Chapter 196
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Eric used to have money of his own. Sometimes, from the accounts that passed through his hands, he would skim a little. Getting one or two thousand dollars a month was no problem.
In addition to that, some people would proactively give him some money, or he would extort a sum from some businessmen in the same way he dealt with Lance.
His uncle, or rather his rumored father, was the mayor, so sometimes he could act unscrupulously.
Only by displaying this unscrupulousness could he live up to his rumored identity.
Actually, Lawyer Orson knew everything, but he acted as if he knew nothing, which also fueled Eric’s arrogance.
Perhaps he was uneasy at first, but when he found that after he did bad things, neither Lawyer Orson nor the mayor troubled him, he began to become more and more arrogant step by step under this indulgence.
The mayor didn’t care about this. Lawyer Orson would report most situations to him in a timely manner. This bit of money, including the extortion, was an insignificant matter in his eyes. Sometimes, he even indulged Eric’s behavior.
All of this also made the rumors spread even wider. Many people seemed to know about these things.
However, although Eric had many ways to get money, he couldn’t save it.
The concept of consumption is directly proportional to income.
The illegal immigrants at the docks who earned sixteen dollars a month could save a few dollars every month after filling their stomachs and buying a set of clothes every few months.
But what about the middle class with significantly higher incomes? Shouldn’t each of them have saved tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands?
But the fact is, some of them were even burdened with a large amount of debt!
When it came to Eric, he couldn’t save money either.
His high income gave him a not-so-real feeling—
As long as I want to save money, I can save it quickly.
Plus, he had recently started pursuing Shayna, so he had even less money in his pocket. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have extorted more than ten thousand dollars from Lance, which originally belonged to Lance as a dividend, to chase a girl.
Now his car was ordered, but he didn’t have enough money. He was very annoyed.
While being annoyed, he was also a little curious. “A few gambling tables can match the income of the entire nightclub?”
He found it a bit incredible. He had never been in contact with this kind of gray industry before, and basically, Lawyer Orson would solve everything for him.
For example, helping him sort out all the legal documents. He only needed to sign, and then they would transfer the money to the account designated by Lawyer Orson.
This was the first time he was involved in a project related to gang business.
Lance explained patiently, “Actually, its proportion is a little more than we imagined. Each gambling table can provide us with a minimum income of three to five hundred dollars per day.”
“Four gambling tables, that’s about more than a thousand dollars. A month is at least twenty to thirty thousand.”
“The total income of our nightclub is not as high as the income brought by these four gambling tables.”
“It’s winter now, and not many people come out to play. After summer arrives, those few gambling tables can bring us an income of forty to fifty thousand or even more each month.”
“Heller stayed here and didn’t leave before precisely for those few gambling tables.”
“Now that our gambling tables have been removed, it would be considered good business if the monthly profit can reach ten thousand dollars.”
The reason there was over twenty thousand in income last month was that these gambling tables were still “paying taxes” to the Kodak family, and the tax was not cheap; half of it was taken by them.
This was also the reason why they couldn’t reach an agreement later. Lawyer Orson wanted to lower this “tax rate,” but the Kodak family did not agree.
It was reasonable that they didn’t agree. If this mayor today said he wanted to set up a few gambling tables and not pay taxes, or only pay one or two percent, then tomorrow there would be a whole bunch of gambling tables registered under the names of the mayor, councilmen, state government officials, or municipal officials.
If you collect their tax, it means you’re not giving them face.
But if you don’t collect their tax, the Kodak family will face a new challenge.
How could a situation that took decades to stabilize be so easily broken by themselves?
Lawyer Orson talked a lot with them, including some subsequent developments, but none of it could move the Kodak family.
Not only did they not allow the casino to continue operating here, but they also moved away all the gambling tables and equipment.
Although the mayor didn’t show any obvious emotional changes after hearing this, both Lawyer Orson and his secretary could feel that he was very unhappy!
So let alone the mayor, even if the governor came, he would have to ensure that the governor’s gambling tables paid a fifty percent tax to the Kodak family, unless the other party had a legal gambling license.
But according to the considerations of the state government and Congress, they currently had no plans to issue more licenses in Golden Port. This was also related to the fact that the Kodak family had already opened up a network of ‘benefit transfer’ to Congress.
If they agreed to this idea, their own income would decrease. This was not an endless market; there were only so many gamblers.
Even if another hundred were opened, the gamblers and the environment in Golden Port were only so big. They wouldn’t get more income from it, and instead, they would have an unpleasant time with the Kodak family.
Basically, no more gambling licenses would be issued in Golden Port. If you wanted to take root in this industry, you had to listen to them.
Eric didn’t know about the many things behind this. His brain wasn’t really enough. Sometimes he didn’t look terribly stupid, simply because everything had been done by Lawyer Orson.
He only needed to be responsible for a process that even a fool could do, so he didn’t look too stupid either.
“Are gambling tables really that profitable?”
