Manhattan Reborn 1978

new York.

Manhattan at night.

33rd Street, an old bar with no obvious plaque.

Ludy stared at Commissioner Hardman sitting opposite him with a stern face, waiting for his answer.

Today's Commissioner Hardman is no longer as neat and tidy as before.

His clothes were messy, and his head seemed to have been scratched into a chicken coop by someone. His face was pale and blue, and he kept drinking.

After a few minutes.

Just when Ludy was about to completely lose his patience, Hardman took a breath and sighed.

"Someone installed a bug in my house to blackmail my wife into giving her money..."

"My wife, without telling me, transferred all the money and property in the family to a bank in Panama, and ran away with her lover on a plane the night before~"

"The people who installed the bugs didn't get the money, and when they saw that my wife had run away, they sent what they recorded to the Southern District Court of New York."

(The Court of the Southern District of New York is one of the most influential courts in the United States and has the largest case handling capacity. Many cases involving federal law are heard here.)

"..."

Ludy's expression slowly turned to doubt.

He glanced in the direction of the bar door and asked in a low voice.

"The night before yesterday?"

"What did you do yesterday and today??"

Hardman picked up the wine glass, tilted his neck, drank all the wine, and smiled very bitterly.

"The day before yesterday and yesterday, I didn't go home..."

"I didn't know about this until this morning, when someone sent a piece of information and a tape to my campaign assistant."

Lu Di frowned, pondered for a moment, and asked: "Those guys who secretly installed bugs in your home, the court will not recognize the legality of the recording materials they obtained!"

"They sent the tapes and information to your assistant...who else did they send them to?"

"What important things did you say at home?"

"What are some of the handles that can be exploited by someone with ulterior motives?"

"What the hell... come on!"

Hardman took a deep breath, half-lying on the small table, staring at Ludy, and whispered.

"I'm at home and rarely talk to people about important work or other things."

"The tape I received contained recordings of me making phone calls in the living room, and me and Matthews discussing the accidental fire in the police archives..."

"..fxxx!"

"You stupid xx!!"

Lu Di gritted his teeth and cursed a few words from his throat. .

The accidental fire in the police archives was a month ago when the Sidrich family asked Rudy to find Hardman to handle it personally in order to eliminate all the records filed by the police. .

(This plot appears in Chapters 295 and 296.)

(In that fire, a police file clerk named Laughlin also died accidentally.)

. . .

in the bar.

Lu Di squinted his eyes and thought quickly for a moment before saying.

"Who is that eavesdropper!? What evidence does he or they have in their hands?"

"Did they make any conditions?"

"..No~"

"What about the follow-up? I haven't contacted you again?"

"For now...no!"

"Hi~"

"Um.."

"Besides these, is there anything else?" Ludy calmed his breathing and asked Hardman with a sidelong glance.

"..have!"

"Say it quickly!"

Hardman's eyes showed a trace of ferocity and said: "In the afternoon, I made some calls and received some calls~"

"Those people, the votes they promised me... were wasted~"

"Most of the votes in the Bronx, Hamlin, Brooklyn, and half of the votes in Queens will go to my opponent."

Ludy stared at him for a few seconds, sneered, and said something through his teeth.

"anything else?"

"..And~"

"Pine and Lynch went to California together this morning."

"Matthews took a leave of absence and returned to Maine the day before yesterday, saying that... his father was seriously ill and went to the emergency room."

"My... friend in the city council got the news from somewhere and started to avoid me on purpose~"

"I'm... done, Ludy!"

"Hehe~"

The coldness on the corner of Lu Di's mouth became even worse, and he asked quietly: "You haven't gone home these two nights. Where have you been?"

"Who are you with??"

"..."

"Haven't you ever thought that it's too early to be proud?"

"Hehe~"

"You deserve it! Hardman!"

"I'm sorry for the drama you put on in front of me. I've seen enough!"

"..."

Hardman lowered his head, stared at the wine glass in his hand, and remained silent.

Ludy stood up and slowly adjusted his suit: "It wasn't until you were desperate and had nowhere to ask for help that you thought of us?"

"Hehe~"

"You are so capable of seeking death. If you don't die...who will?"

"Mr. Hardman!"

