The Tyrant Billionaire

After saying goodbye to Giannini, Hardy headed to Las Vegas.

Before the presidential election, Hardy had the casino set up a betting pool for the election results. By the deadline, the total bets had exceeded $50 million.

Even though Johnson had gained momentum, there were still people betting on Dewey, and Dewey's odds were much higher than Johnson's, tempting many gamblers. So, there were plenty of bets placed on Dewey.

Now that the election results were in and Johnson had won re-election, everyone who bet on Dewey had lost, and the casino made a profit of $15.68 million.

This was $15 million in 1948, an amount that made many people envious.

Of course.

That money wasn't all Hardy's. He only owned just over 30% of the casino's shares. The Corleone family and Bank of America also held significant shares, so they, too, stood to make a big profit.

The old godfather personally called Hardy to congratulate him, and the two had a pleasant chat over the phone. The old godfather had already handed over the family's illicit businesses to Tom, while he focused on networking with the upper echelons of society and politicians.

Paving the way for his son's future.

Now, Michael had already joined Johnson's White House administration, serving as the President's Assistant and Director of the Liaison Office. With Johnson's re-election, Michael could continue in his role, working at the heart of the White House, which would be an excellent opportunity for Michael to gain experience.

The old godfather was growing increasingly hopeful for the family's future and was more energetic than ever.

"Hardy, Michael's first child is about to be born. I have a request—I hope you can be the child's godfather?" the old godfather asked.

His tone was sincere, with a hint of pleading.

"Of course, I'd be honored to be Michael's child's godfather," Hardy readily agreed.

The old godfather laughed over the phone, "Haha, my unborn grandchild already has a great godfather. I'm so happy for him."

After hanging up, Hardy chuckled to himself.

He found it rather amusing. In this world he had transmigrated into, which seemed like the world of The Godfather, he was now about to become the godfather of Michael's child.

It was a very peculiar feeling.

Could he be the real godfather of this world?

Now, Hardy's casino business was flourishing, receiving tens of thousands of visitors and gamblers daily. But at the same time, it was drawing customers away from other casinos.

This caused much discontent among many Mafia families.

Of course,

The families that had joined Hardy's "Venetian Casino" group were increasingly pleased because they were more optimistic about the future.

With Hardy's casino business doing so well, once the larger Venetian Casino was built, business would surely be even better.

And with the televised lottery business on top of that, there was no way they could lose money.

This had caused a polarization in the Las Vegas casino scene. The families that invested in Hardy hoped to see Las Vegas thrive, while those that didn't invest were following Barzini to invest in Cuba, betting on its future.

Perhaps Hardy was the only one who knew that this investment was doomed to fail. In two years at most, there would be turmoil in Cuba, and Barzini's investment would be a total loss.

A few days ago,

Hardy had heard news of some "Anti-Imperialist Conference" being held in Cuba, which had resulted in violent clashes. He knew that this event was one of the early signs and triggers of the future Cuban military coup.

Hardy's post-war material sales company also had business in Cuba. His subordinates reported that they had come into contact with a group of people who secretly purchased a large quantity of weapons and supplies. Hardy had suspected at the time that these were likely the people who would instigate the future rebellion.

As for who bought the weapons, Hardy didn't care.

He didn't support or oppose any side—he was just a businessman selling goods. However, he did advise his people to maintain the relationship and, if the buyers continued to purchase equipment, to offer them a discount.

Bill was in Las Vegas. When he heard that Hardy had arrived, he rushed over excitedly. "Boss, the betting company's operations are all set up. We've split it into three divisions, and the number of operators has grown to over 2,000."

The betting company's business had exploded in recent days.

After Hardy's casino won its legal case, the television lottery betting business became legal, which greatly boosted the enthusiasm of Americans to participate in the lottery.

What kind of business is the easiest to make money from?

It's the kind that touches the lives of the widest range of people. If one million people bet, even at the minimum $100 per bet, that's a $100 million business. If 10 million people participate, it becomes a billion dollar business.

This is the same reason why internet companies in later generations rose so quickly—they connected people from all over the world and made money from everyone.

Hardy visited the construction sites of the casinos once again.

Both "The Venetian" and "Caesars Palace" had turned into vast construction areas, with numerous workers bustling about. The head of the real estate development company, Metron Real Estate, came to greet Hardy upon hearing of his arrival and accompanied him for the inspection.

As they inspected the site, the head gave a detailed explanation of the construction progress.

The Hardy Group's headquarters building was still in the foundation-laying phase, and it was expected to take more than a year before the building would rise from the ground.

After that, Hardy checked on the construction progress of the horse and dog racing tracks. These two race tracks were much smaller in scale and had begun construction earlier. According to the head, at the current pace, the tracks should be completed and operational by next summer.

Hardy nodded in satisfaction, planning to hold a grand horse racing event in Las Vegas by then. He aimed to make this a recurring event, attracting more tourists to the city.

He also considered broadcasting the horse and dog races on television.

After completing his inspection in Las Vegas, Hardy returned to Los Angeles. In his estate, Hardy was taking a bath when the bathroom door quietly opened, and Ava walked in wearing a silk robe. Hardy turned his head, and Ava smiled at him.

The silk robe slid down, revealing her perfect figure.

Barefoot, she approached Hardy and picked up a towel to help him apply body wash. After finishing his upper body, she slowly crouched down.

Hardy enjoyed running his fingers through Ava's hair.
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After their bath, the two lay in bed, watching TV and chatting. Ava said, "MGM sent over a movie outline. They said there's a story that would suit me, and they invited me to shoot the film next year. What do you think—should I do it?"

"What's the movie about?" Hardy asked.

"The movie is called The Snows of Kilimanjaro, based on a story by 'Hemingway.'" Ava then proceeded to recount the story for Hardy.

After listening, Hardy's first thought was that it was an art film. Such films usually don't make much money, but they attract many directors.