Lance nodded. “Very profitable. If we place… six or eight gambling tables on the third floor, we can have an income of several thousand dollars in one night.”
“Young Master Eric, the people who come to the nightclub are not poor. Losing or winning dozens or hundreds of dollars is within their acceptable range.”
Eric’s face turned red as he listened, and his body was getting hot!
An income of several thousand dollars in one night?
What he thought of was not just simply how much money he could get, but how many things he could do with that money.
If pursuing Shayna before was driven by his personal desire, then pursuing Shayna now was not just his own business, but also the dignity of his mayor uncle!
This battle could not be lost.
It’s just that the mayor’s stance was very subtle. He didn’t tell him if there was a “limit,” just told him to do it and not to lose face.
At this moment, Eric had a feeling of “I have joined the big events of adults, and I long to play an important role to let my mayor uncle recognize my ability.”
As he was thinking about these things, Lance interrupted his thoughts with a half-smile. “But I think we should forget about it.”
Eric looked up at him, his eyes momentarily dazed, and then he frowned. “Why?”
The smile on Lance’s face had long since disappeared. “Because this is Golden Port. Whether or not we can place gambling tables depends on the Kodak family. Even if…”
He stopped halfway through his sentence, but anyone could understand the meaning behind the rest of the words.
Even the mayor had to abide by this rule!
Eric slapped the table, his eyes turning hostile. “Even if what?”
Lance chuckled a few times. “Even if we don’t place gambling tables, we can still make money.”
“Although the competition is fierce now, we are the only nightclub in the Empire District. After deducting other expenses each month, we can still make seven or eight thousand dollars.”
“Plus the other bars, twenty thousand a month. This income is already very good.”
Eric’s breathing was a bit rapid. He knew that wasn’t what Lance meant.
His feelings for the mayor were complex, but mostly it was respect, admiration, and fear.
In his mind, his mayor uncle had long played the role of a strict yet benevolent father. He would not allow a low-life to look down on his mayor uncle like this!
“That’s not what you mean, Lance!” His reaction didn’t seem slow. “You think we are outsiders, that this is your Golden Port, and that even we have to abide by your rules, right?”
His emotions began to fluctuate. He thought of some of the situations where he had been targeted recently. Those people gave him no face at all, even though that damn rumor was already known to almost everyone!
They still gave him no face, and instead ganged up on him, just because he was an “outsider,” and this was their local turf.
He thought of his mayor uncle, who had rarely confided in him like an acquaintance, pouring out some of his troubles, about the deliberate difficulties, probes, and even harm from these ungrateful locals!
A wave of anger churned in his chest!
Lance made a gesture of appropriate retreat. He leaned back as much as he could, raising his hands, but only to his chest, palms facing outwards and shaking. “No, that’s not what I mean…”
But the expression on his face, his eyes, mixed with his actions, clearly said, “As long as you fucking know it”!
Eric slammed the table hard, standing up with a whoosh. His chest heaved violently, his eyes fixed on Lance. “If we put up the gambling tables now, when can we see the money?”
Lance continued to persuade him, “You’d better report this to Lawyer Orson, or the mayor. Your idea… is not very mature, Young Master Eric.”
“Ha?” he reacted as if he had heard something hilarious. “I’m not mature?”
He looked back at the few lackeys who had also stood up. The lackeys all gave him a “you’re awesome” expression, which gave him a little comfort.
He turned to look at Lance. “Do as I say.”
Lance still did not compromise, seeming as if he was really thinking for Eric’s sake. “This will cause trouble. You know, the Kodak family is one of Golden Port’s Five Families. If they don’t allow it, we can’t place the gambling tables. That’s the rule!”
Eric’s anger meter maxed out again!
He slapped both hands on the desk, and the heavy wooden table shook slightly. “They are not the mayor!”
The two looked at each other. Lance “retreated” from the stare-down. He averted his gaze, seemingly softening his attitude and compromising under Eric’s sharp gaze.
“Alright, Young Master Eric, but if His Honor the Mayor or Mr. Orson asks…”
He said the answer Lance wanted to hear. “I’ll be responsible!”
Lance respected his decision, which made Eric calm down a little, but only a little. Now he needed to vent, and Red High Heels was the best place to go.
He left directly with his lackeys, but he told Lance that in a week, he needed to see an income of at least fifteen thousand dollars.
Because the car he ordered needed to be shipped from another city. The local stock was either already ordered, or they didn’t have ivory white, so one needed to be shipped from the neighboring state.
After he paid five thousand in cash, when the car arrived, he would need to pay the remaining balance, fourteen thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.
Lance stood by the window, watching Eric leave with a group of lackeys. He shook his head slightly. That idiot. He hoped his mayor, who was both a father and an uncle, wouldn’t get high blood pressure from anger when he found out about this.
At night, after business hours, everyone had left. Lance called some men and drove a truck directly to the Empire District Precinct.
He had already greeted Precinct Chief Bruce. Precinct Chief Bruce himself would not come; the people at the station would help them sort things out.
