The commission was now clearly divided into two camps.
One was led by Barzini's faction, and the other by the Old Godfather faction. These two forces were now evenly matched, with neither able to overpower the other.
But overall, Barzini had failed.
Unable to unify the Mafia Commission to collectively confront the Los Angeles gang, Barzini knew that even if he called upon his staunchest allies, they wouldn't dare go to war with Hardy on their own.
Thus, he permanently lost control of San Francisco.
...
After the eting, the Old Godfather called Hardy and told him what had transpired at the commission eting. "It seems that the matter of truly integrating the Los Angeles gang into the commission will need more effort."
"Hehe, no rush. Our goal is to collaborate and make money. We've already got over a dozen families on board, that's more than enough."
"Mr. Vito, I'd like you to do a favor," Hardy said.
"What kind of favor?"
"Help reach out to all the families, both those we currently do business with and those we haven't worked with before. Tell them that Hardy is interested in doing business with them and that he's considering opening a casino in Cuba. Ask if they'd be willing to invest," Hardy said.
"Opening a casino in Cuba?"
"Yes, a casino in Cuba. If we can involve more families, it should be much easier to push the commission to accept new families," Hardy explained.
"Alright, I'll contact them," the Old Godfather replied.
After hanging up the phone, a cold expression appeared on Hardy's face.
He had deceived the Old Godfather.
In truth, Hardy's real goal wasn't to invest in Cuba but to set a trap for Barzini. However, he didn't tell the Old Godfather, because only by actually doing it this way could he avoid suspicion.
Cuba had not yet undergone a revolution and was still under Arican control. The current pri minister, Fulgencio Batista, had so connections with Barzini, they were considered friends.
But Hardy knew that in just three or four years, a young man nad Fidel Castro would erge and turn Cuba upside down, wiping out all Arican investnts there. Hardy's aim was to lure Barzini into this quagmire.
After all, it was just a matter of a few words, and it wouldn't require much effort from him.
...
The old Godfather made calls to the heads of each family, starting with the Lucchese family in Miami. The old Godfather said, "Lucchese, Hardy has a new money making idea."
Lucchese imdiately beca interested. He knew how capable Hardy was at making money, so he quickly asked, "What's Hardy's idea?"
"To open a casino in Cuba."
Lucchese was taken aback.
"A casino in Cuba? Can that make money? Don't we already have casinos in Las Vegas?" Lucchese asked, puzzled.
"Hardy said that the custor base for Las Vegas is primarily on the West Coast, but people on the East Coast have to cross the entire country to get there.
"There are many advantages to building a casino in Cuba. There, you have scenery and beaches, unlike Las Vegas, which is just desert. Everything you want to build in Las Vegas requires a huge investnt in manpower and resources.
"Every year, millions of tourists visit Miami Beach. These people are perfect potential custors. Miami is only about 300 kiloters from Havana a one hour flight or an overnight cruise will get you there. They can spend three to five days playing there and then easily return by ship.
"In fact, opening a casino in Cuba is essentially an extension of Miami's tourism industry. It's just that gambling is not allowed in Miami, so we build it in Cuba. When Miami promotes tourism, it can advertise trips to the Cuban casino.
"Over there, you'll have beaches, casinos, and exotic South Arican charm. No one will care about the drugs, and if you add so beautiful South Arican won, it will definitely attract countless tourists."
"We can make money on the cruise, at the casino, on accommodations and food, and we can sell more drugs. The atmosphere there will be freer and wilder than Las Vegas. I believe it will attract countless people from the East Coast to Cuba for a wild ti.
"Moreover, we can use the casino to launder money. Every family has so overseas businesses. I know your Lucchese family has a sugar business in South Arica, right? Money can go through the casino and co out as legal inco.
"And the most important thing: drug money. When dealing with those guys in South Arica or even France, there's no need to move money back and forth. It can be directly handled in the casino, making things much easier."
These were all things Hardy had discussed with the old Godfather.
The best lie is one that's 90% truth, 10% falsehood. You start with the truth and work from there.
Cuba indeed has many natural advantages, far surpassing what Las Vegas can offer.
After hearing the old Godfather's words, Lucchese's eyes lit up.
Everything the old Godfather said struck a chord with Lucchese.
A profitable casino, the flow of overseas funds, drug money transactions.
He thought building a casino in Cuba was a brilliant idea, an absolute stroke of genius, and his admiration for Hardy grew even stronger.
Moreover, there was another benefit for him. He controlled Miami, the closest city to Cuba, which would beco even more important. The Lucchese family could earn more money and beco even stronger than before.
"Alright, I support this plan. However, this ti, I want the Lucchese family to have a bigger share," Lucchese said.
The old Godfather smiled and said, "Of course. Hardy has already considered this. He said Miami is the most crucial point in this plan. In addition to calculating shares based on investnt, the Lucchese family should receive a portion of managent shares."
Hearing this, Lucchese felt very satisfied. Hardy had indeed thought things through thoroughly, even providing managent shares.
"Of course, this will need to be discussed with the other partners, but I don't think it will be difficult to get approval. After all, the business will need the Lucchese family's involvent," the old Godfather said.
After ending the call with Lucchese, the old Godfather contacted the other families, not just the fifteen families involved in the Venetian Casino, but also other families that hadn't yet collaborated.
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