America 1919

Nucky, returning to Atlantic City, had never imagined that within just a few days of his leaving, earth-shattering events had taken place.

Ponzi had vanished, the Commodore had fallen!

Each of these incidents alone would have been enough to shake Atlantic City to its core, yet they happened simultaneously.

"Boss, the Commodore had deep roots in Atlantic City, and he also had significant ties in Washington, so he shouldn't have fallen so easily, right?"

Louis, who had returned from Washington with Nucky, also received the two pieces of news at the same time.

"The man has had a stroke, all his connections are gone. Just you watch, his children in New York will come back at the first opportunity to sell all his assets in Atlantic City!"

Nucky's face was devoid of joy; the Commodore meant much more to him than just an enemy.

Originally, Nucky's father had been the Commodore's right-hand man, and Nucky had even been the Commodore's protégé. Eventually, they became enemies over the power struggle in Atlantic City.

"Let's go, we should also visit this senior at the hospital!"

Nucky didn't head straight for the Ritz Hotel upon his return but directed Louis to drive to the hospital.

In the hospital room, the once King of Atlantic City, the Commodore, was now an old man drooling with a crooked mouth, as a nurse wiped the saliva from the corner of his lips.

Upon seeing Nucky's arrival, the Commodore's face revealed a complex expression, wanting to speak, but he could only make a whimpering sound.

Nucky, looking at the Commodore's condition, sat down at his bedside, "It's all in the past now. I will order City Hall to rename a street in Atlantic City to Korla Street and appoint you as the honorary mayor!"

The Commodore was lying in the hospital bed, his face full of desolation, a glint of consolation flashing through his cloudy eyes.

.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

In Nucky's study at the Ritz Hotel, Donnie pulled Lucy into his embrace, which excited her as much as it worried her.

"Nucky has already got off the train and will be at the hotel any moment now!"

Lucy playfully slapped Donnie's hand and chided him.

"Don't worry, knowing Nucky as I do, he's likely to go to the hospital at this time!" Donnie's hands began to wander.

Lucy said, "How could you know something I don't?"

Donnie smiled, "Sometimes, a rival understands a person better than his own bedfellow!"

Lucy, enjoying her position in Donnie's arms, asked, "Haven't you and Nucky become partners now? How are you still rivals?"

Donnie explained, "The relationships between men are very complex, not as pure as those between men and women!"

"Is our relationship pure?" Lucy held Donnie's face and pecked it.

Donnie laughed heartily, his hands exploring, "Isn't our relationship pure enough already?"

Lucy, tantalized by Donnie's movements and nearly unable to resist responding in kind, was stopped by Donnie.

"We don't have the time for this!" Your adventure continues at m v|l-e'-NovelBin.net

Donnie was very confident in his timing.

Lucy chuckled, "I could try harder!"

In the end, the two did not follow through with their teasing, and Nucky returned to the Ritz Hotel.

"Who would have thought that so many things could happen in Atlantic City in just a few days!" Nucky sat in his chair and spoke reflectively to Donnie.

Donnie said, "Greed knows no bounds. The Commodore was too eager to reclaim his place and was inevitably blinded by certain things!"

Nucky, looking at Donnie, couldn't help but ask, "What role did you play in all this?"

Donnie chuckled and shook his head, "I wasn't directly involved, I merely took advantage of the current!"

"What really baffles me is how you found out about Ponzi's scheme. You know, many people suspected Ponzi's fraud... as your newspaper, 'Atlantic City Post,' dubbed it the 'Ponzi scheme.' But no one had any evidence, did they?"

Nucky couldn't help but ask Donnie, curious.

Donnie calmly explained to Nucky, "I remember telling you before, Mr. Nucky, that all I want to be is a successful businessman. As a businessman, I have my own investment philosophy.

In my philosophy, an investment yielding an annual return of 15% is already a very good investment. But Ponzi claimed his investment yielded a 400% return. Such a rate of return is simply impossible in my book.

Since it's something that is simply impossible, I don't need evidence; I just need to voice my doubt.

Then, Ponzi's bubble is naturally going to burst!"

Nucky knew that Donnie had purchased a newspaper, and Donnie had never thought to hide it. After all, such public information in Atlantic City couldn't be kept from Nucky!

"At your previous meeting with Ponzi, he probably wanted you to invest in his scheme, right?"

Nucky remembered the incident at Ponzi's party.

Donnie nodded, "That's right, but evidently, Mr. Ponzi found the wrong guy!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Nucky said, "Ponzi could hardly have expected that his downfall would unexpectedly benefit your newspaper business!"

On his way back, Nucky had already learned about the "Atlantic City Post" situation in the city. Consecutive days of reporting on the Ponzi scheme had garnered a lot of attention for the "Atlantic City Post"; from an average of just a few hundred copies each issue, sales had now reached an average of three thousand copies per issue!