Everyone was very familiar with Lance. They greeted each other friendly after meeting. They even moved the gambling tables and equipment out of the evidence warehouse separately and piled them outside the precinct’s warehouse.
A total of more than ten police officers were helping. Lance handed them an envelope, all filled with ten-dollar bills.
He knew a deputy sheriff here, who was considered Bruce’s assistant. He handed the envelope to the other party. “Share this among everyone, twenty dollars each. I can’t let you help for free.”
“After the night shift, go get something good to eat, have a drink, and then take something home…”
The deputy sheriff squeezed the envelope, a smile appearing on his face. He held the envelope in his hand but said some very hypocritical and polite words, “Mr. Lance, you’re too kind. It’s really not necessary. Police-civilian cooperation has always been our tradition.”
Lance was never afraid of hypocritical people. He said with a smile, “Yes, this is just a small gesture from us, helping each other out.”
“Then… on behalf of everyone, thank you for your generosity!”
Lance patted his arm and smiled without speaking.
Soon, the gambling tables and equipment were loaded onto the truck and transported under the cover of night to the outside of the Empire of Night nightclub.
It was already past three, almost four o’clock, and the streets were quiet.
And inside the nightclub, it was all their own people—Lawyer Orson had indeed arranged for some manpower, but those people were mainly responsible for administrative work, not for the night watch.
These hard, tiring, and low-income jobs were all done by Lance’s people.
Soon, they had rearranged the gambling tables and equipment and simply cleaned the controlled building, including the tables and equipment.
Looking at the brand new chips, although they were not the Kodak family’s exclusive chips, they still exuded an incomprehensible, charming luster.
“We’re short on some dealers.”
Lance casually picked up a new deck of cards and dealt six hands of a very ordinary game of blackjack. “Morris is familiar with this. If you can find professional dealers, go look. If not, it doesn’t matter.”
“There’s no trick to blackjack. The house always has the absolute advantage.”
The dealer is always the last to draw cards. He can make specific analyses based on the situation on the table. As long as he can win, he can directly enter the next round.
Winning one or two is pure profit!
Lance demonstrated a few times simply, and the young men gathered around also roughly understood. They tried it themselves, and it was indeed so.
Gambling, smuggling liquor—the two most profitable things in this era.
Seeing the green felt of these eight gambling tables, and the various colored chips that seemed to glow under the hanging lamps, Lance skillfully shuffled a small stack of chips in his hand.
He seemed to be thinking about something, calculating something, but it wasn’t very obvious.
After a while, he came back to his senses. “Have Morris contact the local gamblers. Tell them we’re reopening.”
Morris had been hanging around the various underground casinos in the Empire District since he was a child. He knew where to find these gamblers and knew which ones were of a higher class.
After resolving this matter, only the last link in the entire plan remained to be realized—making Ms. Kailu shut up!
The next morning, Accountant Kailu arrived at the Empire of Night company on time. She was hired by Lawyer Orson from a well-known accounting firm in Golden Port.
In fact, Lawyer Orson, including the mayor, they all had their own dedicated accountants. These accountants were very proficient in their business, but they didn’t work outside because they knew many secrets and couldn’t just be thrown into a nightclub to work.
Ms. Kailu had no particular feelings about this job. It was just a job. She did things according to the employer’s requirements, and that was it.
When she came today, she found that the main door of the third floor, which had been vacant, was closed again and seemed to have been cleaned.
She had no intention of investigating, because this was Lance’s job.
Whatever he wanted to do, as long as he wanted a budget, he would eventually have to submit the plan to her.
Ms. Kailu did not attach much importance to this manager, Lance. Just a low-life from society.
She had heard of Lance’s name, but she was not very afraid because she knew what Lawyer Orson and the firm behind him, as well as the mayor hidden deeper, represented.
If she was hurt, then Lance would not just be hurting her, but it would also be a provocation and harm to Orson and the mayor behind him.
Moreover, the accounting firm she worked for would also stand up for her. That was a firm with connections even in the Bay Area!
The reason she was so tough at work was right here. She wasn’t afraid of Lance at all!
A day’s work was very boring. For the sake of the decent salary, she had been persevering.
The life of the middle class was not as wonderful as people imagined. Only when there were no outsiders would they show their fatigue.
There were various loans and bills at home to pay. Although they could afford such consumption, she still felt too tired.
She didn’t see Lance at all today, but that was normal. With or without this manager, the nightclub’s business would not change much.
When it reached six o’clock, she packed up her things, locked some documents in the safe, and drove away.
When she returned to her home in Priliccia, she was somewhat surprised to see a car at her doorstep that was not hers or her husband’s. Someone had come?
It might be her husband’s colleague. His colleagues sometimes came over to visit.
Ms. Kailu, carrying her bag, pushed open the door. As she took off her shoes and put on her slippers, she asked, “Honey, do we have a guest?”
“I saw a car at the door!”
Her husband’s voice soon came from inside the house, “Yes, dear. A colleague of yours has come to visit…”
(End of this chapter)