"In the fire case, even if the court accepts those recordings as evidence, it will still be your trouble!"

"Your trouble has nothing to do with me! I can't help you~"

"and many more!"

Hardman raised his head, pursed his lips, opened and closed his lips a few times, and said in a hoarse voice.

"I still have some more..."

Lu Di raised his eyebrows in surprise, raised his wrist, and looked at his watch: "30 seconds!"

"Ok!"

"I'm...there..."

Ludy listened calmly to Hardman's last bargaining chip, feeling a surge in his heart. .Strange feeling.

seemingly. .Behind this incident, there are people who are hiding deeper and are planning something! ?

Ludy turned to look at the bartender standing at the door of the bar, pointed at the small bar table and said.

"Before twelve o'clock, wait here for my call!"

"..ok!"

Hardman leaned back as if he was relieved, and silently watched Ludy's leaving figure. The anger and regret in his heart were once again lit up by a glimmer of hope~

He hasn't lost yet!

----

a new day!

Europe.

Isle of England.

Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire.

The morning light shines on the earth.

David, who was still immersed in sleep, suddenly felt someone beside him. .Something strange~

He opened his eyes a little and saw Elena, without makeup, looking at him with a bright smile on her face.

"Hmm~ Good morning!"

"what time is it?"

"Quarter past seven!"

"Yeah..." David reached out and hugged Elena's little head, kissed her forehead, closed his eyes again, and said.

"Let me sleep for another 10 minutes..."

"Hehe~"

"Need... can I help you?"

"..What?"

David felt a small hand on his chest. .

He couldn't help but smile, opened his eyes, and raised his eyebrows: "You gangster, what do you want to do?"

"I'm a hooligan??"

Elena seemed to have been hurt by a critical strike, she pursed her lips in aggrieved manner and stopped her movements.

David squinted, his fingertips lightly traced her collarbone and white shoulders, and murmured.

"I no longer have Susan around to pester me and ask me to hand in my homework. This is just my body's natural reaction every morning~"

"I'll get up in a while and just take a shower~"

Elena's eyes flashed, her smile became brighter, and she said.

"Does Susan check your homework every day?"

"It seems... you study very hard~"

"Ah~ah~ don't scratch... Hahaha~" David found Elena's ticklish flesh. .My whole body tensed up and I started to dodge~

David feels that the most powerful counterattack to deal with a female hooligan like Elena who is "frivolous in speech" is to tell her to shut up!

so. .After he held Elena down, he kissed her lips directly, causing her already somewhat rapid breathing to suffocate in an instant. .

After a few minutes.

"Heh~ah~"

Elena, who felt weak all over and had difficulty breathing, could finally take a breath~

She stared at David who was close at hand with some confusion, and slowly closed her eyes.

David adjusted his breathing a few times, placed his entire palm on Elena's forehead, slowly brushed it downwards, and whispered.

"Hush~huh~"

"I haven't decided yet, what identity can I give you~"

"Let's wait until we get back to New York~"

After saying that, David lowered his head and kissed Elena's lips. He stopped looking at her charming pink face and simply got out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

Elena raised her upper body with her arms and looked at David sticking his butt out. .Weird walking posture, eyes full of smiles~

. . .

Elena put on the tulle nightgown she had just thrown aside, walked to the bathroom door, looked at the half-open door, and couldn't help but stop. .

She listened to the sound of running water coming from inside for a while, leaned against the door frame, and asked.

"You...have always been controlling your body's desires..."

"why?"

"Ok?"

"What did you say? I'm washing my hair~"

"...Nothing~"

"need my help?"

"Ah~ help me find something to wear today~"

"it is good!"

Elena folded her arms in front of her chest, stopped the sound of running water for a few seconds, took a deep breath, turned and walked away~

. . .

On the first floor of the big house, in the dining room.

The hostess Deborah, with a rosy face, invited everyone to sit down and enjoy the breakfast carefully prepared by the cook Tenisha.

On the table.

Deborah asked David: "Do you have any plans today?"

"No~"

David swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded: "Yeah~"

"There are still three days until Charles' birthday. I want to find a place for myself to learn more knowledge~"

"By the way, Jellal~"

"Can you help me get access to the library of any university, or sit in on an economics course for a few days?"

