The Tyrant Billionaire

New York. Corleone Estate.

The old godfather was listening to the report from his advisors and godson, Tom about the gang's business operations.

After hearing the report, the old godfather suddenly remembered something and asked, "How are Michael's televisions selling now?"

Tom was slightly taken aback.

"I looked into it. They sell a dozen or so units each day."

The old godfather smacked his lips. "The production line produces 120 units a day, but they can only sell a dozen each day. At this rate, a lot of products will pile up, tying up a large amount of capital, and he won't be able to sustain it for long."

At this moment, the phone on the table rang.

Tom looked at the old godfather, picked up the receiver, and said, "This is the Corleone residence. Who's calling?"

"Hello, this is Jon Hardy. I hope to speak with Mr. Vito Corleone," Hardy said.

Tom covered the receiver and looked at the old godfather. "Godfather, it's Jon Hardy from Los Angeles, the one working with Michael."

The old godfather nodded. "I heard."

He reached out, and Tom quickly handed him the phone.

"This is Vito."

Hardy spoke respectfully, "Good afternoon, Mr. Corleone. I apologize for calling you out of the blue."

"Hehe, don't say that. I remember you attending my birthday party and bringing a gift. I liked that Venetian painting very much."

"I called you today because I need your help with a matter," Hardy explained.

"Go ahead."

"Mr. Mayer from MGM and I invested in a movie called 'Léon: The Professional,' which is currently being filmed in New York. However, an incident occurred a couple of days ago, and the film commission has halted production."

"Mayer asked someone to coordinate, and the other party wanted $100,000. There may be other families in New York involved, and it's a bit difficult to solve."

"So I hope you can come forward to help with this matter."

"Okay, I'll let someone find out about this matter." The godfather responded after listening to Hardy's words.

The old godfather remained calm, having encountered many situations in his life. To him, Hardy's issue seemed trivial.

"I plan to visit New York in the next few days and will visit you then," Hardy said.

"Good, come over for dinner," the old godfather said kindly.

After hanging up, the old godfather looked at his godson, Tom. "Tom, investigate this matter. Find out who in the film commission is responsible and which family is behind this."

"Yes, Godfather," Tom said, and he immediately left.

The study was now empty, except for the old godfather.

A kitten jumped into his lap, and he gently stroked it, recalling the day Sigel had brought the young man.

He had initially thought Hardy was just one of Sigel's favored underlings brought to the party to broaden his horizons. Unexpectedly, Hardy later became friends with Michael, and the two formed a television manufacturing company.

A one million dollar investment was no small amount.

This piqued the old godfather's interest in Hardy.

He had a thorough investigation conducted into Hardy's background.

A war hero. Wounded and honorably discharged.

His experiences were very similar to Michael's, which explained why they quickly became friends, after sharing experiences.

Later, he joined Sigel's Austrian gang, and although he had no notable reputation within the gang, he quickly became Sigel's confidant.

Hardy's subsequent actions were even more remarkable.

He formed his own gang but did not take on a leadership role himself. Instead, he pushed forward his brother, who was named Bill, to manage it while he remained behind the scenes.

Now, no matter who investigates him, Hardy appears to be a legitimate businessman.

He then formed HD Security, and a bank robbery turned a previously unknown small company into a nationally recognized name.

He now had four or five companies under his name.

It was clear that Hardy was a very smart guy.

The old godfather admired him.

Compared to his eldest and second sons, Hardy was much more impressive. Only Michael could be compared to him.

Fortunately, they had become friends.

The old godfather was pleased with this.

Survival in society required friends, and having a friend like Hardy would be very beneficial for Michael's future.

He was glad to see his son have such an intelligent and capable friend.

Two hours later. The phone at the old godfather's villa rang. It was Tom who reported his findings to the old godfather.

"Godfather, it was the Tattaglia family behind this. Philip Tattaglia's son, Bruno, owns a film company. The MGM crew rented stuntmen and demolition experts from them. Yesterday, there was a demolition scene where the expert used too much explosive, injuring two stuntmen. Bruno seized the opportunity to demand $100,000. Someone tipped them off, and it's certain that this was premeditated.

One stuntman suffered a broken leg, and the other had multiple injuries requiring dozens of stitches, but both are expected to recover."

"I understand," the old godfather said, then hung up the phone.

After some thought, he called the head of the Tattaglia family. They exchanged pleasantries before the old godfather said, "I heard your son Bruno has a film company, and there was an accident recently that injured two people."

"The crew involved is invested in by a very good friend of mine. No one wants to see accidents happen. Let the crew compensate the two injured men with $2,000 each for medical expenses and ensure they recover well. I will speak to the film commission and have them resume filming."

Philip, being an old fox, naturally understood the old godfather's intention.

"Yes, I will talk to Bruno about this. I don't think it will be a big issue," Philip said.

This statement was essentially an agreement with the old godfather's terms.

After hanging up with Philip, the old godfather called the deputy mayor in charge of the film commission. They chatted for a while, and the old godfather casually mentioned the crew's situation. The deputy mayor immediately promised to look into it.

Meanwhile, Hitchcock and the MGM producer were smoking in their hotel room, feeling anxious about the halted filming.

"This incident was definitely deliberate. The demolition expert caused the accident to extort money, demanding $100,000 for injuring two people. It's outright robbery," the producer said indignantly.

"Yes, it's robbery, and there's nothing we can do about it," Hitchcock sighed.

The other party's tough stance, hinting at a mafia connection, worried Hitchcock and the producer.

Gang activity was rampant in the US, with the Italian mafia being the most formidable. They hoped that their big boss, Mayer, could use his connections to resolve the issue quickly.