America's King of Poetry

Chapter 57

Time has entered June, the cold wind and rain gradually disappeared in the air of New York, and the sun began to slowly radiate its warmth.

For the well-to-do class living on Long Island, the time for sunshine and vacations is fast approaching.In previous years, Ewing, Mason, Oakley and other NBA players have already started their summer fishing time, sitting by the TV watching how Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won the championship.

This year's situation has changed a bit, and the Eastern Conference finals are in full swing.The Knicks encountered the fifth-ranked Indiana Pacers in the regular season. They went all the way and defeated the Atlanta Hawks, the number one in the Eastern Conference, in the semifinals and successfully reached the conference finals.This is a team with great potential. They are tenacious. When everyone is optimistic about the Knicks, they actually defeated the Knicks in the Battle of Tianwangshan and won the series match point.

In Game [-], under tremendous pressure, the Knicks defeated the Pacers in Indiana and successfully dragged the series into the tiebreaker.Another round of tiebreaker, the Knicks returned to the Big Apple City, they are only one step away from the finals.

June 6th, the day when Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals kicked off.

Near Oyster Bay, Nassau County, Long Island, Arthur was busy helping Dorothy clean and decorate the villa.

Brush off the stains on the pink facade, clean up the leaves and mud in the swimming pool, and wash away the dust and leaves on the cobblestone road with water.The deer's head in the living room was taken down and replaced with a fake Rothko painting, and the carpet, curtains, and bed sheets were washed and dried.

Flo was called in to help, and she was good at housekeeping, while the physical work was mainly done by Arthur.

The villa is not big, but it is not small either. It took three days to basically clean it up.Arthur finally went to the roof of the villa with a long-handled brush, wearing rubber overshoes, and brushed off a layer of plaster that had accumulated on the waterproof layer.He worked under the sun from the afternoon until sunset, sweating two or three layers on his body, and finally cleaned the roof.

I don't know if it's a habit left over from his previous life, or this kind of cleaning work can bring him an obsessive-compulsive pleasure, or simply because the labor costs in the United States are too expensive, in short, Arthur, who is sweating all over, feels very satisfied.He stood on the roof of the building holding a brush, blowing the wind, and looking at the sinking red sunset. If he smoked a cigarette or drank a bottle of beer at this time, the feeling would be even better.

"Mr. Arthur?" Flo poked her head out from the stairs, and the cold beer she brought to Arthur came just in time.

Arthur took a bottle of beer, bit it open with his teeth, sat on the ground with his back against the water tank on the roof, and drank it facing the setting sun.

"It's such a joy~" Arthur sighed, at this moment he felt free, he didn't have to worry about anything, he just savored the simple joy of being alive.

The fun didn't last long. A horn sounded from downstairs. Arthur looked down and saw Russell's black Camry. Russell and Anna arrived.Arthur hurriedly said to Flo: "You can go back, don't mention to anyone that you have been here. I sometimes visit your family, mother and child, are you okay?"

Flo nodded again and again, "I see, thank you for your concern, they are all fine."

"Carlos is okay, is he working hard?"

"Thanks to you, he has done a good job, and he is finally able to support himself...I'm leaving."

After answering Arthur's question, Flo hurried downstairs, and she always strictly followed Arthur's instructions.But downstairs, she met Anna. Anna hugged Flo tightly and refused to let her leave. Flo comforted her repeatedly, but Anna refused.She didn't cry or fuss, just hugged Flo's leg and didn't let go.

Arthur saw that there was no way to do it on the roof, so he had to shout loudly: "Stay, Flo! Go help Dorothy in the kitchen, and take care of Anna by the way!"

Flo nodded in obedience, and Anna let Flo go away. She also looked up at Arthur who was standing on the top of the building.

For Anna, Arthur is afraid. This "old man" born in the 30s has not said a word until now, but he has the most terrifying power of all.What's even more frightening is that he can't control this power. The link established by the two is pitifully weak, and there is only one sentence.Fortunately, she was a little girl, and it was a good thing that she was fostered with the Russell family.

It was getting dark slowly, and Luciano's villa was brightly lit again.In the drawing room, Dorothy and Flo prepared a sumptuous dinner for the guests who were coming tonight.It was Abramo who followed Russell and Anna to the villa. He came alone and drove a brown Ford car. When he entered the door, Arthur asked him if he had been followed.The last one to arrive was Matthew, who arrived around seven o'clock, and it was already dark. He parked his Mazda 929 in the bushes near the villa.

"My task tonight is to come here to monitor you, Jackie's order." Matthew said to Arthur, and the two hugged at the door of the villa. Since the last farewell, the two have not seen each other again.

In the living room, Arthur drew all the curtains on all sides, turned on the TV and tuned to the CBS channel, and the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals was about to begin.

