Lance’s original intention was to meet with Bandy in a more… secluded place, but Bandy invited Lance to meet in his office at the “Golden Port Casino,” and Lance could only accept with pleasure.
At the same time, he also wanted to see for himself what was so extraordinary about this casino, which was known as the most luxurious in Golden Port.
The Golden Port Casino was located between the Starlight District and the Bay Area. It was not a square building but was designed by a famous designer.
It was said to look like a giant gambling table and stacked chips, which nicely indicated the nature of the building’s use.
It was open 24/7, from morning to night. As soon as the convoy entered the internal road, someone came over to lead the way.
The huge parking lot was full of people. Lance also saw two large buses parked in the parking lot, and someone who looked like a tour guide was waving a flag, starting to call out names, and leading them into the casino.
The Golden Port Casino had over forty large buses that shuttled back and forth in Likalai State to pick up customers. The port and docks were their main destinations.
As long as you got on the bus, you could be taken to the Golden Port Casino for free, and you would receive $10 worth of non-redeemable complimentary chips, and you could also enjoy a free lunch.
During this period, the cigarettes and drinks inside the casino were free, as long as they sat at the gambling table.
There are also some travel guides in the Federation that mention Golden Port. These travel guides all say that the first stop in Golden Port is to take a free ride to the casino in the city center.
If you were lucky and could also win a little with the complimentary chips, then the travel expenses for the next few days would be covered.
Even if you lost, it didn’t matter. Anyway, the $10 was a free gift, and they could still rest here for a while and eat a free buffet lunch.
Most of these guides told people how to spend the least amount of money to do these things, but in fact, many tourists, as long as they came in, would be more or less infected by the atmosphere here.
The gambling dogs waving their chips and constantly shouting would make people’s adrenaline surge, their mouths dry, their tongues parched, and then they would come to the gambling table, turn the money in their pockets into chips, and throw them on the table.
No matter whether they had warned themselves not to cross the line before doing this, most of them would eventually forget their own admonitions.
Hearing that Lance had arrived here, a middle-aged man took the initiative to come and greet Lance and his crew.
He was wearing a black notch-lapel tuxedo, a white shirt, and a bow tie, looking very gentlemanly.
“Hello, I am Gory. You must be Lance!” Gory had a warm smile on his face. He had heard many rumors about Lance and had some good feelings for him.
Gory’s own job was to handle the casino and some underworld matters, so he would be a little more friendly towards a “gang leader” like Lance.
He would feel that they were people from the “same world.”
Lance nodded. “I’m Lance. Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The two shook hands. Gory then greeted the others.
Lawn, Hiram, and Alan.
He didn’t know Mador, and Lance didn’t introduce him, which made him think that Mador was just Lance’s bodyguard. He just nodded and did not shake hands with each other.
“Bandy is currently meeting with a visitor. We might have to wait a little while. I will take you on a tour of the casino. I hope you don’t mind.”
Even if Lance minded this kind of thing, he wouldn’t say it out loud. He nodded and entered the casino with Gory.
The moment they entered the casino, someone immediately came over with two trays. On the trays were chip trays made of red velvet, with stacks of chips arranged inside.
“The Golden Port Casino has been in existence for over sixty years. This is the result of several generations of our family. We are all very proud of it.”
Gory raised his chin slightly. This was indeed something that was enough to make him feel proud.
It produced a large amount of money every day, and what it brought them was not just money, but also status and power.
Lance nodded slightly, and the two continued to walk inside.
They came to a gambling table. When the guests here saw Gory, they all greeted him.
Gory often appeared in the casino. Sometimes he would even sit at the gambling table and gamble with these gambling dogs, or become a dealer to preside over the gambling game.
So he was very popular here, and many people knew him.
“Want to play a couple of hands?”
The two people holding the chip trays stood on his left and right sides. He said generously, “If you lose, it’s on me.”
The surrounding gambling dogs all showed different emotions and looks, such as “amazement,” “envy,” “jealousy,” and “curiosity.”
They didn’t know Lance, but they knew that Lance was definitely not a small character, otherwise Gory wouldn’t have done this.
But to everyone’s surprise, Lance looked at Lawn. “Do you have a dollar?”
Lawn took a dollar out of his pocket. “I do.”
Lance held the dollar bill with two fingers, placed it on the gambling table, and motioned for the dealer to continue.
The dealer was a little unsure of what to do and looked at Gory. Gory frowned slightly but still nodded slightly, signaling him to deal the cards.
This was a very simple way of playing, just comparing the size. Lance’s cards were neither big nor small, but he lost.
“Interesting.”
He used a dry “interesting” to comment on this gambling game, then shook his head and stood up. “The games here are not suitable for me.”
Gory looked at Lance with a meaningful look. He vaguely felt that Lance was making a statement, a display of his position.
But he didn’t understand these things. Perhaps Bandy would.
