Empire of Shadows

Governor Terry stood beside Lance. The two had an intimate relationship, just like ordinary friends.

He proactively took out a cigarette and handed it to Lance, and even thoughtfully took out a lighter and lit Lance’s cigarette.

This scene fell into the eyes of many people. The looks in their eyes towards Lance underwent some more subtle changes.

The governor, in the federal political system, has actually reached the... strictly speaking, the pinnacle of a role.

According to the federal constitution and laws, the governor and the president are of equal rank. In a state, the governor’s political power and status are higher than the federal president’s.

So when Governor Terry, who was already at the peak of the political arena, was helping Lance light his cigarette, people had to re-evaluate their level of attention to Lance.

Governor Terry actually knew what it would mean for him to do this in public, but he was resolute, because he was also clear on one point.

That is, Lance’s status is actually higher than his.

With some of the things Lance was doing now, even if Governor Terry caught some evidence of Lance’s crimes, he would have no way to convict Lance.

On the one hand, he couldn’t do it. The bigger Lance’s business, the larger his fundamental foundation, the more benefits he transfers to Congress.In this situation, Senator Cleveland and his political group would not allow Lance to have any problems.

Because once Lance had a problem, it would not only mean a large chunk of their own interests would be gone, but more importantly, it could implicate some of them, or even all of them.

So no matter what, they would protect Lance to the death, even if it meant a face-to-face collision with the governor.

On the other hand, he also dared not to do so.

Although everyone knew that in a political struggle, everyone should adhere to the principle of not being the first to use violence to physically eliminate a competitor.

But there is no rule that can force people to absolutely abide by it. This rule is only effective based on... a situation where everyone is unwilling to cause greater destruction.

If he were to make a move on Lance, Lance’s outcome would definitely not be good. So why should he still abide by such a rule?

At that time, the huge Lance Family would launch a bloody revenge against him, his family, and his relatives. He simply couldn’t withstand such pressure.

In addition, he was, in fact, still relying on Lance’s influence in all aspects, so he didn’t mind letting people know that he and Lance were good friends, the kind that were not separated by rank!

”This time I have recruited some people. They are very interested in our idea, and are willing to join us and spontaneously maintain our interests.”

He was talking about the people he had just introduced to Lance. ”Next, I might make some adjustments to a few policies, for example, special tax, and also promulgate some new local policies and regulations.”

Lance glanced at him. ”Have you completely settled the State Legislature?”

Governor Terry nodded. ”I have talked with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. They are willing to support me, and they are also willing to join us.”

The two speakers also had no way to refuse such a great temptation.

As long as the benefits are large enough, there is nothing impossible in this world.

However, these things could not be talked about here. Governor Terry then talked about some of the things that had happened recently. What was next was to use his power as governor to promulgate local policies, to make this interest group more cohesive.

This kind of thing is not uncommon in the Federation. Some main administrators will push for various preferential policies for enterprises that are close to them. Some even almost write the company’s name into the regulations.

In this kind of operation, the capital side of the entire interest group will obtain the greatest preferential treatment. Taxes will be greatly reduced, and at the same time, they will receive more financial subsidies.

For example, everyone produces a stick. The cost is one dollar. Forty-five cents of that is the various taxes of the enterprise. The rest is the enterprise’s profit.

But with the support of the governor, their enterprise tax may be reduced to fifteen cents. At the same time, the state government will also subsidize the enterprise with ten cents, or more, for various reasons, to achieve a real tax exemption or even an additional profit beyond tax exemption.

On one side, they need to pay nearly half of the taxes. On the other side, they not only don’t have to pay taxes but can also receive subsidies from the government.

When two enterprises that manufacture the same product and have no technological gap start to compete, who can win and who can’t will be clear at a glance.

These enterprises that have achieved the final victory will obtain an absolute dominant position in the state, and also monopolize the most core key—the pricing power.

Of course, in this constantly evolving world and era, the methods of the federal capitalists will not be so crude. They will not let only one enterprise locally monopolize the industry. They will also continue to operate one or two, or even more, enterprises, still giving society and the market a feeling of ”fierce competition.”

So much so that the market may have seventy or eighty different brands of goods, but behind them are all the same company, the same group of people.

But in fact, this is just an illusion.

This is like the Federation’s oil giants, and steel giants. After being split and split again, it seems that they are not monopolizing anymore, but in reality, they are still monopolizing.

The two simply discussed for a while. Lance did not refute the general policies he proposed, so he proactively ended the conversation.

Because there were still many people waiting, waiting to meet with Lance.

The moment Governor Terry left his side, a few people immediately tidied their attire and walked towards this side.

They seemed to have discovered each other in this process. They looked at each other, and the gentleman who looked like he had a higher status had obtained the right to chat with Lance first.

He walked over with his head held high, and extended his hand from a distance. Only when he was close to Lance did he lower his head. ”Mr. White, hello...”

