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Chapter 57: Vito Scaletta
🕑 Added 2024-12-02 07:30:46 +0000 UTCYou’d never expect it, but when Dix gave Josh the rundown, it was a real shocker.
Unlike Lyndon Schneider, who was merely surprised by the mention of a movie company although he’s a talented man, but his personality screams "old perv" after a while of knowing him, Josh was more impressed by the nature of these industries.
Setting aside the casinos in Las Vegas and the three unspecified factories, the other assets—movie companies, Blue Network shares, and a newspaper—painted the picture of a budding media empire.
For those unfamiliar, the Blue Network later became ABC (the American Broadcasting Company). Before 1941, both the Blue and Red Networks were owned by NBC. The difference? The Red Network focused on commercial entertainment and music, while the Blue Network provided unsponsored cultural and news programs.
After concerns about monopolization, the federal government ordered NBC to divest one of its networks. NBC chose to keep the Red Network, and in 1943, the Blue Network was sold to Edward Noble, a candy tycoon, for $8 million.
Josh recalled reading about that sale in the Chicago Tribune. Since Noble was from Illinois, it was a big deal locally. At the time, Josh didn’t have the funds for such an acquisition, so he could only dream about it. Never did he imagine Dix would hand him some of those shares on a silver platter!
“How’d you get Blue Network shares?” Josh asked, clearly intrigued.
“Ha! Credit goes to those Italians. The Irish in Springfield had been struggling against them and asked us for help. After we wiped out the Italian operations, the Irish rewarded me with these shares,” Dix replied smugly.
Springfield, the capital of Illinois, is also home to the famous Springfield Armory.
“And what about the other assets?” Josh inquired further.
“The two movie companies were originally owned by Jewish businessmen. One belonged to Siegel, the guy I dealt with earlier. The other was owned by a smaller-time player. As for the newspaper? Just a small local publication,” Dix elaborated. “The three factories are a cotton mill, an agricultural airfield, and a tire factory. The latter two are barely breaking even, close to bankruptcy.”
Josh nodded thoughtfully. These seemed like decent opportunities. The airfield and tire factory, in particular, likely suffered from material shortages or lacked military contracts, which made survival hard during wartime.
“Alright. List out all these assets for me. I’ll have an accounting firm evaluate them, and I’ll buy them at market price. As for Blue Network shares, I need you to acquire every single one of them,” Josh decided.
After business concluded, Josh prepared to leave.
Dix and Schneider tried to drag him to one of their "chicken farms" (a brothel), but Josh adamantly refused. In truth, he was saving his energy for the next day. Margaret was coming back, and he wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Besides, he had a batch of goods to deliver to Yuri, which would keep him busy.
A Few Days Later
At the Chicago Union Station, a loud train whistle sounded as a passenger train slowly rolled in.
Before the train fully stopped, a soldier in U.S. Army dress uniform jumped off eagerly.
The soldier scanned the crowd and quickly spotted the person waiting for him—a modestly dressed young woman.
“Vito! Over here!” the woman called out excitedly.
The soldier wasted no time running toward her, drawing smiles from bystanders who assumed they were a couple.
But they were wrong. These two weren’t lovers—they were siblings.
“Hey, sis! It’s great to see you. Come here!” The soldier scooped his sister up in a bear hug.
“Vito, I’m so glad you’re home!” the woman replied, holding onto him tightly.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come pick me up?” Vito asked after their embrace.
“No way! If I hadn’t, you’d have trouble finding our new home,” the young woman teased.
“New home? You didn’t mention this in your letters!” Vito exclaimed, surprised.
“We just moved recently. It’s so much better than the old place. Not only that, I’ve paid off Father’s debts!” she said proudly.
“Your boss must be quite generous!” Vito nodded, recalling that his sister had mentioned working as a maid in her letters. While he wasn’t thrilled about the job, it seemed to have worked out.
“Yes, Mr. Kahn and Miss Margaret are wonderful people,” she replied.
This young woman was none other than Francesca, Josh’s housemaid, and the soldier was her younger brother, Vito Scaletta, fresh from the battlefield.
“You even have a car now?” Vito remarked in astonishment when they reached a parked vehicle.
“Oh, it’s not mine. I don’t drive. Mr. Kahn arranged it because he knew I’d be picking you up. This is Mr. Brook, one of Mr. Kahn’s bodyguards. Mr. Brook, this is my brother, Vito,” Francesca explained.
It was only then that Vito noticed the man behind the wheel.
As Vito shook hands with Brook, he immediately sensed something familiar. This wasn’t just a driver—Brook was clearly military, just like him.
