Instead, they split all the illegal transactions and gave them to those seemingly unrelated puppet gangs below. In secret, they continuously pushed those gangs to expand their influence in New York and even across the entire East Coast, aiming to increase their power and overall illegal income.Meanwhile, the Zanos’ public face, led by this generation's head of the family, Antonio, was doing its best to whitewash its identity and ingratiate itself with high society. Antonio knew very well that the higher echelons of society needed tools like the mafia. However, their hypocrisy meant they wouldn't allow any open cooperation with the mafia. This meant that for a mafia family to get their attention, the first thing they needed to do was to cleanse themselves.To put it simply, what high society needed now wasn't something hidden under the bed, like a night pot. They needed something they could openly display in the bathroom, which was clean and odorless like a toilet.Traditional maf
At the same time, Charlie drove the inconspicuous Chevrolet, carrying the nervous Angus, to the outskirts of Zano Manor. From the outside, they could see that Zano Manor was very lively at the moment. The entire estate was brightly lit with a large number of mafia members in black suits standing straight on both sides of the entrance, seemingly waiting for some important person.Upon seeing this from afar, Charlie couldn't help but smile and say, “Looks like we've come at the right time. The Zanos family seems to be having some major event.”Angus swallowed nervously and asked Charlie, “Mr. Wade, there are at least a few hundred people here at first glance. Are we really going in to cause trouble?”Charlie smiled and said, “Didn't I say we're going to put on a show for them? Just follow me later. I'll signal to you to give you instructions later.”He then added, “But if you're really worried, I can go in alone.”Angus spoke up without hesitation and said, “Mr. Wade, I am worried
The girl inside said helplessly, “Okay, you're right. Now, please leave first. I need some time to freshen up and get dressed!”Antonio said coldly, “I'll give you ten minutes. I'll wait here for you.”The girl had no choice but to say, “As you wish. If you're willing to wait, no one's stopping you.”Antonio chuckled coldly and warned, “Jilian, I advise you not to try to climb out the window to escape because I've already arranged for someone to watch outside your window. Once you climb out, they'll catch you and take you to the airport directly!”The girl was instantly furious. “You jerk!”Antonio, unperturbed by his daughter's insults, smiled and said, “Remember, Jilian, Sicilian girls live for their family for life! Betraying the family would be a disgrace to me. I would rather send you to Sicily and have you shear sheep for life than let you become a disgrace to the family.”The girl screamed hysterically, “Antonio Zano! I hate you!”Antonio said, “You can hate me, Jilian, b
After he was done speaking, he turned on the headlights and stepped on the accelerator to drive out.Meanwhile, inside the black sedan, Jilian, who was dressed in a white evening gown, drove the car out in a hurry. Earlier, she had deliberately damaged her dress and used that as an excuse to slip away from the main hall. She found this black sedan in the yard with its keys still in it.At this moment, Jilian had no idea where to go. She only wanted to escape quickly before anyone noticed her absence and reacted. However, just as she nervously drove the car out of the estate, a Chevrolet suddenly appeared at the entrance of the manor.She instinctively tried to brake, but for some reason, despite all her efforts, she couldn't push the brake pedal down even a bit. Unbeknownst to Jilian, this moment was exactly what Charlie had been waiting for.Regardless of who was driving, Charlie had used his Reiki to block the brake pedal and the steering wheel, making the car unable to slow do
“Extort?!”When Charlie heard this, he got angry and blurted out, “I was merely driving by here. I didn't offend anyone and was suddenly hit by this girl's car. It is natural for me to ask for compensation. How can you say I am extorting her? Don't bully the minority with your numbers, and don't think that I am afraid of you because of your numbers!”The mafia member immediately took out a pistol from his waist, pointed it at Charlie's head, and said coldly, “Get out now! If you speak more gibberish, I will shoot you to death!”Charlie said angrily, “Damn it! You are really capable. You want to shoot me in public?”At this time, Angus pushed open the passenger door of the Chevrolet, holding up the phone in his hand as he said loudly, “Mr. Charlie, I have called the police!”Charlie nodded with satisfaction, looked at the members of the mafia, and said coldly, “Aren't you going to shoot me? Come on, shoot me right here!”As he spoke, Charlie pointed to his forehead and said, “Shoo
There was no way he would let such a good opportunity slip by.So, he stubbornly said, “I want cash, and I'm waiting right here. If you don't give me the money, I'll wait for the police to arrive!”Jilian looked nervous and desperate as she pleaded bitterly, “Sir, please take me away from here, and I'll give you two hundred thousand US dollars!”Charlie remained unmoved as he insisted, “I want cash, and I want it now!”Jilian was on the verge of tears as she anxiously looked back toward the estate, fearing her father might come chasing after her. However, Charlie didn't give her any chance.At that moment, a tall, stout man in a suit hurriedly approached with a large group behind him. Jilian fell into despair when she saw this because the man in the front of the group was her father, Antonio.Antonio was furious and alarmed. He never expected that just moments after Jilian had accidentally damaged her dress and was supposedly mending it, he would receive reports that she had cras
