Chapter 224: Chapter 224 Indirect Confrontation With The Selton Family
But why would the FBI expose it in the newspaper instead of directly taking him in for questioning?
With immense anxiety, Scoggins arrived at the city government. Mayor Whelan, seeing him, erupted in fury, righteously berating Scoggins for ten minutes. The whole city government could hear Whelan's voice.
"I'm telling you now, you are dismissed, permanently!"
Scoggins left the city government dejectedly.
The next day, Mayor Whelan appointed a new chief, Brown, formerly the deputy chief of San Francisco Police, known for his smooth dealings.
Hardy saw the newspaper report and smiled slightly.
If someone doesn't want to be your friend and chooses to be your enemy, the best solution is to find a way to deal with them.
However, this matter was far from over.
Since this might involve corruption, the FBI stepped in, launching an investigation and taking Chief Scoggins for questioning.
The head of the Seltons, hearing about the FBI's involvement, sensed trouble. He quickly handed over family affairs to his second in command and flew to Colombia.
The Selton family, an old Mafia family in San Francisco, had been rooted here for decades, with many locals aware of their presence.
But this incident with Chief Scoggins exposed the Selton family under media scrutiny. Many newspapers reported on their criminal history, including robbery, market monopolization, drug trafficking, and gang activities.
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The Selton family's reputation quickly deteriorated.
Of course, Hardy had a hand in this. The attempt to take over the Flamingo Casino years ago wasn't something Hardy would easily forget.
This time, he seized the opportunity to deal with them.
Moreover, newspapers compared San Francisco's security to Los Angeles, praising HD Security for the improved safety in Los Angeles. Many citizens called for HD Security to be introduced in San Francisco as well.
Mayor Whelan submitted a proposal to support the police department's contract with HD Security, making San Francisco safer. The proposal passed the city council without resistance.
The new chief, Brown, and Lancer held a simple signing ceremony. From then on, HD Security would supplement San Francisco's security, patrolling and assisting the police in combating violent crimes.
The contract, worth millions, involved HD Security deploying 200 patrol officers from Los Angeles. After covering all expenses and wages, HD Security could make a profit of $400,000.
This money was little compared to Hardy's other businesses, but controlling a city's security was priceless.
Previously, Hardy had instructed Bill to send people to San Francisco to monitor the situation with the Selton Mafia family.
Now that the head of the Selton family was under FBI investigation and internal turmoil had ensued, Hardy called Bill and instructed him to send more personnel to San Francisco to conduct an in depth investigation into the Selton family's business.
"Sometimes in business, you don't have to confront the other party directly. We can leverage various advantages, such as newspapers, police, patrol teams, and even the FBI."
"The Selton family's business is all illegal. Find clues about these businesses and provide them to the police to strike against them. Find evidence of tax evasion and give it to the tax bureau. Find criminal evidence and hand it over to the FBI. Any of these can make life unbearable for them."
Bill nodded continuously upon hearing this.
Then he thought about their own business.
"Boss, what if someone uses this method against us? How should The Los City Company handle it?" Bill asked with some concern.
"That's why I previously told you to be careful. Black market business is always illegal and cannot see the light of day.
"Los City business is now managed in layers. If there's a strong investigation, we can cut off parts to protect the whole. At most, we lose some subordinates, but no one will be able to trace it to the higher ups, nor harm the foundation of the Los City Company.
"As for San Francisco, you should send more people there. If you find out anything, report it to Henry and others in time. The security company will use legitimate means to deal with the Selton family. As long as we mess with them a few more times, the Selton family will be severely weakened."
"Okay, boss, I'll send more people there right away."
After Bill left, Hardy received a call.
...
"Mr. Hardy, I'm back in Los Angeles," came Elizabeth Taylor's sweet voice over the phone.
"Leon: The Professional" is about to be released. Taylor had been out promoting it for a while and hadn't seen Hardy. As soon as she returned, she eagerly contacted Hardy.
"Are you tired?" Hardy asked with concern.
"I'm a bit tired, but thinking about the movie's release soon makes me excited and a bit worried," Taylor said.
"How could a story I wrote fail? Don't worry," Hardy said with a smile.
After chatting a bit more, Taylor said, "Mr. Hardy, the movie officially releases the day after tomorrow. Shall we watch it together?"
"Sure, let's sneak in together," Hardy agreed.
With extensive promotion, "Leon: The Professional" was finally about to premiere. On the day of its release, Hardy sneaked into a Los Angeles cinema with Taylor.
The movie's lead actor is Cary Grant, and most of the audience was there for him. However, some came for Taylor. During promotion, MGM's team had announced that Taylor was the 'Princess Taylor' Barbie doll, attracting many young girls who clamored to see her.
The cinema was packed, including many young girls.
The movie had no rating system yet, and "Leon: The Professional" with its many violent scenes, would definitely be rated PG-13 today, requiring children under 13 to be accompanied by parents.
As the movie played, people were gradually drawn into the story.
Matilda's life was miserable at first, then her entire family was killed. After meeting Leon, her life gradually became more colorful.
The strength of the young girl and the protection of the hit man uncle gave the movie an unconventional romantic flavor.
The final revenge gunfight scene pushed the plot to its climax.
Although the film differed slightly from the "Léon: The Professional" Hardy had seen before, it was still an excellent movie.
Taylor's acting was spot on.
As the movie ended, many people discussed the plot while leaving.
"I love Cary Grant's character. He's so handsome. I wish I could meet someone like him," a teenage girl said.
"Taylor is so beautiful, and her acting is amazing. While watching the movie, I completely forgot her previous image and felt she was Matilda," a man said.
Taylor, holding Hardy's arm, felt elated hearing people's praise.