"...Listen in?"

Jellal put down the tableware with a smile and said with a teasing smile.

"As a graduate of a prestigious university, I feel like I have no presence in front of you..."

"Do you still need to study?"

"Of course!"

"My starting point is much lower than yours..."

"If I can't keep working hard, sooner or later, you will surpass me~"

"Hahaha~"

"You'd better leave a little hope to the people you surpass~"

"No!"

"As long as I can keep moving forward, more and more friends will gather around me, and everyone's life will get better and better~"

"So...I can't stop!"

"Uh..." Jellal choked on his words~

Deborah glanced at Jellal happily and smiled.

"I know the president of the London School of Economics~"

"If you want to go to class, I'll contact you!"

"Wow~ That's great! Thank you!"

"Hehe~"

"Livlin, Elena, what about you?"

"Follow him too?"

Livlin and the others didn't say anything, they all looked at David.

David looked troubled for a few seconds, then he smiled wryly and spread his hands: "Deborah, my wallet is already crying..."

"Hahahaha~"

"You stinky boy!"

"I asked them to stay and play with me for a few days!"

“It doesn’t cost you anything~”

"Um...thank you, Deborah~"

"But... it's our first time in London..."

David expressed his gratitude and apology to the hostess Deborah for her kindness in retaining her~

There was a regretful smile on Deborah's face, indicating that she could understand the young man's thoughts ~

She knew very well how attractive the glamorous city of London was to young people~

So Deborah changed the subject and asked David.

"I heard from Jellal that you will be engaged to Lilith next month?"

"Yes~"

"Oh, sorry!"

"I forgot to help Lilith, I want to say hello to you~"

"Hehe~"

Deborah's eyes swept across the women on the table, and she said playfully with a smile.

"Lilith, is she okay?"

"Well, it's not bad!"

"She is very busy every day now, and we have fewer and fewer opportunities to meet~"

"Oh~"

"Where's Laura?"

"Laura...she went to study at Yale University!"

"Yale..Hmm~"

"She went to a great place!"

David blinked and looked at Deborah, seeming to see something in her eyes. .smiled.

"Laura is our bridesmaid!"

"After Lilith and I's engagement ceremony, we may come to London for a few days..."

"We can come and visit you together then, okay?"

"Okay~"

"You're always welcome here, kids!"

"Hahaha~ok!"

"Ok, deal!"

. . .

The people at the dining table listened to the two of them chatting quietly, and quickly put down the tableware in their hands. .

Deborah also put down the tableware in her hand and smiled at the housekeeper.

"We should also give David and Lilith a gift..."

"Wait a minute, you can send David and the others back to London."

"I'll make a call here, and you can help him pick up some university hearings."

"Yes, ma'am!"

David looked at Deborah who stood up, and also stood up and smiled.

"Thank you!"

"Haha~ you!"

"Remember to bring an extra oven next time you come!"

"Tenisha last night..."

"Madam!" Tenisha, the cook, couldn't help interrupting Deborah's voice.

"Hahaha~"

Everyone laughed~

David patted his chest and said with a smile: "Next time I will bring you a complete set of kitchen appliances."

Deborah smiled and rolled her eyes at him, causing everyone to laugh again~

"Haha~"

----

new York.

The eastern horizon is still dark.

Inside an apartment building on Willow Street in Lower Manhattan.

Mike Tyson's mother was lying on a clean, soft, warm bed, staring at her big eyes in the dark, but she was not sleepy at all.

she. .Insomnia~

. . .

In less than a day, their family's life has undergone earth-shaking changes~

She was arranged to work in a fair price store and became an ordinary waitress, with a weekly salary of 200 meters, plus overtime pay!

200 meters knife!

This is the most salary she has earned in recent years. .

She moved into this apartment with her five children and her "unsatisfactory" boyfriend. The monthly rent only costs 380 meters. .

This apartment has three independent small rooms, one large and one small bathroom, a small living room and a large kitchen. .

For $380, you can never rent such a spacious apartment in a community like this in Manhattan!

And all these changes seem to be caused by a certain big boss caused by his son Mike Tyson. .Notice! ?

What on earth does he want to do! ?

. . .

