There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line, then Arnold's voice came through again."The price has gone up now. One million. I want it in cash. Wait for my next call, I'll tell you where to make the exchange."
With that, there was a click as the call ended.
Dewey hung up the phone, his face darkening. He had never been threatened like this in his life. He'd dealt with so many gangsters, and they were the ones who begged him, not the other way around. He never imagined he would be pushed to this extent one day.
He picked up the speech again, trying to focus.
But he couldn't concentrate at all now.
He threw the speech violently to the floor. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Damn it."
"Damn Global Times, damn journalist, damn political donations, damn the stupid Chinese." Dewey cursed loudly in his room.
Another two days passed.
Dewey had never felt time drag on like this.
Because he was waiting for the call, his planned speaking tour had to be postponed. He had to handle this matter properly before continuing his work.
"Ring, ring, ring~~!"
The phone in Dewey's office rang.
Dewey picked it up.
"Governor Dewey, it's Arnold. Please have the money delivered to Los Angeles within two days. I'll tell you how to make the exchange then," Arnold said.
"Los Angeles?!"
Dewey was stunned.
"Why Los Angeles and not New York?" Dewey asked.
"Heh, do you think I'm stupid? New York is your territory. You could send people to my door, and during the transaction, you might have someone kill me. I'm in Los Angeles now. Have your people bring the cash over."
Dewey's face grew stern.
"Who knows if you'll hand over the documents after getting the money, or if you'll keep the secret? You must give me a guarantee," Dewey said gravely.
"Hahahahaha~~~"
Arnold laughed wildly on the other end, the laugh brazen and unrestrained. "You can only choose to trust me, there's no second option. I won't give any guarantees, because that's all bullshit."
"You now have two choices: either pay up or wait to be exposed. Have the money delivered to Los Angeles in two days, and we'll make the exchange whenever," Arnold finished, not giving Dewey a chance to speak, and hung up the phone.
Dewey's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, and his signature mustache jerked erratically.
"Crash~!"
Dewey swept his arm across the desk, knocking all the papers onto the floor, creating a mess. His secretary rushed in, seeing Dewey in a fury, and hurried to pick up the papers.
The deal had to go on.
Dewey didn't dare take risks. He had someone bring one million in cash, but not just one person; he sent five.
When the five arrived in Los Angeles, they split up. One took the money to a hotel, while the other four went out to prepare vehicles, weapons, and other necessities.
Then they waited.
Another two excruciating days passed. At 11 a.m., Dewey's office received another call. "Mr. Dewey, the transaction can take place now. Have your man bring the money to Hollywood Boulevard, holding a bouquet of red flowers. I'll come to collect it."
Dewey immediately called Los Angeles, instructing them to deliver the money.
Hollywood Boulevard, later known as the Walk of Fame, was always bustling with tourists and traffic. A man holding a heavy suitcase in one hand and a bouquet of red flowers in the other stood on the street.
One o'clock.
Two o'clock.
Three o'clock.
There were many cars and tourists on the street. Dewey's man had been standing there for over two hours, but no one had shown up yet.
Screech.
A car stopped in front of the man.
Arnold finally appeared and said to the man, "Did you bring the money?"
The man opened the suitcase, revealing the cash inside, then quickly closed it. "Where are the documents?" he asked seriously.
Arnold took out a thick file folder. "The stuff is in here. Don't try anything funny. toss the money in my back seat, and these will be yours."
The man thought for a moment and tossed the suitcase into the back seat. Arnold handed over the documents and then sped away.
As soon as Arnold's car left, two other cars immediately gave chase. Arnold was sharp, he pulled out a portable camera, filming the pursuit outside, then turned it on himself, his expression slightly tense as he said:
"It looks like someone is following me. It seems they don't intend to keep their promise."
After saying this, he placed the camera on the dashboard and accelerated. As Arnold sped up, the two cars behind him also accelerated, starting a high speed chase right on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
"Screech~~!"
Arnold sharply turned the steering wheel, driving down another road, but within seconds, the two cars behind caught up again.
Vroom vroom vroom~!
One of the cars suddenly accelerated, ramming into the back of Arnold's car.
"Dang~!"
The rear car hit Arnold's car, causing it to shake violently and nearly crash into a nearby building. Arnold gripped the steering wheel tightly, regaining control.
"Dang Dang~!"
The two cars behind began a frenzied assault, trying to ram Arnold off the road. Arnold's driving skills were good, narrowly avoiding them each time.
The continuous collisions between the three cars scared the pedestrians on the streets, causing them to scream and run for cover, creating chaos.
One car sped up, coming almost level with Arnold's. The passenger suddenly pulled out a gun and fired several shots at Arnold.
"Bang bang bang bang~!"
Crash~!
Arnold's car window shattered. He quickly ducked, swerving his car to hit the vehicle that had fired at him. He struck the front wheel of the car, sending it veering off to the side.
Crash~!
The car plunged into a roadside café area, knocking over several tables. Luckily, the heat had kept the area empty, otherwise, there would have been casualties.
Even so, the people in the café screamed in terror.
The car, after crashing through the café, continued its pursuit of Arnold.
The other car also caught up with Arnold. Arnold took the offensive, sharply swerving to collide with the other car, sending it flying. This car wasn't so lucky, it hit the curb and flipped over, sliding into a nearby grocery store window.