Chapter 31: Can You Offer a Discount?

Two days later.

The senior executives of Stratton gathered for the funeral—the deceased was "Robbie," the victim of a religious-themed case.

Standing before the tombstone, Jordan silently opened a bag of flour and sprinkled it over the grave like falling snowflakes.

The black-and-white photo on the tombstone showed a bright, beaming smile.

"Buddy, I hope you’re still getting high in heaven."

After saying this, Jordan sighed with melancholy.

This was the second company executive to be murdered. The first had been shot dead while walking on Wall Street; the second had suffered an even more gruesome fate, having his throat slit and bleeding out.

Jordan felt a chill every time he thought about it. He had even suspected Luca for a while, as a Continental Hotel assassin certainly had the capability. But the perpetrators for the previous two cases had been caught, and they had no connection to Luca.

Jordan was confused. He couldn't figure out how Luca obtained so much classified company information. Could the deceased buddy have leaked it?

Damn it, Jordan suddenly felt the urge to kick the tombstone over.

After paying his respects, Jordan stepped outside the crowd. Luca, dressed in a black suit, walked past him and approached the grave, politely placing a bouquet of flowers down.

He was here to see the "rare card" that had passed away.

What a waste—a rare card killing another rare card, and now both were gone. The key was that the killer and the victim weren't even from the same plotline originally; what was the point of all this?

This made Luca realize that in this crossover world, strange "connections" could occur between any characters.

...

Outside the crowd, upon seeing that face he found nauseating, Jordan cursed "motherfucker" under his breath countless times. If it weren't for his buddy's funeral, he would have started shouting profanities right then and there.

The FBI had arrived.

"Denham, listen, today is the funeral of my best friend in the world. Please show some respect for the dead and watch your behavior. I don’t want to be subjected to your damn, meaningless investigations here!"

Facing Jordan’s foul language and spray of saliva, the FBI agent named Denham replied calmly, "I don’t have enough free time to investigate you every day. I came here to attend Robbie’s funeral. Having investigated him so many times, we were practically old acquaintances. I truly regret that he left us like this."

"Oh? Can you summon souls, you fucker? Are you going to drag Robbie’s soul down from heaven and tell him that heaven is under FBI jurisdiction, and that he’s a suspect under investigation, so he can’t enjoy his damn angel massages until he clears his name?"

Jordan’s tongue was like poison, drawing laughter from the company employees nearby. Agent Denham chuckled along for a moment, then his expression suddenly hardened:

"Heaven isn't under FBI jurisdiction, but if you want to go to hell, the FBI can help you cut the line."

Denham turned, walked through the crowd, and looked at Luca, who was paying his respects at the tombstone.

The helpful citizen—Luca the Pigeon.

As an FBI agent, Denham understood better than anyone else present just how dangerous a person Luca was. If the Baba Yaga was a five-star threat, Luca was at least a four-star. Moreover, this guy was better at disguises than the Baba Yaga; he had actually made so many people in Little Italy believe he was a peace-loving man.

To hell with that. Denham didn't buy it.

A mafia member who loves peace is as ridiculous as Jordan picking high-quality stocks to make clients rich, the DEA burning drugs, or the U.S. never proactively starting a war.

Denham felt that this type of person—peaceful on the surface but bloody behind the scenes—was infinitely more dangerous than a financial fraudster like Jordan.

...

He seemed to sense someone staring at him, and Luca turned, meeting Denham’s gaze.

[Character Card Discovered: Patrick Denham (Unlocked)]
[Patrick: B]
[Source: "The Wolf of Wall Street"]
[Skill: Integrity]
[Bond: Attention]

Luca looked slightly surprised. This guy came to the funeral too?

He knew very well that Denham was the FBI agent who caught Jordan in the original story, a man who had rejected Jordan’s bribes from the very beginning, focused solely on bringing him to justice. This guy was too upright; Jordan had mocked him for being destined to commute by subway forever, yet he remained unmoved and refused all bribes.

He was far too incorruptible.

Luca gave him a friendly smile from a distance.

Denham was taken aback, feeling an inexplicable sense of kinship. That was strange...

...

The next few days were calm.

There were no abnormalities at Steve’s shoe company.

Donnie, the second-in-command, had gone to Steve to probe him—he and Steve were high school classmates and friends for years, which made him subconsciously unable to believe Steve would betray him.

But in the face of profit, what did high school classmates amount to? Even bedfellows betrayed each other at any moment. So, following Luca’s advice, he and Jordan decided to try and lure the snake out of its hole.

"Steve, Donnie and I are going abroad to lie low for a while. We won’t be back for a while."