After thinking about it for a while.

Mike Tyson's mother got up from the bed, walked out of her bedroom, gently opened the door to Tyson's room, walked to his bed, and looked at him silently through the dim light coming from the window.

Soft and warm bed.

Mike Tyson seemed to feel something. He frowned and opened his eyes. Seeing his mother in the dark, he whispered in surprise.

"Um...what's wrong with you?"

"It's okay~ Go to sleep!"

His mother held his forehead and cheeks with her hands.

Tyson felt it from his mother's hand and the bed beneath him. .Long gone warmth.

"Mom, we will..."

"Yes! It will! It will definitely happen!"

"...Mom, you should sleep too!"

"Today is the first time you go to work. I...I will come back to pick you up from get off work in the evening."

"Good~"

Tyson's mother, trying to control the tears in her eyes, nodded with joy.

The little boy who was a bit shy and introverted~

Mike Tyson, now a "street fighter", seems to have grown up in an instant~

----

Isle of England.

Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire.

David looked at the last box of luggage, put it into the trunk of the car, and smiled at the hostess Deborah.

"Can I hug you?"

"Haha~ Come on, boy!"

David hugged Deborah slightly and said softly: "I won't let you down!"

"Hmm~"

Deborah squinted her eyes and patted David's back gently~

Jellal and Mr. Butler stood aside, looking away in a tacit understanding, and invited ladies to get into the car.

. . .

Country road.

David looked at the manor house getting farther and farther away and let out a long breath.

If someone said that Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire, was a silly aristocratic woman who was willing to be ordinary. .

Then he is the real fool!

Deborah gave birth to seven children and spent 24 years repaying more than the entire assets of the duke family and nearly twice the amount of taxes. .

In addition to being a great mother and a noble duchess, she is also a successful investor!

. . .

in the car.

Jellal, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, looked away from the rearview mirror, turned to David and the other three and smiled.

"I booked a hotel for you in London, you should like it~"

"Oh? Is this the hotel you invested in?"

"Haha~ No!"

"It is a hotel invested by a friend. In the first year of its opening a few years ago, it won the evaluation of the best hotel in Europe and the best hotel in London~"

David raised his eyebrows and asked curiously: "First year!?"

"Yes!"

"What's it called?"

“Four Seasons Hotel London Park Lane.”

"Um...Okay! We'll stay here!"

When David heard this very familiar name, he became interested instantly~

Four Seasons Hotel Group!

In later generations, it was a very famous multinational high-end hotel group company.

Now. .Is it just popping up?

Emm. .

David looked at Elena to the left, smiled and held her earlobe, playing with it. He turned to look at Livlin on the right and asked with a smile.

"Do you have any travel plans for the next two days?"

"Would you like to study with me?"

"Don't go!"

"Oh, lazy pig-headed girl!"

Livlin puffed her mouth, clenched her fists, and stared at David sideways: "What are you talking about? Pig-headed bastard!"

"Hahaha~"

"Be a lady! How can a beautiful girl like you say dirty words casually?"

"Get out of here!"

"Look at me..."

"Oh~fxxx! What are you doing..."

"Hahaha~"

. . .

Jellal, who was sitting in the front row, heard a burst of "devil"-like laughter coming from the back row, and couldn't help shaking his head and laughing.

"I know there is a stadium ahead, which is enough for you to have a duel~"

"Do you want to go there?"

"No!"

"I'll kill him now!"

"Ah~ Elena, please save me!"

"Hahaha~"

. . .

London.

Four Seasons Hotel Park Lane (Park Lane), formerly known as: Park Inn or Park Hotel.

David got out of the car after Livlin, stood on the street, looked up at the hotel sign, and nodded secretly.

That should be it, that’s right! ~

Elena, who got out of the car after him, held his arm and smiled.

"I originally wanted to book this hotel for you..."

"Oh?"

"Haha~ because of what?"

“It’s in a great location!”

“Look~ Not far from here, you’ll find the Buckingham Palace Garden~”

"That way, about 10 minutes' walk is the famous Hyde Park."

Jellal very gentlemanly led the women who got out of the car behind him, walked to David and David, and said with a smile.

"Let's go in first~ In a moment, I'll introduce you to the best places to visit nearby."