Lance simply shook his hand and let go. ”Hello.”

William, in the corner, looked at everything that was happening here, with a surreal feeling. Everything was so unreal!

He had dreamed of this day countless times before. Everything that was happening here. But every time the sunlight shone on his face, he would wake up from his dream.

Until he met Lance.

”Is that Mayor Lawrence?” Just as he was a little distracted, a voice of unfamiliar inquiry suddenly rang out by his ear. He turned his head to look over. It was someone he didn’t know.

However, he quickly shook the other’s hand, a reserved smile on his face. ”Yes, and you are?”

The two soon started chatting, just like long-lost friends, harmoniously and naturally.

Everything that was happening in the manor was just like what was happening in some corners of the world. If someone didn’t know what the upper class was, then when they saw everything that was happening here, they might have a relatively clear understanding of the upper class in their hearts.

...

At 11:59 and 59 seconds in the evening, when Lance stood on the steps and raised the wine glass in his hand, the guests, who were already a little tipsy, seemed to have finally forgotten their reserve and identity at this moment, and all raised their wine glasses high.

”Happy New Year!”

Whether the New Year was happy or not, Lance wasn’t too sure, but it was certainly a headache.

He had drunk a lot of wine tonight. Even though it was just a small sip each time, there were too many people who wanted to have a drink with him.

He rubbed his face and looked to the side. Patricia also slowly opened her eyes.

”I’m sorry, I woke you up.” Lance touched her cheek. ”Was last night pleasant?”

Patricia stretched, then supported herself and sat up. She got out of bed, took off her pajamas, and walked towards the bathroom, naked.

”Do you want to hear the truth?”

She tied up her hair and put on a shower cap. She turned on the shower in the bathroom, and the sound of water immediately filled the air.

Lance walked over, stood by the door, and looked at her.

”Of course.”

Patricia, while washing, shook her head. ”The truth is, it wasn’t very good. Those women gave me a bad feeling. I keep feeling that they are talking bad about me behind my back.”

”And I keep feeling that the look in their eyes towards me is a bit off.”

She turned her head and wiped the water from her face, looking at Lance outside the shower.

The entire shower room adopted Lance’s design. It was a very large shower room. The entire ceiling was a huge shower head.

When one of the switches was turned on, hot water would rain down from the entire ceiling, and there was also a ”storm mode.”

It was as if a storm had come, with the large raindrops smashing down. It felt a bit interesting.

The first time he had stood inside, he had an instinctive feeling of suffocation, but he rarely used it. Most of the time, it was just a shower that looked like a heavy rain.

Lance also took off his pajamas and walked in. He hugged Patricia from behind, feeling the sense of security brought by their hot skin touching. Patricia leaned back in Lance’s arms.

”I have a feeling that I want to run away. I don’t like this kind of occasion, and I don’t like those people whose faces are full of fake smiles.”

Lance buried his head in her neck. Actually, he couldn’t smell her fragrance here, because the ”rain” was simply too heavy.

”I’m a little uneasy, Lance.”

She still had her eyes closed. Her eyelashes were constantly being hit by the water droplets, and were continuously twitching.

”I have a feeling that I don’t deserve you.”

She turned around as she spoke, and tightly hugged Lance.

Last night, her self-evaluation was actually zero. She was completely led by Barbara in the confrontations with those noblewomen.

These noblewomen seemed to respect her very much. Everyone had a smile on their faces, but she could always see something in their smiles, in their eyes.

Disdain for her?

Possibly.

They seemed to be ”measuring” her, wanting to know what exactly made her so outstanding that she could attract Lance.

Or some other gazes.

These scrutinizing gazes, hypocritical smiles, insincere words, and the malice or goodwill that she couldn’t distinguish behind all this, made her a little disgusted with this kind of occasion.

She couldn’t deal with these people with ease. On the contrary, for Barbara, this kind of occasion was like a game.

So relaxed, and comfortable.

Lance hugged her, a smile on his face. ”You are my wife, dear. Besides me, no one can harm you.”

”If you feel that someone has shown malice towards you, tell me her name, and I will have her personally apologize to you, and beg for your forgiveness.”

Patricia grunted twice. ”That’s not what I mean. It’s just that I’m a little unable to adapt to this kind of occasion. I’m not used to this way of socializing.”

Whether it was Barbara, or her mother Emily, they could handle these noblewomen with ease. She just didn’t understand why this was so difficult for her.

Lance just hugged her, then turned off the shower, and picked up the shower gel. ”Forget about these terrible things for now. If you don’t like it, we’ll invite fewer people next time.”

She had originally wanted to say something else, but at this time, she could only answer with ”hmm.”

She actually wanted to say that next time, Lance could take Barbara with him. This cousin was too formidable. She had compared herself to her, and she was completely outmatched.

The scene in the bathroom was beautiful. The shower, which should have been finished quickly, had been delayed for half an hour before it was completely finished.

