Empire of Shadows

Lance was different from any gangster she had ever met.

He did not show that kind of tyranny, nor did he seem violent. He even gave people a feeling of “elegance.”

He sat there, not far from her, holding the receiver of the phone in his hand. You could even hear the waiting tone for the call to be connected.

She saw the amusement in his eyes, the confident smile on his face that was as brilliant as the sun outside.

Just looking at him, the smile on his face would give her the illusion of bathing in the sun.

But if you looked more closely, you would find that deep in his eyes, there was a deep indifference, like ice, that made people feel cold.

The call was quickly connected. A voice came from inside, disrupting her thoughts.

“This is the New Golden City Police Department emergency line. May I help you…”

Before the person inside could finish speaking, she suddenly raised her hand and pressed down on the cradle, hanging up the phone in an instant.

Her husband had made her understand a truth that others did not: a truth that 95% of the people in this world do not understand—These men in hats could actually do very little, and they could not solve the troubles of their class.

Yes, the police cannot solve the troubles of their class.

Important things need to be repeated.

For the people at the bottom, most of the troubles they encounter can be solved by the police.

For example, if you encounter a robber, a thief, a vicious dog, or… all kinds of problems, they can call the police and get it resolved.

Either they help you solve the problem, or they solve you as the problem.

But when it comes to the middle class, the role of the police is sometimes not so obvious.

Calling the police is not without value, but from the perspective of solving the problem, its value is already not great.

The middle class is the group with the most extensive network of connections in the entire social system. Downwards, they can know many ordinary people living in poor areas.

Upwards, they can also get to know some well-known social and political figures. Their tentacles can be said to be all over most classes.

They will also encounter many problems, among which may be trouble with gangs.

But among the people or friends they know, there are people who have connections with gangs, for example… Mr. Jobav, he knew people from the Camille Gang.

If a small character caused him trouble, he could solve it with a single phone call.

His friends would have people go and warn those small characters to stay away from Mr. Jobav, so he didn’t need to call the police to solve it at all. That would only make things more troublesome.

But when Jimmy, when Polly’s group caused him trouble, and he couldn’t solve it through his own connections, then calling the police wouldn’t change anything.

The problems he couldn’t solve himself, the police couldn’t solve either.

This is even more so for the people of high society.

When a celebrity with a net worth of tens of millions runs into trouble, calling the police is the most meaningless thing to do. Their first thought would not be to call the police.

They are more inclined to solve this problem through their own connections, relationships, methods, and energy, rather than wasting time on calling the police.

The madam herself might not be that outstanding, but she had an outstanding husband. She had learned more about the workings of this society and its experience from her husband.

Calling the police at this time would only make the problem sharper and more troublesome.

She pursed her trembling lips and finally mustered the courage to look at Lance. “What… do you people really want?”

She growled in a somewhat hysterical low voice, the sound squeezed out from between her throat and teeth, but she still knew to suppress her voice and emotions.

Lance shrugged. “It’s a terrible story, but I don’t really want to talk about it today.”

“You only need to understand one thing.”

“And that is, when you, and your people, acquire wealth through plunder, others will also cast their greedy eyes on you. You also have to bear the risk of being plundered.”

“You should be grateful that our target is only these stocks, and not something else.”

“You only have two choices.”

“Be an obedient lady and sell the stocks to us.”

“Or, be a loyal wife and follow your husband.”

These words made the madam’s body tremble even more. Fear and anger, mixed together, became an emotional bomb.

Her eyes were a little red, and she had lost her previous elegance and grace. “This is the last legacy my husband left for me. You can’t do this.”

Lance shook his head and said, “Sometimes what people leave behind when they leave is not necessarily a good thing, but it could also be a disaster, madam.”

“Especially in this matter.”

He paused. “Fortunately, we still have a few days. You have time to think, to try to deal with us.”

“You can call the police, you can find a judge, you can even find the people you know, the people you think can provide you with help.”

“And then, we will meet again.”

“How the future develops will all depend on you, madam.”

Lance stood up as he spoke and walked to the door, opening the study door. The smoke from outside drifted in. The three men were smoking in the corner.

Seeing the door open, the vice president quickly threw his cigarette into the ashtray and walked over. Lance nodded slightly but said nothing else.