"Ok!"

. . .

Everyone followed Jellal into the hotel, reached the sixth floor, and checked into five guest rooms.

David and Elena shared a room, Cui Yingying and Maggie shared a room, Toby and Livlin each shared a room, and Livlin's two bodyguards who had returned from a "holiday" in the small town of Oxford shared a room. .

After settling these settlement matters, Gerard smiled and invited everyone to walk out of the hotel, leading everyone towards the famous Hyde Park.

After walking for about 10 minutes, David and the others saw a large lush forest on the street and two forest paths.

. . .

Jellal introduced a few people while walking on the forest path.

“Hyde Park has a very rich history.”

"Before 1066, it was a large estate in Westminster Abbey."

"In the first half of the 16th century, Henry VIII used this site as part of his hunting grounds."

"At the end of the 18th century, it was connected to the urban area and turned into a park."

"In 1851, the first London International Exhibition was held here."

"In 1944, then-U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Hyde Park Agreement here, laying the foundation for cooperation between the two countries in the development of nuclear weapons."

"Look, the large lawn in front is the venue where seatless concerts are held every summer."

"And...over there~the northeast corner of the park!"

“More than 100 years ago, when Buckingham Palace was about to be expanded, the original marble arch in front of the gate was moved to Hyde Park, adding a unique scenery to it~”

"Later, many people liked this exquisitely carved stone arch very much, and many public lectures were held nearby~"

“So, it now has a new name: Speakers’ Corner!”

"Of course, some people call it a free forum~"

"Oh..." David, Livlin, Maggie, and Cui Yingying, who had never been to London, all looked in the direction Jellal pointed. .A stone arch with no shadow at all~

"Um...what about the front? Where are we going?"

"Hahaha~"

“The front is the most lively place every year on Queen Elizabeth’s birthday!”

"..Birthday?"

"Yes~"

"Every April, when the Queen celebrates her birthday, Hyde Park will be decorated in a gorgeous way. The cavalry of the Royal Artillery will come to the front from the Marble Arch."

. . .

Jellal led a few people and looked at the huge "garden" in this steel jungle as they walked~

After more than 20 minutes.

A few people stood by the lake and saw many people sitting on the grass, enjoying the sunshine and beautiful scenery.

David also became interested and took Elena, Livlin and others to find a piece of lawn and sat on the ground, watching the flying boats flying back and forth on the lake. .wild duck?

Enjoy the moment of tranquility in London~

Jellal sat in the seat vacated by Elena with a relaxed expression, and smiled at David next to him.

"I'm curious, why have you never asked about Queen Elizabeth?"

David leaned back and sat on Elena's lap, shrugged and said with a smile: "If I didn't ask, you would have said it~ wouldn't you?"

"Haha~"

"You, it's best to be friends!"

"Hey~ are you ready for my gift?"

"...Shouldn't you give me a gift?"

"Have I already given it?"

"??"

"My friendship?"

Jellal looked at the "shameless" David and didn't know what to say for a moment~

David glanced at Livlin, who was laughing, and the girls who were snickering, and spread his hands: "You have never seen such a shameless person, right?"

"Yes~!" The women and Jellal responded loudly.

"Hahaha~"

. . .

After talking and laughing~

Jellal looked up at the sky and said softly.

"In 73, one day during the last oil crisis."

"London Parliament is debating a proposed bill aimed at increasing transparency around shareholdings in companies across the country."

"Subsequently, the Queen's solicitor, Matthew Farrar, visited civil servants at the then Department of Trade and Industry to convey ******'s objections."

"This is the first time since 1952 that the Queen has used her power to raise her personal objections to Parliament."

David frowned and asked, "Queen...what rights does she have?"

"Hehe~"

"Actually, the queen's rights are not as few as you think!"

"For example: She has the power to dissolve parliament and appoint the prime minister!"

"She has the right to make all laws enacted by the Parliament, which must be signed by her before they can take effect."

"Also, the Prime Minister must report national affairs to the Queen on a regular basis; the UK and many countries must have the right to have her face printed on banknotes."

"She's also the monarch of Australia!"

"The Governor-General of Australia is nominally her plenipotentiary representative in Australia."