He laughed twice. “Gambling is like this, you win some, you lose some. Luck decides everything.”
He gestured for the two staff members holding the chips to leave. “If you’re not interested in these, we can continue to look around inside.”
“There’s more than just a casino here.”
The Golden Port Casino was the largest and most luxurious casino in Golden Port, and even in Likalai State. This was a whole den of gold.
Besides the casino, there were also nightclubs, theaters, and various performance activities here to greatly enrich all the fun people wanted.
You could also shop here. Almost all the luxury brands that could be seen in the Federation had a storefront here.
What the gambling dogs who had won money loved most was to squander. After all, the speed at which the money came was too fast, so they didn’t care at all about the prices of those luxury goods. What they cared about was the joy that came with spending money.
A swimming pool, an indoor stadium, and some recreational projects with other national characteristics, as well as the highest-spec call girl group.
Those tall and beautiful girls that ordinary people outside only dared to fantasize about were all clearly priced here.
People always say that youth is priceless, but youth, in fact, often has a price.
Just like here.
It had to be said that the Kodak family was really doing their best to run the casino here, and Lance was also amazed at the results of their operation.
After wandering around here for half an hour and everyone’s eyes being opened, Bandy finally “had time.”
Actually, Lance had known for a long time that there was no visitor at all. This was their visiting procedure.
When Bandy invited him to the Golden Port Casino, it meant that they would inevitably have to go through such a process before they could see Bandy.
As for why they did this, the reason was very simple—
To intimidate Lance with immense wealth and status.
This also made Lance realize that the matter Bandy wanted to discuss with him was probably not so easy to resolve.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to use such a set of plans.
Bandy’s office was very large, very spacious, and had many facilities.
The huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows allowed his office to overlook the entire casino, which would give people a feeling of “everything is under control.”
He was a person with a very strong desire for control. After shaking hands with him, Lance sat down in the chair opposite him.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting. There was something that came up just now. I hope it didn’t make you wait too impatiently. It’s my fault.”
“Gory is my brother. Did he entertain you well?”
Lance nodded. “Mr. Gory took us on a tour of the casino. Everything here is amazing, Mr. Bandy.”
Bandy couldn’t help but laugh out loud after hearing this. He liked to hear such compliments.
It was like the father of an outstanding child. If you told him how much money he had earned or how great he was, he would only be ordinarily happy.
But if you praised his most proud work, that is, his child, he would feel that you were a good person.
“I just made it better on the basis of my family’s ancestors.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
He paused. “You must be very confused as to why we are gathered here today.”
Lance nodded. He moved back a little, so that his butt was fully seated. He clasped his hands together and placed them in front of him. “Indeed.”
Bandy got straight to the point. “I have a friend who feels there might be some misunderstanding between you.”
Lance emphasized the keyword in his words, “Misunderstanding?”
Bandy nodded in agreement. “Misunderstanding.”
Lance smiled and gestured for him to continue. In fact, he could feel that this misunderstanding was definitely not a small one.
“Hayrick, you may not have heard of this name. He is the vice president of the Liji Group, one of the company’s shareholders.”
“It was he who entrusted me to mediate the conflict between you.”
After hearing this, Lance shook his head. “I’m afraid this misunderstanding is not so easy to resolve.”
Bandy showed a look of confusion. “Can you tell me about it?”
Lance did not refuse. “He owes me about $4 million. If he can give me this $4 million, then I promise, I will not cause them any more trouble.”
“But if they can’t give me this $4 million…” Lance looked at Bandy, “For your sake, Mr. Bandy, I can take only $3.5 million.”
“If they can’t even give me $3.5 million, then I’m sorry, I will continue to cause them trouble.”
“The first time I heard someone tell me that Golden Port is for the people of Golden Port, a thought came to my mind: ‘they are right’.”
He was telling Bandy that this was Golden Port, not Golden State, and he wouldn’t care that much about the Liji Group.
Bandy had heard about the general conflict between them. In a way, the Liji Group was indeed at fault first.
Just because they felt they had earned a little less, they had torn up the contract with Lance. It was indeed a bit excessive.
Lance’s attitude now seemed very firm. He thought for a moment, “You have also caused them to suffer losses.”
Lance was unmoved. “They owe me.”
He looked at Bandy. “When someone tries to keep your wealth in their own hands, the best response is not to tell them, ‘you can keep it,’ but to make them understand how stupid what they did was.”
“This is my condition, and it will not change.”
There was not much emotional change on Bandy’s face. He was better at hiding his emotions than others. “The Liji Group has considerable weight throughout the Federation. They have deep cooperation with members of Congress and with industry associations.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say that when they make certain decisions, even the governor needs to consider whether to compromise.”
Bandy tried to use the Liji Group’s influence and their status in the Federation to persuade Lance. “You are a smart man, Lance. I have been paying attention to you all along.”
“From the very beginning, when I inadvertently heard Paul mention this name, to now, you have become a formidable leader.”
