Coming to you live from Studio 7, it is Good Morning Manhattan! with your hosts Demetri Thomas and Kelly Sanders.

Today’s story is one of hardship and the charitable work of family. The Caito family has lived in New York City for almost one hundred years. Every person who lives in the New York area has heard of the Caito family.

The Caito family comes from great wealth from their restaurant business, casino, and various clubs within The City. Coming off the boat, the great-Grandfather Julio Caito and his wife, Vanessa, with their three sons, Gino, 16, Fernando, 15, and Antony, 13, brought their high hopes in securing the American Dream. Tragedy struck the family as the two eldest sons were both killed in a horrific car accident, leaving the Catio’s with only Antony as their sole heir to their fortune. Vowing to have his brother’s never forgotten, Antony started the family business at the young age of eighteen, a restaurant in their namesake Catio’s. At age twenty, Antony married his high school sweetheart Marie, and then three years later, Lila Caito was born. Followed in suit were Giovanni, Francesca, and Antony II. From then on the wealth expanded and grew, Antony found himself starting up another business the G&F Casino and Club along with various other clubs located The City. We now celebrate the good works that the Caito family gave to the magnificent city they have called their home: starting a DUI prevention program, donations to the local hospitals and trauma centers, feeding the homeless and impoverished, opening five homeless shelters, a startup program for the homeless to receive jobs and an education in the field of their choice, an afterschool program for children, and many more good works.

Today that tradition continues with the eldest great-granddaughter of Antony and Marie, Celeste Caito, 42, and her husband Dr. Bruno Milani-Caito, 43 , the “Don”, run the family business, while the Don works at the local hospitals as a pediatrician, giving out no cost surgeries for only five children per year. Their children are Patrizio, 22, who has followed his father’s footsteps in the medical carrier; Jessica, 22, who currently attends NYU as an English and Communications major; Sabine, 19, who will be attending Georgetown in the fall as an undeclared major; Teo, 16, is currently attending the Léman Manhattan Preparatory School; and Antony IV, 10, who is also attending Léman Manhattan Preparatory School. The Caito family today includes Celeste’s brother Emanuele, 41, who works at his accounting firm, his wife Antonia, 39, and their sons Bernardo, 21, Sergio, 20, Fernando II, 18, and Nicola, 16. Her sister Anna-Maria, 40, who currently co-leads the kitchens of the family business and all of the soup kitchens, her husband Vincente, 48 and daughters Emiliana,19, Dina, 16, and Liliana, 14 . Last but not least her brother Antony III, 39, and his wife Bianca, 37, and sons Lorenzo, 18, Stefano, 16, and daughter Carmen, 10.

Here are your hosts Demetri and Kelly!

“Thank you, thank you!” Demetri called into the audience, “we have some very special guests for you today.”

“We have brought in the patriarch and matriarch of the Caito family,” Kelly smiled into the camera as the footage of the past one hundred years faded into the background.

The audience applauded in awe of the family that has helped so many others in the surrounding communities. Celeste and Bruno smiled to the audience, looking like the American Dream couple. Celeste, with her dark Caito features, the viewers could direct their focus right onto her eyes, the strongest feature of every Caito. She ran the whole family business, household and managed to win countlessly the pie baking contest every year at the block party. Dr. Bruno, with his matching features, his demeanor always dominated the room. However, he has a loud laugh with a brilliant sense of humor.

“Thank you so much for inviting us here today,” Bruno’s deep voice quieted the audience, “This really means so much to us that everyone cares for our family.”

“Not only care, but we also love you guys!” Demetri waved a hand to the audience who reciprocated his enthusiasm in full force.

“So let’s get down to business, for real. As we know, the anniversary of your grandfather’s death is coming up Celeste, we want to thank you again for everything that he has done for the community that he so proudly called his home for seventy-five years.”

“My grandfather was an excellent man who was driven for exceptional reasons Kelly. The loss my grandfather faced at such a young age inspired him to create a lasting memorial.” Celeste smiled sweetly, touching Kelly’s hand, “But we can continue his tradition of charity through the next generations to come. His work is not yet finished, and we plan to continue that.”

“It seems like family, tradition and charity are the primary values within your family, does that equate to your success?” Demetri leaned forward.

Celeste thought for a second, “I would say so, but there is one value that our family hold above all else: loyalty. We are a strong family that is loyal to everyone in the family, works for the family, and adopted into the family.”

“Meaning all of your goddaughters and godsons?” Demetri pried.

“Yes, we are a gigantic family. Everyone is welcome into our house. We only have five rules that everyone follows.” Celeste chuckled.

“And what exactly are those rules?” Demetri, Kelly, and the audience leaned in close honing the desire to know what the secret to the Caito family success was.

“Rule number one: Never be late to dinner,” Celeste had the audience laughing in the palm of her hand. “Rule number two: love and respect your family, in the end they are all you have. Rule number three: work for what you have, never expect it. Rule number four: do not lie to the family.”

“And the last rule?” Kelly asked on the edge of her seat.

“The last one was already spoken of dear: Be loyal to the family. The price is known in our house for breaking one’s loyalty to the family.”

“And what would that be?”

“Why no desert after dinner of course!” Celeste cheerfully laughed.

The audience laughed heartily at her little quip.

Kelly was wiping the tears away from her eyes, “Hah, well I think that we all can use a break from that. I need some time to breathe. Thank you again for coming in today, enjoy your goddaughter’s performance. I’ll be seeing you there!”

“Thank you, I have some business first before we can go. But I hope that it will be done quickly, it’s not every day that your goddaughter is the Frostbite Princess!” The Don smiled.

…..

