MC Bookstore Chapter 23 Previous Offenses
Chapter 23 Previous Offenses
The group entered the courthouse, submitted the documents according to procedure, and were soon notified that the judge had scheduled a brief hearing.
The judge in charge of their case was a middle-aged woman. When she learned that Zik was just a sixteen-year-old songwriter who could write hit songs, her eyes instantly showed more favor.
Even more fortunately, their case was the first one the judge handled after starting work that day, and the judge seemed to be in a very good mood and spoke in an exceptionally gentle tone.
In Zik's view, these hearings are basically just going through the motions.
The judge's questions were simple, mostly revolving around the brokerage contract: asking if Zik fully understood all the terms of the contract and whether he signed it voluntarily; asking if Rossi was aware of his responsibilities as a guardian and whether he agreed to Zik choosing Tino as his agent.
Both Zeke and Rossi answered questions according to the agreement they had made with Herbert beforehand, and everything went very smoothly.
But just as the hearing was about to end, the judge found an excuse to ask Rossi, Colin and Tino to wait outside, saying he wanted to speak with Zeke and Herbert alone.
After everyone had left, the judge's gentle expression vanished, and his tone became serious: "I will not admit to saying the following words once I leave this courtroom. But Zik, I must remind you that your agent, Tino Barzi, whose real name is Dante Bazzottini, has a criminal record."
Zeke's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked at Herbert. Herbert shrugged, not surprised at all; he had mentioned this before.
The judge continued, "During his tenure as Frank Sinatra Jr.'s tour manager, he purchased plane tickets worth more than $50,000 at half price from gangsters, enabling Sinatra Jr. and his eight entourage to fly around the country for tours."
Those plane tickets were purchased by the gang using stolen credit cards. Tino was eventually arrested and convicted, but received a suspended sentence.
"It doesn't sound like such a big crime," Zeke thought.
The judge's tone became more emotional as he continued to persuade, "So, you still want to choose an agent with a criminal record? He may still have ties to the mob. Besides, you should have heard of this case. Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped in a sensational kidnapping case while he was working as a tour manager. Frank was only nineteen years old then. God bless that poor kid."
Zick had indeed heard of this case. In December 1963, shortly after President Kennedy's assassination, young Frank Sinatra, who had already established a strong foundation by touring with his father from a young age, was kidnapped in California. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $240,000, an event that caused a sensation at the time, becoming the focus of national attention and even overshadowing the aftermath of the presidential assassination for a time.
After his father paid the ransom, Frank Jr. was successfully released in Bel Air on December 11. The two kidnappers were quickly apprehended by the police and punished accordingly. However, this sudden kidnapping left an indelible psychological scar on Frank Jr., instilling in him a fear of the entertainment industry and nearly causing him to leave the stage.
Herbert was the first to recover, nodded to the judge, and said sincerely, "Your Honor, thank you for your kind reminder. We will consider it carefully."
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Qi Ke, his eyes questioning.
Ultimately, the decision rests with Zeke himself.
Zik swallowed hard, a difficult decision forming in his mind: should he eliminate Tino?
If he says "no" now, the brokerage contract will not take effect, and he can find a more reliable broker with no criminal record.
But he soon discovered that his moral stance was somewhat untenable, simply because Tino had once bought cheap plane tickets from the mob.
He himself is an outsider to a gang, and even a former robber. What right does he have to judge Tino's past?
He recalled how Tino had been so subservient to the bigwig at the King's Lounge, and the answer gradually dawned on him:
Tino didn't know any real Mafia bigwigs; he was just a nobody trying to make more money by leveraging the gang's influence. In terms of gang connections, he was no match for Tino.
Moreover, can he guarantee that he can find another agent who doesn't care about his gang background?
He'll likely find it hard to escape the gang quagmire of Brownsville anytime soon, and if the Sirens want to continue performing, they'll also have a hard time avoiding entertainment venues controlled by gang members.
In fact, given his status, having Tino around would actually save him a lot of trouble.
Unless he makes up his mind now to completely sever ties with the gang, and even his family, and leave Brownsville to start anew.
Is it really possible?
He abandoned his family and the musical opportunity he had worked so hard to seize.
More importantly, what will the Poly Group boss, who has just won over him, think and do when he learns that he plans to completely sever ties with the gang?
He simply couldn't afford the risk of the big boss turning against him.
After a moment of silence, Zik raised his head, looked firmly at the judge, and slowly said:
"Your Honor, I believe what the Bible says: 'Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.' Tino... or rather, Dent, made a mistake, but he paid the price and accepted the punishment of the law. I think God would be willing to give another chance to someone who is willing to correct his mistakes. I still hope he will be my agent."
The middle-aged judge couldn't help but shake his head in praise: "You are truly a devout child, with a heart of gold. In this restless era, such tolerance is so rare."
Qi Ke was a little embarrassed by the praise and smiled shyly.
He wasn't actually that devout; he just weighed the pros and cons and made the choice that best suited him.
I heard these biblical words from Pastor Miller at the YMCA.
The judge said no more, picked up the contract on the table again, and examined it carefully, focusing on whether the contract terms were fair, especially the proportion of the trust account. Herbert had set this proportion at 50% to protect Zeke's interests to the greatest extent.
After confirming everything was correct, the judge instructed the bailiffs to call back the others, sign the court order, formally approving the brokerage contract, and designating the Morgan Guarantee Trust Bank account that Herbert had applied for in advance, ordering that $5000 of the $1 advance payment be transferred into this trust account.
Herbert explained to Rossi, "The money transferred into the trust account will be in a 'semi-locked' state, remaining there until Zeke turns 18. During this period, any early withdrawal will require another application to the court, and it must be proven that the withdrawal is solely for Zeke's benefit, such as paying tuition or purchasing musical instruments, and no one else has the right to use it."
"I know, I wouldn't stole my son's money," Old Rossi said with a laugh.
After finishing their court business, the group rushed to the bank to cash Amanda's $1 check.
According to the court order, after deducting the $5000 transferred to the trust account, the remaining $5000 can be transferred to a disposable account in Zeke's name for his current education, living, and career-related expenses. Tino's brokerage fees and Herbert's lawyer fees will also be paid from this account.
After completing the account procedures, Zeke also received his own checkbook.
"Tino, you've worked hard these past few days too. It's been a pleasure working with you." He immediately planned to open a deal with his agent.
Tino beamed, unable to contain his excitement: "In all my years as a manager, you're the first artist I've ever seen start making money so quickly after signing a contract, Zeke. Looks like I wasn't wrong about you; we're sure to make a fortune in the future."
"You bet," Colin joked from the side, "They just left the courthouse and went straight into the bank."
At this moment, the teller who was processing their transaction changed her expression: "I'm sorry, sir, we just received a notification that this check cannot be cashed."
One sentence brought the laughter to an abrupt halt.
Zik's smile froze. Old Rossi stepped forward and asked urgently:
"Unable to redeem? Why? Has my son been scammed?"