Chapter 16: Things Often Come Around Full-Circle!

Veronica and Amy both spoke with Vito now, instead of going through Chelle. He asked that they contact Michelle and have her delay sending more people to the Jersey and Vegas operations, both hotels and Casino, but to continue identifying ‘good’ people, it would not be long before they were needed.

That delayed call was still something he was mulling over further.

There was another big question in his mind, ‘Whom could he trust’? There were other implications to his next move. A call to the ‘wrong’ person may result in word spreading that he was losing control. Admittedly had had lost control. He had placed too much faith in family. It was easy to see where that had led thinking about Steve, Mona and Gina.

If he was thirty years younger he would handle this himself; yeah, if pigs had wings they might fly too. Deep down he knew, just knew the family running things now did so without his input. “Everything is fine Vito, do not worry yourself” had become their standard response whenever he wanted information.

But, if not family, then who. What Saint would not succumb to power and money, specially on this scale. Instinctively he had an answer to that question but had difficulty accepting it.

Back in HK.

They say ‘Necessity is the Mother of invention’ it also prods us to reach decisions we normally would not consider. At 88, Chaing was at a crossroads. His Son would inherit the business, yes, that was the good news. The bad new was he would inherit the business and run it into the ground or as his Russian and PRC partners told him, ‘after he died within 6 months his empire would be no more’.

The solution offered was one much like Vito was facing; marry your daughter to ... one of their sons of course. A man could only rule, never a woman, especially one alone. Madame Chiang, born Soong Mei-Ling was an example of that. After the death of Kai-Shek in 1975 she lost all power and the world-class standing as ‘The Dragon Lady’ she had for over 40 years.

Knowing this he still could not sacrifice, rather enslave Mei-Shek to a life with someone she did not want, she was too much like her namesake; a strong, well-educated woman. ‘What to do?’ he thought long and hard on this one thing.

What was the saying, ‘Things look different from the top’ and yes, Chaing was viewing things from the top. Unlike Vito, he had come to grips with his mortality as well as the reality that what he would leave behind too many people would do anything to take control of it. It was not a legacy any might wish for.

The Billions already saved should keep his family in rice when he was gone, Neither child wanted nor was in a position to take over, to run let alone grow the empire this he finally realized. He decided that no one person would be left in-charge when he was gone. He would rely on a Triad, namely the Hongmen, perhaps the most powerful triad of them all with over 300,000 members.