It was a simple dinner, and the three of them just chatted casually. Wendell Willkie, being very interested in the fact that Naier had just returned from Nevada, couldn't help but ask him for firsthand information.
By the way, Willkie was a Republican. He was in the same party as little Herbert, as well as the governor of Nevada, Gene, and Senator Heller. He knew a bit about the situation in Nevada. The so-called promotion of Indian reservations' development under the guise of freedom was all nonsense. In reality, it was pushed by mafia bosses like Charlie Luciano and Meyer Lansky.
The media had already dug into the story, and it was no longer a secret that, although the six licenses were nominally held by Native Americans, the real controllers were the mafia bosses.
When Willkie learned that Naier had gone to Nevada with Charlie Luciano, his curiosity grew even more. Naier covered up some parts of the story that were not suitable for public sharing but did mention his suggestion of choosing the Indian reservation as a direction for legalization and his early purchase of Las Vegas land.
This made Willkie applaud repeatedly, nearly exclaiming, "You're a genius!"
"I've often heard Mr. Frederick speak highly of you, and now I see why," Willkie said sincerely.
"It was just a bit of small cleverness," Naier downplayed his role, saying that his advice was just a small contribution to the larger outcome. Even without him, the matter would have taken shape after more than a year of discussion and investigation. All he did was nudge it in the right direction, saving months of detours.
"With my brother's brain, becoming my manager is no problem," Frederick raised his glass, laughing.
"Indeed, there's no problem at all," Willkie nodded sincerely.
With a shared topic to talk about, they shifted their conversation back to Frederick's hotel business. As a special industry aimed at middle- and low-income people, Frederick's business had expanded rapidly. In Chicago alone, he was operating two hotels with over 100 employees, and it was truly a goldmine.
Thanks to three generations of experience in the hotel business, they had plenty of skilled staff available to call on. Plus, this era had no shortage of young white-collar workers, so Frederick's business expanded quickly.
He had taken over several poorly managed hotels at incredibly low prices, often less than 20% of their pre-Great Depression value. The original setups and decorations were kept, and there was no need for any major renovations. After all, for the people coming to these establishments, comfort was secondary—what mattered was quantity.
This situation was common in both the West and China at the time. The industry wasn't about quality; it was all about volume. If you couldn't handle the volume, as the saying went, you'd be left with nothing.
After taking over these cheap hotels and recruiting workers from the special industry, Frederick remembered that he had once made a connection with little Herbert and asked him to introduce a lawyer to handle tax matters for him. So, Willkie came to Chicago, hired as Frederick's legal advisor for his so-called hotel business.
Of course, Willkie didn't stay in Chicago all the time. He was there to handle any issues that might arise with official matters, especially when the IRS or state taxes might cause trouble. Willkie would personally deal with them or send another qualified lawyer to handle the situation, ensuring that Frederick wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
After all, American tax laws are among the most complex in the world, with countless details that only a specialist could handle. As shown in The Shawshank Redemption, when the prison guard's uncle left him $70,000, after taxes, there was barely enough left to take a trip to an amusement park and buy a new car. Only a banker like Andy, who understood tax law, could find a way to avoid paying taxes on the entire inheritance by gifting it to the guard's wife.
So, despite Frederick's business acumen and Naier's intelligence, it wouldn't have mattered much if they hadn't had someone familiar with tax law to help them navigate these complexities. In the U.S., if you start a business, you need a lawyer or accountant who specializes in tax law to handle your finances.
It's a unique feature of the system!
Now, aside from Chicago, Frederick had also opened hotels in several other cities around the Great Lakes. He was extremely busy and really hoped that Naier could come and help him manage part of it. But Naier was focused on his university studies, and Frederick couldn't push him. After all, Frederick had expanded to a point where he needed to bring in more staff to continue growing. By the time Naier finished university, he could come over and start working for him. Nowadays, even university graduates struggle to find a job, and not everyone gets handed a golden opportunity.
"It was a pleasure meeting you," Willkie stood up after the dinner and shook Naier's hand.
"Likewise," Naier quickly wiped his hands and smiled at Willkie.
He then saw Frederick off, and Frederick called a taxi since it was unsafe to walk at night. Having a familiar taxi driver was more convenient.
As Naier turned around, he suddenly remembered: wasn't this the same Willkie who had been rumored to have given Mr. Chang a green hat, and not just once but many times?