."
"I'm back now, Sal," Toni protested. "So where do I come in?"
"Where?" Sal asked dubiously. "After what happened with you four years ago, you're that urgent to reclaim your position?"
"You know me, Sal," Toni told him. "I always was loyal to you and the rest of the Leones."
"Yeah, about that... " Sal started to explain as he rested a hand on Toni's shoulder. "So listen, Toni, I know you did a good thing for us, and I know you've been lying low for a long time, so I want you to take it easy a while, huh?"
He then motioned to a brunette Italian-American man wearing a purple suit. "Toni, this is Vincenzo Cilli," Sal introduced the man to Toni. "Vincenzo will look after you. You need some money, ask him. You need a job - Lucky will take care of you. What more could a family guy ask for? Even my son don't got it so good."
"But, Mr. Leone," Toni protested as Sal took a seat into his chair, "I thought we got history, I mean I've done a lot for this family." He then turned his eyes to Vincenzo. "And now, you're expecting me to take orders from this... this... this... whoever the hell he's supposed to be!" he continued to complain. "Well, it just doesn't seem right."
"Toni," Sal replied, "I know what you did, and no one is more grateful than me, honestly, but the idea that you walk here and start to question my leadership right away is, quite frankly, out of order. Capiche?"
"I understand, boss," Toni replied, not having the energy to argue with the Don of the Leone family.
"So when you need something, give Vincenzo a call down at the Atlantic Quay," Sal informed. "He'll take care of you. Won't you Lucky?"
"Of course, boss," Vincenzo replied, walking towards the exit. "Anything you say. Tell you what; we can go there now."
Toni didn't bother arguing back. He had just returned to Liberty City after four years and wasn't in the mood to get himself any deeper. So he reluctantly followed Vincenzo out the door. Outside, Joey was still fixing his father's car.
"I've got you a nice little place to stay, Toni," Vincenzo told Toni, guiding him to his gray Kuruma. "It's got you written all over it. We'll head there first."
"You're all heart," Toni told Vincenzo sarcastically.
Vincenzo hopped into the passenger's seat while Toni took the wheel. He started the engine and took the long path leading to the road of Saint Mark's.
"So where is this place?" Toni asked Vincenzo, turning left down the curved road.
"It's over at Portland," Vincenzo answered as Toni drove straight ahead. "Make a left turn over at that alley down there. Can't miss it."
So as Toni drove straight, he made a left turn at an alleyway with a brown brick building. He stopped to a park in front of the double garages.
"This is it, Toni," Vincenzo told him. "Home sweet home. Beautiful, ain't she?"
"This shithole is supposed to be home?" Toni asked dubiously, looking around the exterior of the building.
"Oh, I think it's VERY you!" Vincenzo snapped. "Now you're disrespecting old Vincenzo! Now tough guy, get your ass upstairs and go put on some decent clothes! I don't got all day, so move!"
Ooh, I'd really like to punch that Vincenzo guy so hard in his balls so he wouldn't be able to walk for a week, Toni thought furiously.
So he yanked himself out of the vehicle and slammed the door furiously behind him.
"Hey, don't be slamming my goddamn door, asshole!" Vincenzo growled at Toni vociferously as the latter stormed to the front door of the apartment building. "Or else you're gonna pay for that shit! I paid good money for this goddamn car, and I ain't about to let some former mobster fuck it up for me!"
Toni just ignored Vincenzo and stormed inside the apartment building, slamming the door shut furiously behind him. Vincenzo was already becoming a pain to talk to.
As Toni stepped inside the apartment, he saw that it was looking rather clean so far. There was a long living room with a green sofa and brown television with a clean screen, and the kitchen was located on the right side. There was also a bedroom just to Toni's left, which also included a regular-sized bed with a brown nightstand and a window right above it with the blinds closed.
Okay, so it looks better on the inside, Toni thought.
He walked into the bedroom and changed into a black suit with a white dress shirt inside. Once he finished changing, Toni stepped back outside to return to the vehicle to Vincenzo.
Toni hopped back into the vehicle and started the engine. "Now take me to my place," Vincenzo ordered. "It's over at Atlantic Quays. Can't miss it."
"As you wish, your majesty," Toni replied sarcastically.
"Yeah, you a real tough guy using some banal sarcasm to sound like a badass," Vincenzo snarled. "You want to tell me that again to my face?"
Toni just decided not to say anything back this time around. "Yeah, I thought so too," Vincenzo bragged as Toni started to back up out of the alleyway.
As he made it onto the road, Toni made a left turn and drove straight down until he made another left on Hepburn Heights and drove straight down the Red Light District. The cars were driving at a very low speed, and the clouds were saturating the light blue sky above the city. Toni looked at the clock on the car. It was only 11:33 AM.
As Toni made his way through Chinatown, he made a left turn on the end of the road on the opposite side of Callahan Bridge, which was said to be open on November 3. He then turned right down Trenton road right before making a left turn on Atlantic Quays, where he parked right in front of a single-story house on the right side. That must have been Vincenzo's warehouse.
"Hey, apartments cost money, Toni," Vincenzo told Toni as he unstrapped his seat belt. "Just you remember who pays the bills around here: Me. Daddy Vincenzo over here. So from now on, you work for me. So I better see you back here real soon!"
"Whatever, asshole," Toni replied.
"Hey, don't get smart with me now," Vincenzo snapped as he started to step out of the vehicle. "Otherwise, I'll change my mind."
Toni could only watch as Vincenzo walked inside his warehouse and shut the door behind him. Toni was feeling rather skeptical at this point. He had a bad feeling about working for Vincenzo.