After the people returned to the room, the madam, who had just resolutely stated that she would not sell her shares, suddenly became silent. Only her son was still insisting on the idea of keeping the shares.

But there were some things she couldn’t say to her child now in front of so many people and could only remain silent.

After talking for a while, they naturally couldn’t come to an agreement. Lance took the initiative to stand up and said that they should think about it again, and then left with the vice president.

After the few of them left, the chairman’s son couldn’t help but ask, “Mom, why didn’t you stand on my side and oppose them just now?”

“They clearly want to trick our stocks away when the stock price is low. We all know the company’s operating situation is very good. These scammers.”

The madam sat there, staring at the phone in a daze. It wasn’t until she was shaken a little that her eyes refocused.

“Do you… think your father’s death was really an accident?”

The room fell silent in an instant.

Time is truly abundant when you are rich. You don’t even know how to squander it.

But when you are not rich, it is also truly tight.

A few days passed quickly, and the time also pointed to the end of the month. The company’s financial report was released to the public. The excellent profitability made the stock price warm up a lot.

Although there was still a long way to go from the previous price, the investors’ confidence in the Liji Group was rapidly recovering.

This earned the president high praise from the board of directors, shareholders, and investors.

Someone on the board of directors was already talking about nominating the president to serve as the chairman of the board, and the voice was very high.

The death of the old chairman was indeed a huge loss for the company. He had not left behind his network of connections and had also caused the stock to suffer a heavy blow.

But from the side, how could it not be a good thing for the president?

This way he could become the chairman of the board several years earlier and truly hold great power.

He had just relaxed for a while when the head of the legal department called him.

“Mr. President, I have learned from the Department of Justice that they plan to fine us $40,000,000…”

The president’s originally relaxed expression after being tired had not had time to relax for long before it froze again.

“How much?”

“$40,000,000.”

“Fuck!”

“A fucking $40,000,000 fine.”

“Tell the judge, we are willing to pay the $4,000,000 penalty.”

All the good mood, at this moment, was completely destroyed.

He had discovered a problem.

During this period, as long as he relaxed a little, he would immediately be hit with a heavy punch.

He was even starting to be afraid of the good things he would encounter later. He didn’t know if there would be even worse news later.

The head of the legal department’s voice was very low. “The $4,000,000 penalty for breach of contract must also be paid, so it’s actually $44,000,000.”

“The other party has also sued for some other fees, which add up to several tens of thousands of dollars, sir.”

“We can’t change this outcome.”

The president was so angry that his chest hurt. He clutched his chest for a long while, and his speech seemed to have no strength. “We spend two or three million… in public relations fees at the Department of Justice every year, and you’re telling me they’re going to fine us $40,000,000?”

He was so angry he laughed as he spoke.

“Aren’t they afraid… that we’ll play hardball?”

The head of the legal department was silent, and his silence also let the president know that what he had said was ultimately just angry words.

This is the rule of the Federation, which exists everywhere, a rule that is interlinked.

You can give money, but you can’t say it out loud.

If you use this matter as a means of coercion, then everyone who has taken your money will find a way to make you shut up forever.

The president finally let out a long sigh. At this moment, he also had the same state and thoughts as the vice president before.

A mere $4,000,000…

He took two deep breaths. “Can it be delayed a little?”

“Or apply for an installment plan or something?”

The head of the legal department could only brace himself and say, “I can try, but…”

The president’s vision went black and he almost fainted. “Within a million.”

“Okay, I will get back to you as soon as possible.”

Many times, the purpose of a “punitive fine” is to make a certain company go bankrupt. This is a characteristic of the Federation. In fact, the company itself is very simple, everything is very simple.

But it is precisely because they cannot afford this punitive fine that they go bankrupt directly, and then are dismembered and divided up.

He had never thought that one day, this punch would also hit him, hit the company. After all, they were also a native enterprise of the Federation.

He sat on his chair, dejected, unable to muster any spirit.

The phone that had just been hung up suddenly rang again. He was a little afraid to answer the phone now.

But a person always has to face reality. He braced himself and picked up the phone. It was still the head of the legal department.

“There’s something I forgot to inform you of. There’s been a change in the company’s shareholding. Two percent of the shares belonging to the former chairman have been transferred to the vice president’s name…”

(End of chapter)

The novel has already been fully translated up to the last updated chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at /caleredhair