Antonio's mouth twitched twice when he heard Charlie's offer.He clenched his teeth and forced a smile as he said, “Okay, you are really capable of extorting the mafia!”Charlie asked curiously, “Hey! Are you a mafia member?”Antonio sneered, “What? You just realized?”After saying that, he put the one thousand US dollars back into his wallet and said to Charlie with a look of arrogance, “Since you know my identity, you still have time to get out now.”Charlie said disdainfully, “Are you still asleep? You want to get rid of me without paying me?”Antonio clenched his teeth and said, “Young lad, if you can't grasp the opportunity given to you, don't blame me for being rude to you!”After that, he ordered his men, “Break his legs for me and then drive him a hundred miles away. Hurry up, the VIP is coming soon.”Several men immediately rubbed their hands and walked toward Charlie.At this time, the sound of sirens sounded, and several police cars drove up quickly.After the car
He couldn't believe he was being extorted right at his own doorstep.The critical thing was, he had no way out now.At that moment, his trusted aide approached quietly and said, “Mr. Zano, the VIP is about to arrive.”Antonio instantly felt nervous. He didn't want the VIP to arrive and find him arguing with someone at his doorstep.The main issue was his daughter crashing her car into someone else's car and him refusing to compensate the other party, which was embarrassing.He had no other choice but to nod and pull his henchman over, personally removing the pistol from his waist before he threw it on the ground. He then pushed the henchman toward the police, saying, “Take him away.”After that, he looked at Charlie and said, “You want a hundred thousand US dollars, right? Wait here. I'll get someone to get it for you.”The police officer was stunned to hear this and blurted out, “You're asking him for a hundred thousand US dollars?”Charlie said matter-of-factly, “That’s right
Hearing what Jacob had said, Elaine became anxious and pressed him as he hung up, "What's going on? You're leaving? But we just got here! My shoes have just caught Dubai dirt, so why are we leaving so soon—"However, Jacob was wiping the sweat off his brow as he mumbled quietly, "Well, at this point, I have to leave or I won't be vice president anymore."Elaine immediately fumed. "We've been married for half our lives, and this is supposed to be our honeymoon, yet we're just leaving? I've posted about this on social media too—there are plenty of people who're waiting for more posts on our trip!"And don't forget—we spent a lot on our flight tickets and our hotels! The hotel bookings can't be refunded either!"Jacob scowled dolefully. "Well, what can we do? Why don't you stay? I'll go home and get this sorted out first….""Well, how long would that take?" Elaine asked."How should I know?" Jacob sighed, uneasy and annoyed. "Don Albert is saying I have to go back and donate the 300
"But I spent 98 thousand on that bronze sculpture!" Jacob exclaimed in agitation before he knew it. "I made 300 thousand from it, and that means my profit was 200 thousand at best, but I'm supposed to return that to him as well?! That means I'd have lost my own capital too!""I can't help you if you can't bear to part with that money, Mr. Wilson," Don Albert said quietly. "In that case, you'll just have to handle it yourself.""Wait, wait, wait!" Jacob immediately became antsy and cried out right then, "Please, Don Albert! I'll return the money! I'll return it, alright?! The entirety of my profits—202 thousand, okay? At least let me keep the money I spent, okay?""By that reasoning, Mr. Wilson, when a phone scammer is told by the cops to return the money they've made from defrauding, should he be allowed to keep the money he spent on telco charges? ""Oh, I…" Jacob was left stumped and could not come up with an answer.Don Albert then pressed on, "Mr. Wilson, I've offered a prom
"Mr. Wilson, what you boys did was truly heinous!" Don Arnold growled. "I scolded Zachary myself when I found out, and I was the one who told him to post that statement!"Jacob was shocked. "But why, Don Arnold? Are you friends with Raymond Cole?""Never met the guy," Don Arnold replied.That left Jacob even more confused. "Then why are you taking his side?""I've been doing my best to clean up my image over the past couple of years," Don Albert replied coolly. "I rarely get involved in mob business or anything illicit, and everyone in Aurous Hill knows that Zachary is my right-hand man, yet he confessed to committing such a heinous crime behind my back. What is that if not sullying my reputation?"Jacob was left reeling as he didn't expect Don Albert to be so serious, but he quickly explained, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect it to affect you so terribly… It's all Zachary's fault! I wouldn't have been aware that Raymond had returned at all, but he just had to tell me and come up with
