NPC's
[ Spoiler ]
Gino Santangelo
Highlights:
Founder of Santangelo Vintage Extra Virgin, an olive oil produced solely from olives on the island of Crete that commands over $18 per bottle.
President & CEO of Apollon Shipping
Personal:
Gino was born in 2005, the illegitimate product of an affair between his mother, a cruise ship lounge singer, and his father, shipping magnate John Theotokis. The affair began during the first week of a six week cruise, and was over by the fifth. By the time the ship had docked, Angelina Santangelo had known she was pregnant. Fearing John's reputation, he was well known for having dead enemies, Angelina fled to New York where she soon had Gino. Scratching to survive, Angelina kept Gino's origins a secret, telling him instead that his father was an airman with the US Air Force and had died in the Second Gulf War. As a child, Gino became enamored with the idea of military service and hoped to one day join. His dreams were shattered when at the age of 16, Gino was arrested for Grand Theft Auto. Gino swore to his mother that he hadn't even been in the neighborhood that the theft occured in, but a witness placed him at the scene. Gino soon found out that a local made man within the Lucchessi family had gotten sloppy and botched a simple strong arm robbery. Knowing this, Gino made a gamble and took the rap, never saying a word about the made man. Gino's gamble paid off and a young capo regime, the cousin of the man who had inadvertently sent Gino to jail, stated that Gino's jail time was considered a "debt of honor" with him. He personally took care of Angelina financially while Gino served his five year sentence, while also making sure that Gino's time inside was considerably easier.
By the time Gino was out, he was fiercely loyal to the now Sottocappo Lucchessi. The next few years passed with Gino making a name for himself on the streets of New York and in the meeting rooms of the Family. Within three years of being out of prison, Gino was living the high life. He had moved his mother into a luxury apartment on the Upper East Side, he was driving a new car every two years, he had his own high rise right on Central Park West and a woman on each arm. He was a success story.
All of this changed on the night of February 23, 2030. While walking home from a dinner with her friends, Angelina Santangelo was shot in a drive-by meant for someone else. Angelina was rushed to the nearest hospital where a young doctor attempted a revolutionary attempt at healing: magic. The attempt failed miserably, the magical energy created a backlash that left Angelina screaming in pain and the young doctor dead. Within minutes, Angelina had lapsed into a coma from which she would never awaken. Four days later, Gino made the decision to disconnect the life support keeping her alive. Angelina died shortly thereafter.
Throughout the next few months, Gino worked himself almost to death. His only goal was to find the men responsible for the attack on his mother. Within six months, all of the men in the car had been executed. With his revenge finished, Gino drifted aimlessly. He felt he had no purpose. Then one day, while emptying his mother's apartment, Gino found a stack of letters from a Miklos Theotokis. The letters spoke of a private investigator hired to follow Angelina, of the discovery of a child, of a question of paternity and then as the years passed, the letters changed to letters of familiarity and of friendship. The realization that his mother may have hid the true identity of his father hit Gino hard. Reading and re-reading the letters, Gino was able to piece together the story.
His mother had met this man, John, aboard a cruise ship where she worked as a lounge singer. They had a brief but torrid affair which ended in a passionate and violent argument. Sometime after that, Angelina learned she was pregnant. Rather then risk telling John and fearing that he would force her to abort the pregnancy, Angelina ran telling only her best friend, Stephan, where she was going. Shortly after she arrive in New York, John revisited the cruise ship where Angelina had worked. It wasn't clear what John had wanted from his visit, but either way when she wasn't there he became enraged and had the truth beaten out of Stephan. Furious that she had dared steal his child, John sent his cousin Miklos to find her. Miklos hired a private investigator who sent pictures of the two back to Miklos in Greece. Miklos, by then aware of his cousin's ego and cruelty, told John that the mother and child had died in childbirth. According to John, the matter was closed. Miklos, meanwhile, continued to write to Angelina, even sending money when Angelina was struggling. Over the course of the years, the penpals fell in love. Though they knew that they could never chance meeting, at least not while the ever suspicious John still lived, they carried on their affair via letter.
