Although with both Gunner Young and Harvey Simpson’s identities, they were originally on opposite sides, but it was a happy occasion, so reasonably speaking, they should not be fighting.
Alex had no idea what was going on, but he did not want to rashly intervene. Following the topic of their chat, he suddenly recalled he did ask Gunner to take over Chase Lucas’ territory previously but Gunner refused. This had shown Gunner was uninterested in taking over Chase’s territory.
The same topic seemed to be creating a conflict between Gunner and Harvey.
There was a question that arose in his mind. Why was Gunner Young, a street boss, adamant in not taking the opportunity to expand his territory?
Big Ken waited for a while and saw that Alex and Fallon Ballantine were reluctant to intervene, so he smiled and tried to be the peacemaker. He raised his hand to indicate to Gunner to speak less and faced Harvey.
“Captain Simpson, I can prove that what Sir G has done recently was indeed a favor to my Young Master. This even includes today in which Sir G attended this dinner as a friend of the Young Master.”
Fallon, who initially had a puzzled face, vaguely understood what was going on after she listened to what Big Ken said and added, “Captain Simpson, you may not know this, but Mr. Young is a warm-hearted and a great man. Recently, Harrods Corp has also encountered a lot of difficulties. If it wasn’t for Mr. Young’s help several times, my company would certainly be doomed. Every time Mr. Young helped out, he did not expect any compensation. Even if I took the initiative to give it, he would only reluctantly accept it under Mr. Cohen’s strong persuasion.”
Harvey laughed and said, “Big Ken, Manager Ballantine, you’ve misunderstood me. I didn’t mean to doubt Mr. Young’s character. Mr. Young, I was only just asking casually, so please don’t take it to heart. I’m also a local, so I’ve known about you for a long time. If I didn’t agree with your style and character, I wouldn’t have invited you over tonight…”
Gunner’s face only soothed over after Harvey said these words.
The impending conflict instantly dissipated.
Harvey diverted the topic and talked with Zeke Martin. Knowing that Zeke had just returned from the military, he immediately threw out an offer and wanted to arrange for Zeke to serve in the bureau. Like Alex, Harvey realized that Zeke Martin was a rare talent, and it just so happened that he was seeking talents.
However grateful Zeke was on the offer, he politely declined Harvey’s invitation.
If Zeke wanted to serve in the government, he would not have refused the post that was previously arranged for him…
After the meal, Harvey settled the bill and bid goodbye to the group as they walked out. He deliberately called Alex to the side and said softly, “Mr. Cohen, I apologize for my brash behavior. I know it is a poor excuse, but I was a bit tipsy from the wine and I had no filter. I seemed to have offended your friend…Please apologize to him on my behalf.”
“It’s alright. I know Sir G. He’s not a person to hold a grudge.”
Even though Alex said so, when Harvey left, Alex apologized to Gunner. However, it was not an apology on behalf of Harvey, but in his own name. Both of them were his friends, so as the middleman, he should not be biased to anyone and it was better to take all the blame himself.
Gunner was indeed not a petty person.
Even if Gunner was really angry, for Alex’s sake he would let go of this grudge against Harvey. After the topic ended, he said, “Didn’t you want Symore to take over Chase’s territory? You should start soon. Even though I don’t have the intention to take this territory, it doesn’t mean that all gangsters would ignore so many unowned territories. So we should act fast before others get to it.”
“Alright. I’ll bring it up to Symore tomorrow…”
Alex watched Fallon and Gunner leave before he returned to the car. After sorting out his thoughts, he said to Big Ken, “Bro, does it seem like Captain Simpson doesn’t want to see Sir G taking over Chase’s territory? Probably because he doesn’t want Sir G’s forces to grow further?”
Big Ken nodded and said, “Yup! Sir G’s a street boss and Captain Simpson’s a law enforcement officer, so they’re naturally opposed to each other. But they’ve been quite harmonious like just now and were amicable with one another during the dinner. That’s because they’ve both found a balance. If Sir G expands his territory, then it’ll break the balance that has been there for more than a decade.”
“Hmm…can two opposing forces reach a balance?”
“It would’ve been impossible, but your grandfather and your father stepped in and it just happened.”
“How is this even related to my grandfather and my father?”
“It’s a long story…”
Big Ken drove the car and told them the story as he drove Alex and Zeke home.
When Gunner was young, he had made a name for himself on the streets of Quill City and cultivated the top underground forces, so he was already very well-known. However, he grew too ambitious as he wanted to become the only street boss of Quill City, the King of the Underground, and unite all the forces together.
In such a big city, there were a lot of small street forces, and they usually did not interfere with each other. Each had its own territory, so there were many different sizes of forces. Since they were accustomed to the status quo, they did not accept the idea of uniting and being controlled by a single street boss which was Gunner Young.
After a number of small street forces were annexed by Gunner, someone stepped forward and convinced a group of street bosses to form an “anti-Young” alliance.
These small individual forces seemed insignificant alone, but when they united, it was a force to be dealt with.
The anti-Young alliance caused a lot of commotion and there were many incidents that almost killed Gunner.
If it was not for Alex’s grandfather, Jacob Larson, who saw the potential in Gunner and repeatedly asked Wayne Larson to save him, Gunner would have been a dead body.
At that time, Gunner had not only set off the hostility of other street forces and became a target, but his power also attracted the attention of law enforcement agencies. Some even proposed to set Gunner as an example and punish him severely to stop him from growing his forces.
In the end, Wayne Larson stepped in and helped Gunner resolve this crisis.
Wayne acted as an intermediary and after many times of mediation, Gunner and the police reached a verbal agreement. Gunner would no longer expand his territory and would maintain the status quo. He should use his resources to develop the economy and was forbidden to collect protection money and commit crimes. In return, the law enforcement department would stop targeting Gunner Young.
The unwritten treaty between Gunner and the police had been formed since that time and had been upheld to this day.
Looking at Harvey’s stance, he had obviously wanted to keep the legacy alive in which his predecessor left behind. Therefore, when he learned that Gunner was back in the game, it was reasonable to say there was some tension. Earlier at the table, he was testing Gunner’s attitude and touched on Gunner’s soft spot. That led to a slight verbal dispute between them…
After Big Ken finished telling the story, he looked at Alex and added, “Young Master, the first person to come forward and propose the establishment of the ‘anti-Young’ alliance was none other than Chase Lucas’ father. Later on, Chase inherited his father’s forces and became a street boss comparable to Sir G.”
“So that’s how it is…what a pity that Chase lost such a good opportunity. He was given a golden path but instead, he ruined it and ended his life. He has no one to blame but himself for not being able to figure out the reason for Sir G’s sudden repression of ambition back then. His own excessive greed led to his downfall.”
Since Alex understood why Gunner did not want to take over Chase’s territory, he was able to arrange tasks for Symore without any more doubts.
Early the next morning, Alex searched for Symore and told him about the situation.
When Symore heard it, his eyes almost rolled out.
“What…what? Mr. Cohen, you want me to take over all of Chase’s territory?”
Alex nodded and said, “This was the task that I’ve mentioned to you earlier. If you dare to take it, I’ll give you my utmost support. I can also help you gain Sir G’s and Captain Simpson’s support as well.”
“Of course, I will be honored to accept it! Mr. Cohen, thanks for your trust in me. I promise to do well!”
Symore excitedly agreed and made a promise. As soon as Alex left, he called all the small heads under him for a meeting.
That afternoon, Symore announced proudly that he would take over all of Chase’s territory.
However, within two days, Symore encountered a strong rival and led him to a difficult position.
The rival was Alex’s old acquaintance and wanted more than just Chase’s territory…