At this point, Don Albert could very well be Jacob's personal messiah.Even if he did threaten Zachary with calling Charlie persistently, he actually wouldn't dare call Charlie.After all, how would he start explaining that he was involved in a crime? And telling Charlie was basically telling his daughter—what would they think of him after this? Would he ever be able to hold his head high in the family again?As such, his only option now was to ask Don Albert and see if he would help.What he didn't know was that Don Albert was with Charlie, who had already anticipated Jacob's move.When Jacob realized he couldn't stop Zachary, Jacob would find someone who could, and Don Albert was the best man for the job!To no surprise, Don Albert's phone soon started ringing with a call from Jacob.Don Albert didn't answer right away, however, instead turning toward Charlie as he asked gingerly, "So, shall I stick to your script, Master Wade?"Seeing Charlie nod, he pressed on, "Should I
As soon as Jacob sent the voice message, Mr. Bay called.Jacob quickly answered, asking nervously, "How are things over there, Mr. Bay?""How, you ask…?" Mr. Bay sighed in exasperation. "The entire Calligraphy and Painting Association was demanding your dismissal as soon as Zachary Evans posted his statement, thinking that you have no business being the administrative vice president let alone have a place in the association."Even those officials came asking me questions, and you know how they are—gossipers, every last one of them, always finding out about the juicy stuff instantly even if it's really no big deal. The only excuse I have to stop them is that we don't have the facts, but this issue still needs to be taken care of."So, be straight with me. Were you a part of this? If you don't, do you have any definitive evidence that can refute Zachary's claims?""I… Uh…" Jacob stammered, unable to answer.He certainly wanted to say no, but he had no evidence to back himself up.
Jacob bellowed furiously, "Raymond Cole made over 19 million dollars! From my bronze sculpture! Yet you're telling me to refund that 300 thousand too?! You're just fucking with me, aren't you?!""Well, if you don't like it, just do what you like, then," Zachary replied calmly and quickly hung up before Jacob could answer.Jacob was left twitching and shaking endlessly, and there was no telling if it was from rage or fear.Beside him, Elaine quickly asked, "What did Zachary say, dear? Can he get that bronze sculpture back?"Caught by surprise at her question, Jacob flinched, and his phone slipped out of his grasp.As it seemed to hover in the air, he tried to catch it twice but failed, but Elaine managed to grab it.It was then that she noticed that he was sweating all over his face, and she promptly asked, "What's wrong, dear?"Coming to his senses, Jacob's eyes went wide with rage. "Zachary is trying to kill me! He leaked the whole thing to his Twitter page—it's like he's pulli
Jacob turned his phone's loudspeaker on before switching panels to Twitter.He was already shocked to find dozens of people directly messaging him, and he was naturally curious why so many of them were looking for him while he was on his trip to Dubai.However, he had no time to find out as he promptly tapped on his social feed, and it took much swiping to reach Zachary's apology post.He tapped on it, scanning through it just before he went dizzy, the world spinning around him while a dull hum rang in his ears.Never would he have expected Zachary to spill the beans, leaking every detail including Jacob's name and contact information. What was that if not mutual destruction?!Absolutely furious, he bellowed at Zachary again, "What the fuck is this?! Are you trying to kill me, posting this shit?!""I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson, but I've come to understand how grave of a mistake I've made," Zachary calmly replied. "I've actually visited Treasure Measure earlier to apologize to Mr. Cole
Within hours, Jacob and Elaine's flight had landed at Dubai International Airport, and the first thing he did was turn off his phone's flight mode.Then, staring at the upper right corner, he waited for the phone to find a network signal.He had connected to international data roaming, and within a few dozen seconds, he was connected to the internet.Once he did, a ton of notifications popped up on his phone, but he didn't care to check any of them and instead opened his contacts and called Zachary.Zachary was in his office, ready to do his usual rounds inspecting Don Albert's premises.While he had indeed completely lost his reputation at Aurous Hill's Antique Street after pinning that post on top of his social page and was given plenty of weird looks by people around him, he didn't care because he knew how to prioritize.Right now, the most important thing that he had to do was put all his body and spirit into his work and not get distracted by anything else.Only then could
The man who had called out to him shrugged. "Zachary posted it on his account. Check it out yourself!"Mick promptly tapped out of his message editor, refreshed his social feed, and immediately saw Zachary's apology post.Once he tapped on it and read it, he almost had a stroke and was cursing before he knew it, "Fuck technology! It's like a self-exploding truck! Fuck you, Zachary Evans, blowing yourself up before I could end you! What a bitch!" Naturally, the post also made Jacob infamous.The Calligraphy and Painting Association more or less had a stake in the antique trade, and the members were shocked that Jacob was involved in such a scandal.Within minutes, word reached Mr. Bay, leaving him pacing around in his office anxiously.Mr. Bay was eager to suck up to Jacob too, which was why he had intended to let Jacob inherit his position as president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association after he was promoted.But while he thought it was as good as done, he didn't expec