America 1919

The deal with Pickford went very smoothly.

Café Jackson had the contract ready, and after Pickford glanced at the contents, she signed her name, and so did Donnie on behalf of Starry Entertainment.

Afterwards, Donnie asked Steve Cotting to arrange for someone to clean Pickford's villa.

"I'm going back to get some more sleep!"

Pickford gave Donnie a goodbye kiss and left the 41st floor.

It was only then that Steve Cotting said to Donnie, "Boss, Miss Lucy just called, asking to meet you at 41 Los Angeles Street!"

Donnie knew that Lucy probably wanted to report on Nucky's behavior after he left yesterday. Now that Donnie and Nucky were just one floor apart, it naturally wouldn't be appropriate for Donnie to meet Lucy at the Surf Hotel anymore, so he made the apartment at 41 Los Angeles Street their rendezvous spot.

"Let's go!"

.

"Dear, did you miss me?"

As Donnie entered the apartment, Lucy, wearing a revealing nightgown, threw herself into Donnie's arms, showering his face with cherry-lip kisses, quickly covering it with red lipstick marks!

Clearly, this was not the time for serious talk. Donnie scooped Lucy into a princess carry and headed straight for the bedroom...

After the storm had passed, Lucy leaned against the headboard, holding a lady's cigarette in her hand... Cigarettes had already begun to trend in the United States, and at this time, slim cigarettes had become a way for a woman to show off her fashion sense.

"Nucky has already started contacting officials at various levels in Atlantic City, as well as people from the State Government. Moreover, he's planning to hold a donation event for the North District in the next few days..."

Lucy informed Donnie about Nucky's situation.

After listening, Donnie nodded. It was just as he had anticipated; Nucky was consolidating his influence in Atlantic City, and these two endeavors were essential for him to control.

Rolling over, he found his clothes on the floor, took a folded document and a set of keys out of his jacket pocket, and placed them on Lucy.

"This is a manor in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, which I've purchased under your name. Here are the keys to the place. Additionally, I've opened an account for you at Citibank with a deposit of 100,000 US Dollars, and I've bought you 400,000 US Dollars worth of General Electric stocks. According to my calculations, this stock's potential value increase will be very significant, enough for your future life!"

Although their relationship was now extremely close, even with zero distance in contact, Donnie understood that for a girl like Lucy, it was practically impossible to be tied down by so-called feelings alone. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

Before he officially took over Nucky's position in Atlantic City, Lucy was his most important pawn placed beside Nucky. For such a pawn, it wasn't enough to satisfy her with just spiritual and physical nurturing; it was more important to meet her material needs as well.

Indeed, upon seeing the items Donnie presented her with, Lucy felt not the slightest bit of wrongdoing. Instead, she joyfully kissed Donnie's gift, then hugged his neck and gave him another fierce kiss...

.

It was also on this day that three men dressed in gray overcoats stepped out of the Atlantic City train station.

"Boss, where are we headed now?"

The man speaking was named Archido Bowen, tall and burly with an imposing demeanor. Archido Bowen was an investigator for the IRS.

The person whom Archido Bowen was addressing was named Rene Meier, slender in build, and a team leader for the IRS.

The third man was named Dioge Obama, also an IRS investigator.

"First to the hotel, then we start gathering information on Donnie Block!" Rene Meier said calmly.

Unable to hold back, Dioge Obama said, "Boss, Donnie Block isn't a small fry now. I heard he's on very good terms with the people from the National Government. Isn't investigating him going to annoy certain individuals?"

Rene Meier said proudly, "I don't care who Donnie Block is friends with. I only know that in the United States, even if God himself were to come, taxes must be paid. Donnie, as the country's largest bootlegger, earns tens of millions of US Dollars in profits every year, yet he has not declared even a penny in taxes. That's why we need to investigate him and get his earnings on the record!"

Seeing Rene Meier's determination, neither Archido Bowen nor Dioge Obama had anything more to say and immediately promised to investigate Donnie Block's situation seriously.

The three of them arrived at the hotel, completed the check-in procedures, and held a small meeting in Rene Meier's room.

This meeting naturally revolved around investigating Donnie's profits in the bootlegging business.

Although Rene Meier had appeared very confident at the train station, he also understood... "Donnie Block's influence in Atlantic City is immense, and we need to be careful while investigating him. We can't let Donnie become aware of it; otherwise, if he's prepared, it would be very difficult for us to get a clear picture of his situation."

Then Rene Meier assigned tasks to the three of them.

"Dioge, you've been with the IRS for a long time and have a wealth of experience. You handle investigating United States Logistics' situation. Most of Donnie's bootlegged liquor abroad is shipped through United States Logistics' maritime channels to Atlantic City. If we can figure out the volume of goods Donnie moves each day, we can roughly estimate a part of his income from this operation."