"But Queen Elizabeth has never exercised any power over Australia~"

"In addition, the Queen has immunity from prosecution and she cannot be arrested; no one or institution can ask the Queen to testify in court."

"Hmm...any more?"

"Haha~ What else do you want? The right to launch a war?"

David rolled his eyes and snorted at Jellal who started to "make excuses".

"With the current state of affairs in the country...do you think anyone else can be beaten?"

Jellal smiled silently, shook his head and said, "It would be best if there would never be a war~"

"Well~ you finally figured it out!"

"what?"

"Haha~ Man, many of the wars we will often see in the future will take place on battlefields without gunpowder smoke!"

"You mean... the financial market!?"

"Yes~"

"Didn't you find it?"

"Now there are countries in the world that have nuclear weapons, or countries that have allies with nuclear weapons~"

"All their attention has turned to the development of financial markets and the circulation of sovereign currency and capital."

"In peacetime, finance, currency, and capital are the lifeblood of a country!"

David moved his body and lay directly on Elena's lap. He held her little hand, looked at the sky, and asked Jellal softly.

"Who is the Queen's investment and financial advisor?"

"Um...why do you ask?"

"Haha~ Forget it!"

"I guess~ the bill you just proposed to protect the privacy of stockholdings must have been passed by the parliament later, right?"

"..Yes!"

"It followed a proposal by the then trade secretary, Geoffrey Howe, to insert new clauses into the bill that would give the government the power to exempt certain companies from the requirement to disclose shareholder identities."

"However, this draft law, which involves the interests of the Queen, was not quickly passed by the Parliament~"

"It wasn't until '76 that it finally became law."

"Tsk~ So what?"

"Queen's rights...huh?"

"The symbolic meaning of the queen's power has long been greater than its actual meaning~!"

"Rule without rule! Right?"

"..right!"

"Huh~ah~"

"Man! What do you want to say? Just say it~"

"I... like my friend, be direct!"

"Almost meaningless nonsense should be left to the politicians who need it!"

"Hehe~"

Livlin, who quietly came over and leaned next to Elena, sneered a few times~

Jellal glanced at Elena, who was also laughing, made a high-and-low look, and complained.

"Where did you come up with all these weird words?"

"Hey~ It's not important!"

"...Okay~"

Gerard scratched his chin and said: "The year before last, after the bill to protect the Queen's privacy was passed, the pound crisis that followed caught many of us off guard~"

"My father has had several interviews with the Queen and Earl Mountbatten, but none of them have a particularly good strategy for dealing with the crisis."

"So, I contacted...an elder of the Karnes family and asked him to help and give him some professional investment advice."

"The Carnes family? Rothschild?"

"Yes~"

"Um... isn't the Queen's investment adviser Rothschild?"

Jellal shrugged and said: "In history, there have been many times when the royal family and their family have maintained a very good relationship~"

"However...after the pound crisis ten years ago, the Queen began to slowly cool down the relationship between the two families, until now."

David understood, shook his head, and whispered: "Gold!"

"...Yes~"

"Hehe~"

"Man, we are going to play with gold this time too!"

"You're talking about this now? Why?"

Jellal looked at the wild ducks flying in the distance on the lake, and said softly: "I want to... give it a try!"

"Hmmmm~"

"...I think you can help me!"

"Hmmmm~"

"...Hey! Don't you know how to speak well?"

"Tsk~ You're telling me! What are you helping me with?"

"Of course you are helping me and proving yourself~"

"Then what? Be specific!"

"Well... make money!"

"Um... where's the capital?"

"I have some savings of my own and some properties that can be mortgaged."

"How many can there be in total?"

Jellal scratched his head and said sheepishly: "400 million pounds."

"How many?"

"400."

"Tch~ you are so poor!"

"..."

"Hahaha~"

"You're not as good as Livlin, this little rich woman!"

Jellal smiled helplessly: "There is a lot of property belonging to the family, which I can use at my own discretion..."

"ok, ok~"

David patted Jellal's arm hard and said with a smile: "If the exchange rate remained unchanged, I wouldn't be richer than you~"

"I am poor just like you~"

"Hehe~"

"You are really good at comforting people!"

"Hahahaha~ Kudos to you, Kudos to you!"