The doctor had said that taking a hot bath was beneficial to one’s health. It seemed that it was indeed so. When the two had come out, their bodies and faces were flushed red, looking very healthy.

...

It was a new year. The guests in the manor had all left, and it was much quieter. When Lance and Patricia arrived at the dining room, William and Emily were already here.

The two stood up when they saw Lance and Patricia come in. After hugging each other, they sat down separately.

Lance noticed that there was still one set of cutlery. He glanced at the butler. The butler bowed slightly. ”Miss Lorraine hasn’t come down yet.”

Lorraine was Lance’s nominal sister, and also the last person with the ”White” surname.

Lance had been sponsoring her schooling. Although she might not become a remarkable person, she had at least experienced it.

Normally, she would not return to the manor, or the villa. She lived in the school. Even on New Year’s or other holidays, she rarely came back.

It might be a little strange with Lance, or it might be for some other reason.

For example, Mr. White?

Strictly speaking, Lance was the murderer, so there might be a bit of an estranged feeling between them.

”Do you need me to call Miss Lorraine down?” the butler asked.

Lance nodded. ”Go and ask. If she is willing to come down, let her be quick. If she is not, don’t force it. Have someone send some food over.”

The butler quickly left. Lance explained the relationship between Lorraine and him.

As Lance’s closest people, and the most stable couple, they knew some of Lance’s not-so-secret secrets.

Lance had originally thought that Lorraine would probably not come to attend such a family-like breakfast. It sounded a bit awkward. After all, Lance and Patricia, and William and Emily, were a family in the true sense.

And Lorraine clearly was not. She might not come down.

But what Lance had not expected was that Lorraine had actually come down.

When he had heard her footsteps, Lance had turned to look at her, and had looked her up and down. ”You look much better than before.”

The school life had made her much more cheerful. Of course, the key was not the school, but the wealth and status.

When people knew that Lorraine was Lance’s sister, whether it was the teachers, the principal, or her classmates, they had all begun to revolve around her.

She was like the center of the universe, in her studies and in her life.

In this kind of an environment, it was impossible for a person not to become confident!

This was the most direct benefit that money and status had brought!

”Brother!” Lorraine first greeted Lance. She had taken the initiative to walk over and had hugged him, and then had looked at Patricia. She had directly called Patricia’s name.

Then she had greeted William and Emily, and had sat down in her own seat.

”I’ve been very busy these past two years. I haven’t had much time in the Federation. I haven’t had a chance to ask you about your life. Have you run into any trouble?”

Lorraine, while eating the sweet soup prepared for breakfast, shook her head. ”No, Brother. Everyone is very good to me. No one shouts at me, and you’ve also arranged for people to protect me.”

”My life now is like living in paradise. I am very satisfied!”

Lance nodded. ”That’s good. If you have any problems, you can contact me. If you can’t get through, you can call the butler, or call the company. They will handle it.”

Lorraine behaved very sweetly. ”I know, Brother.”

Lance nodded slightly. Everyone began to eat.

While eating, William said, ”The family wants to establish a logistics company. We have too many goods to transport.”

”Ordinary agricultural products, wheat, rice, and also other vegetables, potatoes, and many other things.”

”Livestock and meat also need to be transported. And the most important thing, liquor.”

”Some places have a railway network, which is convenient, but in some places, the train is not good for transportation. We can only use the truck to drive on the interstate highway.”

”Now, our goods are being transported by a transport company. I discussed it with them, and almost every year, the cost we spend on transportation is about 200,000 to 300,000.”

”Half of this is profit. The old men’s meaning is that our scale is getting larger and larger now. Why don’t we establish a transport company ourselves?”

”I think this is actually no problem, so I wanted to ask for your opinion.”

Lance nodded while eating. ”I don’t see any problem. Ask the transport company we are currently cooperating with if they are willing to sell their company.”

”If they are willing to sell, just buy it. And if they are not...” Lance swallowed the food in his mouth, and looked at William, ”then we’ll just do it ourselves.”

To acquire this transport company they had been cooperating with was a relatively gentle gesture. After all, an acquisition is definitely at a premium. It was a good ending for them to part on good terms.

Although they had lost their company, they had also gotten a large sum of money!

They could completely use this money to re-invest, or just to lie down and do nothing.

But if they were unwilling to accept the Lawrence family’s kindness, then what would follow would be a hellish competition model.

”If you decide to establish the company yourselves, I will put in a good word with Terry’s side. I will give you some subsidies, and then will give you a part of the government orders and the orders from the enterprises that are related to us.”

A smile appeared on William’s face. He had actually already inquired. If they could achieve the scale that Lance had mentioned, the annual profit would be over a million.

”Thank you...” he said sincerely.

After all, besides Lance, it was impossible for anyone else to just give you such a large sum of money for no reason.

Lance waved his hand, and placed a few slices of beef onto Patricia’s dinner plate.