In the office, Jordan spoke earnestly to Steve about his upcoming arrangements. "You know the FBI is investigating us. Those assholes are like mosquitoes, buzzing around you all day. The moment you relax, they’ll find a gap and swoop in to suck your blood! Fuck the FBI, I’ve had enough!"

Donnie chimed in, not forgetting to comfort a smirking Steve: "Don't worry about the company. Even from abroad, we can manage it remotely."

"The FBI won't come after me, will they?" Steve asked, his expression worried.

Jordan didn't care at all. "Oh, buddy, you just sell women's shoes. The FBI has no interest in those ugly shoes of yours, and their sour-faced wives wouldn't appreciate your art anyway. Just keep selling your shoes, and they won't do anything to you."

Steve offered a timid smile, but his eyes darted around, his mind spinning with his own schemes.

There is no loyalty on Wall Street. It is full of wolves. Whoever shows a weakness gets eaten.

...

Jordan and Donnie disappeared abruptly, claiming they were going on vacation. The ordinary employees had no idea where their two bosses had gone.

Daily operations were left to several supervisors. The employees were used to it—isn't it normal for bosses not to show up? As long as they, the worker bees, showed up, it was fine.

At this moment, inside the Bronx SSR Club, Jordan was visiting the newly acquired club under Luca’s guidance. It was currently undergoing renovations.

The club occupied a small building. The architectural style was similar to a resort hotel, and the internal facilities were much the same—bars, restaurants, guest rooms, cigar rooms, conference rooms, and an underground nightclub.

"Belfort, you’ve been to many clubs. What do you think of this place?" Luca asked casually. "I bought this place and plan to open a new club. You should be able to give me some advice."

"It’s not much." Jordan’s expression was disdainful; he clearly looked down on the place. "The members have all left, and the club has no brand value. It’s just an empty shell. You expect to make money off this? Don't dream."

Jordan’s so-called "vacation" was actually hiding out in Little Italy. In this Italian territory, it would be much more troublesome for the FBI to conduct their work.

He had also figured out that Luca wasn't just an assassin for the Continental Hotel; he was a formal member of the Lucchese family. The Lucchese family was not something his small investment firm could stand against.

"I don’t need the old members, and I plan to change the sign anyway," Luca said.

"Then what’s your target demographic?" Jordan asked curiously. "The middle class? Or those high-society tycoons and political families?"

"Wealth isn't the only standard. I value capability—not just what the clients have now, but their potential."

Luca changed the subject, looking at Jordan. "Belfort, interested in becoming a member of the SSR Club?"

"SSR?"

"It stands for 'Super Scarce,'" Luca said with a smile. "Our club aims to help clients solve troubles they can't handle, maintain community peace, and create an environment where harmony is paramount... for example, you’re currently being investigated by the FBI. The SSR Club can help you solve that."

"Can you solve any trouble?"

"As long as you can pay the price and offer enough value in exchange, even if the continent of America sinks, I can get you onto Noah's Ark."

"Wow, sounds great. It's about the same as the tricks those politicians use—trading interests?"

Jordan was thoughtful. Although he still didn't fully trust Luca, he felt the Lucchese family should have the capability. After all, most of New York's real estate was almost entirely contracted by the major mafia families.

"But your fees are too high," Jordan complained. "Five million! Just for one job! Asshole! I know other high-end clubs, and their fees aren't as outrageous as yours!"

Luca smiled. You have money, and you scam others for money, so why wouldn't I scam you?

He reached out a hand. "This is just our first collaboration. What I need more is your friendship and trust. Once we become friends, I can help you even without a fee."

Jordan, a man who prioritized money, obviously didn't believe Luca’s nonsense, but he still shook Luca’s hand. "I’d love to be friends with you too, so, can we get a discount this time?"

Luca: "Of course."

Jordan smiled.

Luca: "But five million is already the discounted price."

Jordan: "..."

Fucking profiteer!

Luca took out an envelope and handed it to him. "Trust me, this five million is worth every penny."

Jordan took it. "What’s this?"

Luca: "Dirt on Steve’s shoe company. Some things you might find useful later. Watch out for this guy. You people on Wall Street should understand better than anyone that only profit is eternal."

Dirt? Jordan raised an eyebrow. Although this couldn't prove Steve would betray him, he could use it to manipulate the guy, increase his own leverage, and ensure his safety.

After sending Jordan away, Luca called Jimmy over and allocated some funds to him. "Go keep an eye on Steve’s shoe company. I’ve received inside information that their company will crash soon, the stock will plummet. Find an opportunity to follow and short them."

Jimmy was shocked. Damn, you even know this kind of inside info?

As expected of the old pigeon!