"Everyone is here? Isn't Gina coming?" Dorothy asked Arthur, bringing up a pot of pepper sausage.

"Oh, Gina is spending the night with her classmates tonight. She's going to be on summer vacation soon. I think summer vacation can allow her to come and live here for a while."

"No problem at all."

Dorothy touched Arthur's head. The relationship between the siblings is very good now, and blood is thicker than water.Having a loved one in this time and space also makes Arthur feel more fulfilled in his heart.

Flo brought out the last clam chowder, wiped her hands on her apron, and said, "I think I should go... I'm done."

She looked at Arthur, Arthur looked at Anna, and Anna shook her head, which was one of the few exchanges between the two.

"Sit down and eat together. When you're done eating, take Anna upstairs and we'll talk about things." Arthur pulled a stool for Flo, and Flo had to sit down and eat with them.

Arthur, Russell, Abramo, Dorothy, Matthew, Anna, the six people gathered together because of a mysterious force, surrounded Arthur and formed the most loyal and intimate organization.This organization will continue to expand in the future. After establishing a link with Dorothy, Arthur realizes that everyone must be gathered together to form a real entity organization.

With organization, there is direction, and with organization, there is strength.

Russell and Matthew are people who don't talk much, Anna simply doesn't talk, and Abramo and Arthur have been talking about gambling.

In this Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers really surprised people.As a team in the lower half of the division, they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, pushing the Knicks to a desperate situation and leading 3:2.In the tiebreaker, the Knicks can't guarantee that they will be able to retreat unscathed.

On TV, the match between the two sides has already begun.The Knicks launched a swift attack at the beginning. Starks had a good touch and scored nine points in the first quarter. Oakley also scored seven points under the basket relying on offensive rebounds and second offense, but the rest of the Knicks were unable to enter the state.On the contrary, the Pacers, under the leadership of Miller, withstood the Knicks' mad attack, played steadily, and led 7:51 at halftime.

The Knicks are a bit precarious.

"Damn it, I've already lost a lot of money in the Eastern Conference finals... Who would have thought that those rednecks in Indiana could play so well!"

Watching the Knicks fall behind at halftime, Abramo was not in the mood to eat.

"Did Jackie not reveal the inside information to you? Or you should follow Jackie's handicap."

"It's not always correct, and when it comes to the Eastern Conference Finals, the risk of manipulation becomes greater... Jackie also lost some money. But it's not just a gambling company in Gandolfield that is running a gambling business. Jackie is considering knocking down a few newly opened gambling black bars. Some of them are betting with Jackie for hedging."

As Jackie's gambling business grows bigger and bigger, it will naturally cause a lot of trouble. Even if he is the underground emperor of New York, there will still be people who dissatisfy the emperor, so Jackie needs to free up his hands to clean up.

Arthur is very satisfied with this situation, and it is not time to settle with Jackie, he needs time.

Swallowing the sausage in his mouth, Arthur drank a glass of red wine and pointed to Matthew, "Matthew, has anyone taken over Wood's job?"

Matthew coughed and said, "Yes, but the situation is not good. The markets in Manhattan and Queens are a bit chaotic, and many small gangs are taking advantage of the opportunity to eat away. Their profits are shrinking."

The building is about to collapse, the empire is in chaos, the Gandolfer family's plate is too big, and if there are a few holes and leaks, it will appear to be crumbling.Of course, if Arthur, Abramo, Balmond and others hadn't obstructed it, the empire would have maintained well and continued to move forward staggeringly.

Arthur nodded, saw that Flo had finished, and motioned to her to take Anna upstairs.In the living room downstairs, there were five people left.Arthur turned the volume of the TV to the maximum. It was halftime, and Dick Stockton was analyzing the situation on the court. "The Knicks performed quite well in the first half. They need to play a better offense in the second half..."

Everyone put down their knives and forks and looked at Arthur sitting at the head of the table.Arthur took out his 2 of hearts from his bosom, and the goat horns on the hearts reappeared; and Abramo's 5 of clubs, the clubs turned into swords; Russell's 3 of spades, the spades turned into shields; Matthew's 4 of clubs, the clubs turned into eyes; Dorothy's 6 of hearts, the hearts turned into red lips.

"Starting today, we will set up our own organization. Only those who establish the link can become the core members of the organization. Others are also eligible to join, but they must be recommended by the core members. I have written the program, beliefs, and goals of the organization here..." Arthur took out a few leather notebooks from the cabinet and handed them to several people. "Please keep them safe, the content will be continuously supplemented and improved."

"What's the name of the organization?" Abramo rubbed the leather cover of the notebook, as if rubbing a Bible.

"My first card is the 2 of Hearts, I think, let's call it the Club of Hearts."

(End of this chapter)