America 1919

Sean Be, in his late twenties, descended from ancestors who emigrated from Germany to Philadelphia in the United States when it was still the nation's capital.

Despite three generations of development, Sean's family was essentially still an ordinary working-class household in Philadelphia.

By the time it came to Sean's father's generation, the family had moved to Atlantic City, where Sean's father opened a pharmacy. By Sean's generation, he had become a policeman in Atlantic City.

However, in his early years, Sean was straightforward and did not mingle with the upper classes; even his girlfriend broke up with him over his income issues.

It was for such reasons that Sean decided to change himself.

It was also during this time that Robert got in touch with Sean Be, and the two quickly became very good friends.

Of course, during this period, Sean also met Donnie and was impressed by how quickly Donnie had advanced to his current status in Atlantic City in such a short time.

"Mr. Block, do you have something you need me to do?"

After meeting Donnie, Sean Be asked enthusiastically.

Donnie laughed and said, "How about it? Is your ex-girlfriend deeply regretting it now?"

After following Donnie, Sean's life changed dramatically; before, he could only rent an apartment and commute to work on foot daily.

But after getting to know Donnie, Sean bought a two-story wooden villa in the East District of Atlantic City, a neighborhood of the real middle class, and even purchased a Ford Model T for himself.

"Without Mr. Block's help, I wouldn't have achieved what I have now!"

Sean humbly stated.

Donnie was very satisfied with Sean's attitude and asked, "How is Eli treating you now?"

Sean immediately responded, "I still have to thank you, Mr. Block. If it weren't for you having me follow Eli to The Fuli Tavern, he wouldn't have valued me!"

Eli had two direct confrontations with Donnie; the first was because Donnie cut off the liquor supply to The Fuli Tavern, which enraged Eli, who took people to Block Tavern, intending to take Donnie away directly.

The result was a futile attempt, thwarted by Donnie and Brad's joint efforts, and it undermined Eli Johnson's prestige in the public safety office.

At that time, many policemen in the public safety office took a wait-and-see attitude towards Eli, but Sean Be, alone who had received instructions from Donnie, proactively sided with Eli Johnson and gained his trust.

Thus, during the second visit of Eli Johnson to The Fuli Tavern, Sean Be charged to the front.

"Good. I have already discussed with Eli some plans for the reforms in the West District..."

Donnie briefly shared with Sean the plans he had previously discussed with Eli about the reforms in the West District.

"That's fantastic, this plan!" Sean said immediately with excitement after hearing it: "If this plan can be successfully implemented, then the West District will become an independent kingdom relative to Atlantic City. Then, Eli will have life and death control over everyone in the West District!

The key is, this plan can greatly enhance the reputation of the West District, making it another landmark in Atlantic City after the Boardwalk!"

Donnie nodded in approval; this was the difference between a smart person and a fool. He had to break down the whole situation to explain it to Eli Johnson for him to understand Donnie's purpose.

But Sean could grasp the key points through a brief introduction.

"John will assist Eli in reforming the gangs in the West District, and I hope you can become the official representative in Eli's eyes for the West District reform!"

As long as John and Sean could successfully complete their tasks, they would have effectively sidelined Eli. To outsiders, it would seem that Eli has taken control of the West District, but in reality, Donnie would be the one in true control!

Sean did not respond immediately to Donnie's remarks, but after brief consideration, he seriously said, "Although it will be difficult, I believe I can complete the task you've assigned to me, Mr. Block!"

Donnie nodded in satisfaction and said, "As long as you can complete this task, I can assure you that in three years, you will be one of the big shots in Atlantic City!"

"Thank you, Mr. Block!"

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With John and Sean handling matters in the West District, Donnie could rest easy for the time being, but he would still keep a close eye on the situation there.

Just as Donnie returned to The Fuli Tavern, Chris approached him, saying, "Ponzi just called, asking how your preparation is going?"

It was only then that Donnie remembered the matter he had agreed upon with Ponzi at the latter's party.

Donnie would certainly not invest money in Ponzi's company, unless he had lost his mind, but Donnie did hope to obtain some of Ponzi's assets.

