A hint of joyful smile slowly spread across the corners of Ribbs' mouth, with a condescending amusement.
"Hahaha, Lawyer Randall!" Reeves finally spoke, even a little gently, "The performance was wonderful. I appreciate your... um... enthusiasm."
He took out an exquisite checkbook from the drawer, opened it slowly, and picked up a gold-rimmed Bonham fountain pen.
"Five hundred thousand?" Reeves seemed to be talking to himself, but also to be asking the other person, "The Blue Roof Project is indeed intended to benefit the community. We certainly need to create a harmonious atmosphere and not affect those who truly need help... How about this, I'll give you a little tea money as a thank you for your attention to community affairs."
He signed his name and the amount smoothly without hesitation. He tore the check from the book, but instead of handing it over, he held it between his slender fingers and waved it gently in Randall's direction, as if he were teasing a pet, with a casual, even alms-giving gesture.
"One hundred thousand dollars. Is that enough for you and your 'promotion association' to...quiet down for a while and do something more meaningful? Like helping other communities?"
Ribbs' tone was calm, but every word he said was like a slap in the face.
Randall's throat churned. One hundred thousand?! It was a far cry from the five hundred thousand he'd expected! But it was still a huge sum for him!
"Hmph!" Randall squeezed out a little sound through his nose, "Think...Think of you! For the sake of those poor homeless people...let's put an end to this first! I'll keep an eye on it!"
As soon as he got the money, he hurriedly picked up his briefcase without even zipping it up and left the office almost as if he was escaping.
Looking at the embarrassed figure of Lawyer Randall as he hurriedly fled the office, the funny posture made the smile on Reeves's lips deepen a little bit.
As soon as the office door closed, Alfred quietly took a step forward, leaned forward slightly and asked, "Speaker, do we need someone to deal with this lawyer Randall?"
Ribbs leaned back in the large, high-backed leather chair, still thinking about the farce that had just happened.
He shook his head slowly, a playful smile still lingering on his face. "No need, Alfred." He casually picked up the document on the table that Randall had used to try to extort money from him, glanced casually at the inflammatory headline, and tossed it back on the table like trash. "This little, third-rate clown trick... is quite interesting. It might be fun to see what new tricks he comes up with next time."
As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Ribs' face faded a little.
This incident suddenly reminded him of Ao Guanhai who left without saying goodbye not long ago. He has been looking for him for such a long time but still has no news.
Ribs looked at Alfred and said, "Make a phone call and ask the butcher and Fox to come over. I want to ask them something."
Half an hour later, the butcher, leaning on a crutch, sat on the sofa in Ribbs' office with Fox.
"Brother, is there something urgent? Come to us." the butcher asked.
"Tell me!" Ribs asked, "Ao Guanhai has been gone for so long, and there's still no news?"
The butcher looked helpless, shook his head stiffly, and sighed, "Speaker. We've searched Chicago's old town, the docks, the abandoned factories, even the sewers. No, none of the contacts we had in the past have any news either."
Fox knew all too well how important Ao Guanhai was to Ribbs, and he quickly added, "Speaker! I've also... I've checked a lot of people he might have come into contact with, especially those he might have had contact with, even... even his former lovers and any short-term rentals he might have stayed in. It's all a complete dead end. This person... seems to have completely vanished."
Reeves looked expectantly at Alfred who was standing quietly in the corner.
Alfred adjusted his glasses and then spoke, "Speaker. We have tracked all of his encrypted accounts, anonymous nodes, possible exit ports, medical records, and communication traces... All traces of his activities have been completely wiped out. Simply put, he has indeed disappeared from the face of the earth..." He
The air in the office suddenly grew heavy, only the faint hiss of the central air conditioner filling the silence.
After listening to the reports from the three people, Ribbs did not ask for any further details.
"I see." He paused for a moment and said helplessly, "Expand the search area! He might have gone to another state..."
"Understood, Speaker!" Fox and the butcher agreed in unison.
Alfred also nodded slightly. "Yes, Speaker. I will immediately arrange for the intelligence network and external channels to find Ao Guanhai!"
Reeves said nothing more, just waved his hand. The three of them immediately bowed silently and left the office one by one.
The office fell silent again, with only the faint crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace as the only sound.
Reeves leaned back in the large leather chair and recalled the days in the past when he had struggled in the chaos and mud of Chicago.
Sewage-filled alleys, deafening gunfire, and the passion and trust of back-to-back support when cornered. Ao Guanhai was his true brother, someone he would turn his back to and risk his life for when he was at his lowest and most vulnerable.
Now, Reeves stands at the top of Chicago, with wealth, power, status, and an admission ticket to the Nightingale Club. Even the old money in New York have to re-examine him.
Chicago was his kingdom, and New York was about to become his new territory.
But Ao Guanhai was absent from all of this... The glory brought by this success was mixed with a hint of bitterness because he could not share it with his good brothers.
…
On the other side, after Reeves left New York and returned to Chicago.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com