“You should know better than those people what we need to move up.”
“You can get their friendship. After resolving this conflict, we will all become good friends, sharing resources, sharing connections.”
Lance looked at him. The two’s gazes met. After about ten seconds, Lance said clearly, “They owe me.”
“What I want, I will work hard to get it myself, not rely on others’ charity.”
Gory had been watching the people in the casino, but at this moment, his gaze shifted from the floor-to-ceiling glass window to Lance’s face.
Even he could hear that this sentence was very impolite.
He seemed to be saying that Bandy, through others’ charity, was trying to persuade him to bow his head like a beggar. Even though Bandy was very composed, at this moment, he was also a little annoyed.
After all, he was now the head of the Five Families… no, the Four Families, and Lance was still just the leader of a subordinate gang.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became a little different. Lawn and Hiram, who were sitting on the sofa in the distance, both looked over. Mador, who was standing by the wall, walked to the door and stood there.
In case a fight broke out, he had to control the main door, whether it was to escape or to block them in here.
A clear look of displeasure appeared on Bandy’s face. He felt that with his status, he had already condescended so much to communicate with Lance, yet Lance still couldn’t understand him.
This made him a little angry.
“I actually meant well,” he said first. “But it’s clear that I may not be capable of doing these things well.”
“Lance, has anyone ever told you?”
Lance asked, “What?”
A hint of a playful, fierce look appeared on Bandy’s face. “Your bones are very hard.”
Lance burst out laughing after hearing this. He didn’t take his words as a threat at all. On the contrary, he saw it as a compliment. “Thank you for thinking so. My bones are indeed very hard.”
“Someone wanted to force me to my knees, but in the end, he drowned in his own office.”
“Someone wanted to break my bones, but they are still swimming at the bottom of Angel Lake.”
“My bones are very hard. If you don’t have harder bones, it’s best not to go head-to-head with me.”
Gory had already stood up. He looked at Lance. The entire casino was their territory.
As long as Bandy gave the order, he would keep them all here.
Bandy’s expression was no longer as composed as before. “Aren’t you afraid?”
Lance shook his head. “Everyone is afraid, but Mr. Bandy, you have lived in such a luxurious building and enjoyed everything that ordinary people can’t for too long, so much so that you have forgotten.”
“Life, although not of equal value, is equal in the face of death.”
“I will die, I know. Then what about you?”
“Have you ever thought that one day, you will also die?”
Gory couldn’t take it anymore. “Lance, watch your tone.”
Lawn and Hiram both stood up. The atmosphere in the room instantly became a bit tense.
Lance slowly turned to look at Gory. “You want to test my hard bones?”
He grabbed both sides of his clothes and straightened them, then stood up, supporting himself on the armrests. “Do you?”
The contempt in his tone made Gory’s fists clench.
If it were up to him to decide, he would give Lance a piece of his mind right now. But here, Bandy was in charge.
Bandy couldn’t sit still either. The situation was clearly developing in a direction he hadn’t considered. He stood up. “Lance, can I take this as your attitude towards us?”
Lance turned to look at him. “You asked me to give up a loss of $4 million to agree to some damn compromise plan you came up with. You have already expressed your attitude, Mr. Bandy.”
“Your compromise plan and your attitude are worth this much.”
“I have decided now. I won’t even give you the face of $500,000. $4 million, not a penny less.”
“You don’t have to think about threatening us. From having nothing to now, we have relied on our courage to challenge and our fearlessness of death.”
“If you think my bones are not as hard as you imagine, or not as hard as this Mr. Gory’s, we can try, anytime, anywhere.”
He looked at Bandy, pointed at him, and turned to walk towards the door.
Mador directly pulled open the main door. Lance walked out with his head held high. Lawn followed closely behind. Hiram flicked his hair, made a pistol gesture with both hands at Bandy and Gory, and then followed them out.
Mador’s gaze was fixed on Gory. After Lance and the others had left the room, he was the last to leave.
Gory immediately looked at Bandy. “I can have someone keep them here.”
Bandy was also having a bit of a headache now. “Keep them here, and then kill them?”
Gory had a look of course, and Bandy asked again, “And then?”
“Face the crazy revenge of the Lance Family?”
“They still have several core figures, including that number two figure, Elvin. If Lance dies, they will definitely come back with a crazy revenge.”
“And Alberto. Because Paul helped him, he supported Francisco in getting rid of those people in the family.”
“And how will he deal with us for Lance?”
“How much will we lose then, have you considered?”
“I was just acting as a middleman in this matter. It’s not our business, unless we are sure we can directly crush them, giving them no chance at all.”
Gory’s temper was flaring up a bit. “So we’re just going to let them leave like that, swaggering out?”
Bandy was also a little annoyed. “They won’t have it easy. The Liji Group has other methods.”
A very obvious look of disappointment appeared on Gory’s face. “Bandy…”
(End of chapter)