Without exaggeration, the person with the most robust cash flow in Atlantic City at the moment was not Nucky, the General, or those people, but Ponzi, who had not been in Atlantic City for very long.

The reason why the Ponzi scheme shook the entire financial world was not because of the amount of cash involved in Ponzi's scam; according to later records, Ponzi's scheme dealt with roughly 15 million US Dollars.

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Although this sum of money was astronomical at that time,

in the grand scheme of the financial long river, the amount was not considered too much.

What made Ponzi's scheme so impactful was the model he created, which paved the way for a new genre of scams. Even in the era Donnie was reborn into, such schemes kept emerging incessantly.

Ponzi never thought of investing his own money. The cash he swindled was all spent on lavish living, as evident from how quickly he became a social elite during his brief stay in Atlantic City.

By the time Ponzi grew older, he was penniless at his death!
Your journey continues with m v|l-e'm,p y r

After thinking it over, Donnie dialed the phone number to Ponzi's estate.

"Dear Mr. Ponzi, I'm terribly sorry, I have been preoccupied with the beauty pageant these last few days. I hope you don't mind!"

"Ha ha!" Ponzi laughed loudly over the phone, "I've read about the beauty pageant in the newspapers. It's a fantastic initiative. I never expected you and Nucky to come up with such a brilliant idea to increase Atlantic City's fame!"

Donnie humbly replied, "As a resident of Atlantic City, I naturally hope for the city to prosper more and more!"

Ponzi asked, "What about the deal we agreed upon?"

To Ponzi, who was responsible for hosting the national beauty pageant in Atlantic City was irrelevant; his primary concern was whether Donnie could provide the funding!

Donnie was always humble towards his potential financial benefactor, "Regarding that matter, I was just about to discuss it with you, Mr. Ponzi. Do you have time now?"

"Of course, I always have time for promising young people!"

"Great, I'm on my way now!" Donnie said with a laugh.

After hanging up, Donnie asked Dwight, who had been following him, to start the car.

When Donnie got into the car, Dwight looked at him hesitantly.

"Speak your mind!" Donnie said calmly from the passenger seat.

"Boss Block, there has been quite a buzz in Atlantic City lately about Ponzi's company," Dwight said tentatively.

"What are you trying to say?" Donnie asked, resting with his eyes closed.

"Well, you know about my previous line of work. Although it was all profit, we hardly stole much money, working our tails off day and night, and would sometimes even get busted by gang leaders.

Even in our highly profitable industry, Ponzi claims his company can make a 400% return. If that's true, why aren't the big shots in on it?

After all, in Atlantic City, whenever a good industry emerges... just like Big John and the chip stacking business, many people will imitate it.

So why isn't anyone competing with Ponzi?"

Though Dwight's thoughts were jumbled, Donnie understood, "So, you suspect Ponzi is a fraud?"

Dwight gave an awkward smile, "Well, he's a big shot. I wouldn't dare say that. It's just... everything seems odd. Plus, he has no tight connection with you, Boss Block, so why would he help you? He even seems a bit eager."

Donnie chuckled softly, "Thinking more about these matters in the future could be beneficial!"

Then Donnie ended the conversation.

Soon, the two arrived at Ponzi's villa. Donnie got out of the car, while Dwight stayed inside.

"Donnie, from what I gathered from your phone call, are you thinking of backing out?"

Ponzi's manner of speaking was a bit agitated when he saw Donnie.

Donnie showed an embarrassed expression, "I really appreciate Mr. Ponzi's assistance, but there have been some issues with this matter.

You must be aware of the previous discord between Mr. Nucky and me. Collaborating with Mr. Nucky this time was a rare opportunity for me to mend our relationship.

So, I have no choice, the beauty pageant seems to be an expensive affair.

To be frank, I have already poured all my liquid assets into it!"

Ponzi furrowed his brow slightly and expressed his displeasure, "Since you, Mr. Donnie, have made up your mind, I can only regretfully tell you that you've lost an opportunity to advance your efforts by ten years!"

Donnie quickly said, "Mr. Ponzi, please don't be angry. I came over to inform you that there's an opportunity that could bring more attention to your company and allow you to help more young people!"

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