America 1919

Actually, Alpha Hope knew exactly what Sly Monroe was thinking, but that very knowledge emboldened him to act without restraint.

Donnie said with a smile, "Alright, you two don't have to put on a show for me. I came here to negotiate terms with you. If you agree to my conditions, I can guarantee your lives won't be threatened, and you'll live comfortably in prison. Even after you're released, you'll receive a sum of money that's enough to spend the rest of your lives in peace in another country!"

The eyes of both Alpha Hope and Sly Monroe lit up; nobody desired death if they could avoid it.

"Mr. Block, whatever you say, I will obey!" Sly Monroe seemed like a changed person and became utterly subservient to Donnie.

Donnie continued, "First off, in court, you must admit to all charges from the IRS and the Bureau of Investigation against you, and you mustn't implicate anyone else!"

"Of course, all the deeds were our own doing, and they have nothing to do with you, Mr. Block, or anyone else!" Monroe quickly said.

Donnie looked towards Alpha Hope, who could only helplessly nod in agreement.

Donnie went on, "I believe the two of you must have a ledger detailing your financial transactions. I want that item!"

This time, neither Alpha Hope nor Sly Monroe immediately agreed to Donnie's condition. They indeed had it, but they were reluctant to hand it over to Donnie, believing it to be their lifeline.

But how could Donnie not see what was in their hearts? He merely said with a smile, "That item won't save your lives. On the contrary, it will become your death warrant. Whether it's me or those behind you, anyone would torture you fiercely for it. And I presume neither of you would want any misfortunes to befall your families because of your own mistakes, right?"

Fear immediately registered on their faces.

Finally, under Donnie's intimidation, they gave up the location where their ledger was hidden.

Donnie stood up and said with a smile, "Now isn't that better? Stay in prison honestly, and when you are released, someone from Atlantic City will bring you back to reunite with your families in Atlantic City. Likewise, someone will take you out of the United States!"

"Thank you, Mr. Block, thank you, Mr. Block!" they said.

Donnie left the prison to the sound of their gratitude, and met with Hoover and Eric Liribeiro.

"Gentlemen, they've agreed to plead guilty. I believe this will save both of you a lot of trouble!" he said.

Hoover said calmly, "Donnie, I didn't expect you to settle this matter so smoothly. Truly, it's impressive!"

Donnie laughed heartily and replied, "I'll take that as a compliment from you, Director Hoover!"

Compared to Donnie and Hoover, Eric Liribeiro was still green and couldn't help but ask, "Then the ledgers in their hands?"

Donnie replied with a smile, "I've sent my people to retrieve them, and they will be delivered to you in due time. However, I need to remind you both, a fist holds the most power when it hasn't been thrown yet!"

Donnie had no intention of keeping these things to himself; he actually planned to remove any data related to him from the ledgers before handing the rest over to them.

Of course, Donnie would keep a copy for himself!

With this thing in hand, whether it's the IRS or the Bureau of Investigation, they would be able to better control Kentucky. Now, both of these powerful law enforcement departments had deep financial ties with Donnie.

The greater the power of the IRS and the Bureau of Investigation, the more benefits Donnie would receive.

When Hoover heard that Donnie's people had already gone to retrieve it, he sighed helplessly, knowing he was now thoroughly bound to Donnie's ship.

However, the feeling of loss only lasted a moment, then vanished. In Hoover's view, at least at the current stage, cooperation with Donnie was still very good!

How was the prestige of the Bureau of Investigation established if not through one significant case after another?

Sly Monroe held high prestige in Kentucky, and now under his own command, the Bureau could easily capture the opposition, making them plead guilty and accept their punishment. That's the prestige of the Bureau of Investigation.

Eric Liribeiro's thoughts were similar to Hoover's. Now that his father had become the Director of the IRS, he also needed more political achievements to elevate his prestige within the IRS.

Alpha Hope was a very good candidate!

"Donnie, I think as this affair comes to a close, many people will be dumbfounded, after all, no one believed you could settle the situation in Kentucky!"

Eric Liribeiro said to Donnie happily.

Donnie laughed, "It's also thanks to both of your help that things went so smoothly. Without it, even with the support of the Governor and the Speaker, some people would still resist this matter for their own interests!"

The development of events had reached a point where the matter in Kentucky could basically be considered resolved.

This was the most important thing for Donnie, after all, not just ABC, bootlegging, even the chain companies couldn't afford to lose the market in Kentucky.

The three of them chatted casually for a while, then went to the hotel restaurant to have lunch together.

In the afternoon, Donnie went to visit Robert Taft's home. This time, he was able to have Alpha Hope and Sly Monroe detained in Columbus, thanks to Robert Taft's help.

During their conversation, Robert Taft also expressed his admiration for Donnie's quick resolution of the Kentucky situation.

Donnie knew that in the coming days, he would receive a lot of such admiration, so he was no longer much concerned about it. To outsiders, this task seemed almost impossible, after all, solving this matter would require dealing with the Kentucky State Government, Louisville City Hall, and a multitude of horse racing professionals.

It was almost like going against the entire state of Kentucky!

But Donnie understood, if Kentucky were a single, invulnerable entity, then indeed he would have no solution.

But in reality, Kentucky was made up of countless individuals, and under such circumstances, it was much easier to find a gap in any individual entity.

Moreover, with Alpha Hope and Sly Monroe serving themselves up as bait, the whole affair was not that difficult for Donnie after all!

After completing his trip in Ohio, Donnie went straight back to Atlantic City.