When the last letter had been read for the fifth time, Gino sat down and put pen to paper. He wrote to Miklos, telling him of his mother's death and of his discovery. Miklos' reply was swift. He arrived on Gino's doorstep within a week. He told Gino that on the very night that Angelina died, that a mysterious entity had appeared in John's home in Greece. The entity had terrorized the man, whispering and laughing throughout the night. For three days, the entity followed John everywhere, taunting him mercilessly. Then on the third day, John called his lawyer. He had him recreate a new will, in which eveything was left to his son, Gino Santangelo. The lawyer questioned his client but John was firm and was according to the lawyer, completely sane. That night, John went home and jumped from his 34th floor apartment. It was ruled a suicide. From that night on, the entity that had terrorized John was gone. Friends that John had told had all considered it a sign of a guilt ravaged mind, as had Miklos. Hearing of Angelina's death, Miklos had to consider another option.
Overwhelmed, Gino took his time deciding what to do. Then, with the blessing of the Lucchessi family, Gino flew to Greece and began the legal wrangling required to name him John's heir.
Fifteen years passed, and Gino was now 41. He was the President and CEO of Apollon Shipping, and founder of Santangelo Vintage Extra Virgin, a company created with his father's estate. He was married, to a beautiful Italian woman that he had met while touring the country with Miklos. Her name was Appolonia. She had blessed him with two beautiful children: Appolonia Marie and Apollo John, or A.J. for short. His life was complete. But still, there was always something in the back of his mind that nagged at him when he began to think he was blessed. Always something that reminded him of how quickly his mother had been taken away. Gino became convinced that his good fortune was to end. He was right.
The year that A.J. turned two, Gino's wife Appolonia begged to return to Italy for a month. A month for her to bask in the sun of her homeland. Gino grudgingly agreed. A month was no small matter when two businesses required your daily attendance, but the look on Appolonia's face convinced him.
The day they were to leave, Appolonia went shopping, looking for a new bathing suit to wear on her glorious Italian beaches. The rest of that fateful day was told to Gino by eyewitnesses: When she returned to the car, two men approached her and began hitting on her, flirting aggressively. Flustered and angry, Angelina got into her car without going through the usual check that Gino had ordered her to do. It was a mistake that cost her her life. As soon as the ignition sequence was keyed, a timer within the engine began to tick. Appolonia had time to pull out of her parking space and dial Gino's number before the car exploded in a fury of shredded metal and broken glass.
Gino was heartbroken, he swore that he would never again lose someone so close to him. He forswore love. His children, when they were old enough, were sent to boarding schools in Switzerland. He dedicated himself to his work. Soon though, the need for vengeance began to gnaw at him. He called his old friend, Salvatore Lucchessi. The two had remained in contact over the years, but now, Gino wanted back in. Salvatore was more then happy to agree and made arrangements for Gino to begin meeting the players within in Greek Family.
Starting over took years, but Gino was tenacious. Finally, six years after he was brought back in, Gino discovered the men behind his wife's hit. The men were by now powerful in their own right, and had acted on the orders of a now dead capo. Gino planned his revenge and then took it. Over the next year he slowly planted rumors, misinformation, and distrust. By January of the following year, Gino had permission from Italy itself to deal with the men. He did, they were executed by Gino personally. His vengance had. Gino got on with the process of living.
He called his son and daughter home, hired extensive protection and security services and built his own enclave high in the hills of Corfu.
Now, Gino is 65. He has survived numerous attempts on his life, the most recent ending in his suffering from a massive heart attack. He has re-married, not for love as he swore he would never do, but for appearances. He has become a force to be reckoned with within the Greek Family, now serving as Consiglieri to Don Demetrios Frangoulis.
30,000 to show for it. It was time for a change.