America 1919

The atmosphere in the office of Block Tavern was tense, shrouded in smoke.

Robert reproached himself, "The responsibility falls on me. I thought I had appeased all the guests from Philadelphia and New York in the tavern that day, but I never expected it to still be reported!"

Donnie waved his hand, "Talking about that now is pointless. The most crucial issue is how to solve the impact of this incident."

What is the biggest attraction to tourists from Philadelphia and New York in Atlantic City right now?

It's the opportunity to drink a variety of fine wines recklessly and enjoy all kinds of pleasures. Now, because someone died from drinking, it's definitely a major blow to Atlantic City's image.

"I think there's absolutely no need to worry!" John sat there with an indifferent expression and said, "Isn't it that not only Atlantic City, but underground taverns in cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles have all had people die from drinking?"

Since the start of Prohibition, inferior alcohol swarmed the market, leading to a surge in alcohol poisoning fatalities, far exceeding the numbers before Prohibition. In fact, by this time, it would be news if a city's speakeasy hadn't had someone die from drinking.

But, Donnie's requirements were different...

Walker gestured with his hand and said, "The situation is different. If Donnie didn't want to build his own hotel, then this incident wouldn't have much impact. But now, Donnie is planning to construct his own hotel, and at the same time, he wants to legalize gambling in Atlantic City.

Therefore, this incident will be greatly exaggerated by many people, and in the end, it will definitely hinder Donnie's plans from succeeding!"

John suddenly realized and said, "So you mean to say, this incident was deliberately orchestrated by someone, to obstruct Donnie's plans?"

Walker shook his head, "The incident was indeed orchestrated by someone, but not to obstruct Donnie's plans. I just looked at the Philadelphia newspaper, and there's an interesting discovery in it. I don't know if anyone else has noticed!"

Donnie and the others turned their attention to Walker, making it clear they had not noticed the issue Walker was getting at.

"This Philadelphia newspaper is the very one that did not enter into a partnership with us for the voting rights during the Miss America city finals!"

Walker said, holding the "Philadelphia Public Records Newspaper" in his hand.

Donnie took the newspaper from Walker's hand, glanced at its content, "So, this is actually them retaliating against us!"

As soon as Donnie finished speaking, John got up to leave the office.

"Where are you going?" Donnie stopped John and asked.

"What else can I do!" John exclaimed, "I'm heading to Philadelphia now to torch that newspaper office!"

"Don't create trouble for Donnie. If you burn down the newspaper office at this time, by tomorrow the entire newspaper industry in the United States will be all out attacking us!"

Walker helplessly massaged his forehead, now deeply suspecting that God had given newborn Donnie a kiss but had conked newborn John on the head with a mallet!

"It was you guys who said this incident had a big impact!" John grumbled as he sat down.

Robert asked worriedly, "How will this incident affect your hotel construction plans?"

Before Donnie could answer, the telephone on his desk rang. Donnie revealed a wry smile, "If I'm not mistaken, this call is surely from Nucky!"

Sure enough, as soon as Donnie picked up the phone, Nucky's voice came from the other side.

"Donnie, what's the deal with the 'Philadelphia Public Records Newspaper'? How could such news break at this critical moment? I'm about to head to Trenton now. What do we do if those people use this incident to attack us?"

Donnie replied calmly, "Rest assured, I'll resolve this matter as soon as possible. There won't be any problems!"

"That would be best!" Nucky hung up the phone.

"I just don't understand why these people want to attack us. Isn't it good for Atlantic City to develop better?" John said dissatisfied.

Walker retorted, "It has nothing to do with whether it's good or not. If Donnie had sought those people out before, they would have been very happy to cooperate with us. But I can assure you, if that were the case, Nucky and those represented by Nucky would never agree to the proposal.

To us, this is a business proposition, but to them, they don't care whether it's good or bad; they only care if it helps their political careers!"

Robert said, "Thinking about this now is useless. For us, the most crucial thing is how to control the public opinion of the incident. As I was coming to see you, Block Tavern already received several calls from Philadelphia newspaper companies wanting to report on the matter!"

Walker looked at Donnie and suggested, "Why not postpone building the hotel? I think there are already many people prepared to use this incident against you!"

Donnie rhythmically tapped his desk; the sound was a sign of him pondering: "We can't stop. If we stop this time, who knows when we'll have such a chance again, and no one knows whether other issues might arise by then!"

Walker had his concerns too, "But under the current circumstances, I'm worried that even if Nucky uses his influence, it's very likely that it won't be approved. What's more, there's already a lot of dissatisfaction against Atlantic City for not enforcing Prohibition. If we go ahead so conspicuously trying to legalize the gambling business in Atlantic City at this time, it will be too high-profile!"