The car door opens on the driver’s side; he unfolds the black umbrella and briskly makes his way down to the back of the limo where the Don sat. The Don never liked to wait when business needed to be done. He quickly opened the door and covered the Don from the drizzling rain.

“Thank you, Gerald.” The driver nodded in response as he followed the Don down the pier to the warehouse where some of the business was done.

“I want you to stand outside and guard the door; this should take no more than fifteen minutes Gerald. After all, I cannot miss my goddaughter’s ballet performance.” The Don calmly stated as they approached the warehouse.

This place always gave Gerald little pinpricks on his spine; he knew what transpired in those warehouses, and he had the scars to remember them. Softly touching his face, Gerald had to fight back the fear in his gut as they slowly approached the door. The Don turned around to hand him the gloves that covered the hands that executed so many orders, so many kidnappings, so many murders; those hands are the hands of the Angel of Death.

The Don frowned. “Oh Gerald, you know that as long as you are loyal to the family, the family is loyal to you. You don’t need the scars as the reminder.” The Don gently touched his face as he flinched in reaction. “You know I can never hurt the family, after all I need to see your daughter’s performance tonight.” The Don turned around with a calm smile and walked into the warehouse as Gerald was left in the rain, waiting for the Don.

…..

Sam slowly lifted his head. His head throbbed; bruises and cuts covered his face. The mirror placed strategically so that he was forced to watch the beatings showed a man that he did not recognize: face swollen, cuts on his lips and various locations on his body, bruises covering every single inch of his body; making him look like his skin was naturally purple and green. Sam lacked food, water, and sleep for the last two days, and he was almost at his breaking point. The beatings were on every hour, on the hour. That is how he knew how much time has passed. The schedule never changes, only the punishments are different. The beatings were hard at first, but slowly he became immune after the sixth time, then came the improvising. First it was brass knuckles, and then came the bats, he thought one was a crowbar, then cuts from one of the Teppista’s knives, all of it started to just blend together. He had fifteen minutes until the next beating, he could make it, he will make it! To get what little time he had left, Sam slowly closed his eyes and allowed himself to remember his family in case he died here. A door opened, Sam’s head snapped back up to attention. No! He thought to himself, I still have fifteen minutes! The sound of someone coming was getting closer, and Sam slowly was moving into a panic. His body started going into overdrive: his heart pumping like a hummingbird, sweat started to form at his temples and tears watered in his eyes.

The door opened. The Don walked in. In that instant Sam knew he was dead.

“Sam, you know I am not a patient person. So I am only going to ask you twice; where is the shipment?” The Don slowly circled around Sam. He knew now that when the Don came in that it meant serious business, and this will end in only one of two ways; he tells and he can live, or he can keep his mouth shut like he was told to, and he dies.

SMACK! The Don’s hand came out of nowhere, moving at ninety miles per hour, stinging with precision right across Sam’s cheek. “Sam, you do know what will happen if I ask you twice?”

He started to shake slowly with fear; the Don never got physical unless it was serious, the Teppistas were meant for the violence. The Don emanated enough fear to have any prisoner talking in mere seconds of meeting, but Sam knew that either way he was going to die.

“First, that mistress of yours is going to end up disappearing. Then that pretty little wife of yours will be found at the bottom of the lake, a suicide after finding out her husband ran off with the help. Then maybe, just maybe I’ll spare the boy. But then again, I know plenty of sweatshops in Indonesia that could use a nice small boy like him, you know to climb into the machine to unjam the damned thing. He might have the possibility of living, but with only three fewer fingers and a dead spirit. So I am going to ask one last time Samuel, where the HELL IS MY DAMN SHIPMENT?!”

The Don’s eye contact never wavered from Sam’s face. As Sam started to cry, unsure if it was of pure fear for his family, or from the lack of sleep, he gave in. “It’s buried under the tree in Chelsea Park! I-I-I don’t remember which one.” The man started sobbing and pleading into his shirt for the Don to spare his life.

The Don bent down to be level with his face, lifting it slowly up, “Thank you, Sam. You are going to stay here while we see if what you are saying is true.” The Don turned to leave the warehouse. Whispering to three of the Teppistas about finding this particular tree while the others stayed and watched over Sam. “Come on Gerald, we cannot let Hannah wait for us any longer, she has worked very hard to be Princess Frostbite,” quickly rushed to the car, Gerald inwardly sighed with relief. The talk only lasted fourteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds.

….

“Oh Sam, I want to thank you again for allowing me to see my goddaughter’s performance. You know for a six-year-old she has some real talent in ballet.” The Don reentered the warehouse where Sam’s bruises were exceptionally worse. The beatings lasted from the time the Don left the room and until the Don came back. “I also thank you for telling me where my shipment was, you will be pleased to know that your family will receive a generous gift from my family to yours for your honesty.” The Don coolly smiled at Sam.

“Oh bless you! Thank you, thank you!”

“You will also know that whoever you are working for will not harm your family or you after I leave this place.”

“Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?” Sam’s eyes glistened with tears.

“Sam, Sam, Sam,” the Don chuckled as the gun was pulled out from behind and clicked for the ready of execution.

Sam had no time to react to what was going on as the Don pulled the trigger.

Leaning over Sam’s lifeless body, the Don chided, “You know the price for stealing from the family. You know that no one screws over Mamma.”

Celeste Caito cleaned Sam’s blood off of her face and handed the gun to Clyde. She looked over Sam’s body one more time and frowned in disapproval, “Send notice to Mrs. Estar that her husband left with Bella. Make sure that Bella is on the next plane with some collateral that she will not speak to her about Sam.”

“Yes, Boss.” Clyde nodded and walked her to the door.

“And Clyde, I’d like to help the mother with any means necessary, after all her husband just left her for the nanny.”

The warehouse door banged shut.