Back at the office, Bob Guccione had gotten a rough idea of the situation and had basically given up on his fantasies. The agent who came to inquire had no idea; how could he? The old man was now filled with regret. He should have returned those photos right away; it would have counted as a bit of courtesy.
Or perhaps it shouldn't have been bought in the first place.
What did it mean to sell over ten million copies of a record? That was practically a money tree.
If the other party was weak, it wouldn't have hurt to take a few advantages.
Unfortunately, everyone was seriously mismatched in strength. Forget about seeking justice; he didn't even know whom to surrender to, which was truly a matter of life and death.
...
"Sir, he is operating a gambling hotel in Atlantic City without a license. If someone puts on the pressure, there will definitely be a lot of trouble."
William White looked incredulous. "No license and he still dares to operate? How much does it take to invest in that?"
"Probably just under two hundred million."
"Ha! Let's apply some pressure and don't let anyone take over."
"Got it."
...
Filson didn't ask any questions; he didn't want to know how the old man had upset this guy. After all, it was just about those women.
He found it hard to believe that the old man would be so foolish. You might not have much experience, but you should at least have some common sense. William White was not on your level of wealth.
As for that bunch of small-time operators in Los Angeles, there was nothing more to say. Just a bunch of fools who were crazy for money.
Times were changing; those who didn't keep up would naturally be eliminated by progress. Just look at the Sicilians; back in the day, they weren't afraid to cut off the ear of the richest man's grandson to negotiate.
You could ask them now if they'd dare to do that again. The truth is, we now live in a legal society. When a problem can be solved with money, it's best to avoid stirring things up. Those so-called big shots, one and all, hardly had a good ending.
William White's actions, of course, caught some attention. However, everything happened too quickly; even if someone wanted to make things difficult for him, they were too late.
Moreover, whether it was worth it was another question. Without an insider betraying, no one could do much; at most, they could make things uncomfortable for him.
But after he handled this situation, he'd have to face his fury. If he acted recklessly, even the big corporations would have a headache.
...
"Sir, it's all cleaned up."
"Great, Max. You can have a little more reward this time, drawn from the Swiss account."
"Thank you, sir."
"Everything you deserved; there's no loss, right?"
"No, when we went in, they were already high as kites; there was only sporadic exchange of fire."
"Good, that's good."
After handling these matters, William White naturally needed to keep an eye on the movements of his opponents. He was also curious to see if anyone dared to step up and give him trouble.
...
Bob Guccione finally realized whom he had offended. His heart sank; the current situation was the worst he could have imagined.
The only silver lining was that it seemed to be just routine methods.
It's almost comical; the strictness of American comic book reviews was maddening. Meanwhile, magazines like Penthouse published whatever they wanted without a care.
Some people believed that such unethical behavior was a disgrace and must be curtailed. They must not let these unhealthy things poison our youth.
Bob Guccione was falling apart; when that relevant party became president, he could only cover his face and weep.
He swore he didn't understand the truth!
...
After a couple of days of leisure, William White found it dull.
Why don't you fight back?
Just sitting there taking hits, what's that about?
You really need to have some spirit! At this rate, what's the point? It's downright unlucky!
The disparity in strength was glaring. Once he realized he had crossed this big shot, the old man simply gave up any resistance.
He knew the rich kid's temperament too well; if you don't resist, all they'd do is beat you up a bit. Otherwise, you'd be dead before you knew it.
...
"Do you know what it is about?"
"I'm not sure of the details; it's probably related to his female artists."
"Tsk, that old lecher has gone mad?"
"Not sure; he's not exactly clean himself, so he'd better keep quiet."
"Ha! He should count himself lucky. External parties shouldn't get involved in such matters."
"True, just private grudges."
"Forget about it. What's going on with the semiconductor companies in that area? Are they trying to manipulate the market?"
"That's hard to say; there's no evidence. But rumors say they saw the bosses of those three companies playing golf on Lanai."
"Useless; they're backed by conglomerates, and in addition, William White wouldn't offer any help."
"Right, the laws there are strange. Apparently, golf expenses can be reimbursed, and he's said to have sold at least five hundred VIP cards on that island."
"What? You sure about that?"
"Even if it's not that many, it's probably close. I reckon that island is starting to turn a profit."
The old man from Morgan Stanley was taken aback. He just couldn't wrap his head around it; so few people in America bought such an expensive golf card.
In fact, he had taken too much for granted. There were indeed plenty of American guests, even though they went rarely; they still purchased that card now and then.
The reasons were quite evident. Even if they didn't need to show off their wealth, the opportunities there were real. Could it be that the richest people in the world gathering there was just a myth?
You could go there and not find any fitting opportunities. If you didn't make the trip, you definitely wouldn't find any. For rich folks seeking breakthroughs, if opportunity must be measured with money, two million clearly wasn't too steep.
...
"William, I took care of that issue for you, but why are you still holding onto that troublesome woman?"
"George, you don't get it -- sometimes feelings develop over time."
"I see. So what about Atlantic City? Aren't you interested?"
"Pfft, that's a dead zone. If I wanted to get into the gambling business, wouldn't I go next door to Las Vegas?"
"Fair enough. It's not a noble business; you really don't need to get involved."
In just a few words, Bob Guccione's attempts to pivot his career crumbled to dust.
It was truly baffling. How could one dare to operate without a license? What does he think this is, the old days?
William White remembered clearly that there were circles involved here. If you weren't in this industry, you wouldn't get a foothold.
Wasn't the owner of MGM just this way?
Stepping into unfamiliar territory, trouble was inevitable; if it weren't for this guy's good luck, he'd probably have been finished long ago.
*****
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