Power … was something that people were attracted to.
Trish stood by the window with a glass of red wine in her hand, looking at the beautiful scenery outside. Her mind was filled with the image of Shiksan withdrawing from the election.
She knew better than anyone else how terrifying her opponent was, but it was this kind of competitor who had pressured her so much that she couldn't breathe, who had once made her feel despair, who had just … withdrawn!
The moment she received the news, she shuddered in excitement.
It was a strange feeling, but she knew it was the climax. While she rarely had that kind of experience in recent years and didn't have a boyfriend, she wasn't a naive girl.
For a male politician, having a stable family would add a lot of points to their political image.
But for a woman, if she wanted to go further in politics, she couldn't have a stable family.
While it seemed contradictory, it wasn't at all. In fact, it was very realistic.
The reason people used families to restrain male politicians was that men were naturally more capable and ambitious. In order to prevent them from going off the rails, they had to have firm rules to regulate their actions.
Women were different. Their gender would give them a lot more attention than male politicians.
When they got too close to certain people, all sorts of rumors would inevitably spread. That couldn't be stopped.
Families would become a burden for female politicians. Other male politicians would also try their best to avoid too much contact with female politicians who had families. They didn't want to hear any rumors about them in society.
Think about it, policy decisions were always made after work hours. If one wanted to join in, they would have to give up some things.
Trish didn't have a family, but that didn't mean she couldn't have a life. Because she didn't have a family, she could have relations with any law-abiding citizen of the Union. That was her freedom.
"I've already heard that Shiksan's withdrawal might have something to do with the tax case. He's been dragged into it."
Trish's father sat on the sofa and talked about some news. He was a mayor and had his own circle of friends, so he could get some news.
He also had a younger brother, the patriarch. While his family didn't have much power, they had a lot of connections.
Ms. Trish nodded. "I know. He has never disappointed anyone."
However, there were still some things that Ms. Trish's father couldn't figure out. "You don't understand, dear. The tax bureau is a vertical agency. They are not controlled by the local government. In other words, only the Federation's General Administration of Taxation or even the President's Cabinet can mobilize them!"
"Lynch invested two sums of money in you, and now he's done you such a big favor …" His expression was a little solemn. "I think this will become a problem in the future."
"You owe him too much, and we don't know what he wants …"
Ms. Tracy turned around and walked back into the room. She elegantly took a sip of the wine in the glass, then put the glass back on the table and said jokingly, "He definitely won't want me …"
Her father was still looking at her seriously. He was not amused by her lame joke.
She sighed and comforted, "You don't have to worry too much. He must be doing this for that girl, Catherine."
"She has already been elected as a city councilor. If nothing goes wrong, she will be able to run for mayor in four years. If I haven't left that position by then, I will definitely have to pay a price!"
Ms. Tracy saw the problem very clearly. Four years later, Catherine would be 29 years old, which was just the right age.
A mayor who was about 30 years old met the expectations of a female politician. Young, beautiful, capable, and with four years of political experience, who would hate her?
No, no one would!
But to be safe, Ms. Tracy was a backup plan.
Sometimes, Ms. Tracy would be very jealous of Catherine. She knew that she shouldn't have such emotions, but she was jealous.
She had always felt that she was very lucky. Her father was a successful politician, the ruler of a city, and her father's voice was the loudest in the city.
Her uncle was a patriarch, and in the range of one or even two states, her uncle was the leader of the religious faith field!
But now, compared to Catherine, she was not so proud.
"There's still a month's time, and we have no opponents. Even if someone wants to participate at this time, it's too late."
Ms. Tracy seemed to be admiring the gemstone ring on her finger, constantly adjusting her hand posture and angle of appreciation.
That ring was worth more than a hundred thousand, but it wasn't a heavy burden to her. The money spent during the election all came from her supporters.
Politicians rarely spent their own money in the election, as they didn't have to bear the cost at all. At the same time, they had to send out enough friendly signals.
Letting capitalists donate to them was a friendly signal in itself. Only when the capitalists reached a 'deal' with the candidates could they become true allies!
Those people gave money, and after the politicians won, they had to repay them with policies and such.
She looked up at her father. "I'll be going to your place to give a speech next week. I hope we can go on stage together. People will be interested in us appearing together."
A father-daughter partnership, especially when the daughter's achievements surpassed her father's, was a scene that the people of the Union liked to see.
If their children were always inferior to themselves, human society would've been destroyed long ago.
On the contrary, when people found out that their children's achievements surpassed theirs, they would only feel gratified!
The whole state's election situation suddenly became clear due to Shiksan's withdrawal at the crucial moment.
Following the possible changes in some of the candidates for governor, some industries in various regions were also being adjusted accordingly.
A change in governor wasn't a simple matter. For example, the new governor of the Labor State was someone who advocated environmental protection. That would be a fatal blow to the entire state's industries.
Just as people were busy working for money, someone used his connections to have a chat with Lynch.
Mister Wickliff.
Lynch didn't have much of an impression of that person.
Patu said that he would definitely recover some of his losses, but he hadn't done anything so far. That made Lynch think that he might not be as tough as Patu thought.
That wasn't strange. Not everyone could be tough when facing Lynch. Private armed forces and large amounts of capital were the best and most effective way for him to defend himself against his enemies.
If people couldn't destroy the Blackstone Security's forces and the various capital methods behind them, they wouldn't be able to cause much trouble for Lynch, let alone take money from him.
After much consideration, Lynch still decided to meet that person.
The security committee had already started monitoring Wickliff, so the meeting would be safe. It would be held in his ward.
The moment he entered the ward, Lynch looked around. "I didn't think medical services would be so comprehensive. Do they have a standalone villa?"
"Sometimes, I don't really like to squeeze with a lot of people, especially when it comes to medical matters."
Wickliff smiled and sat up on the bed. He paused for a few seconds before standing up with the help of others. Just that alone made him a little breathless.
He pressed his hand on his chest, and a pained expression appeared on his face. Even if he took medicine for heart failure, it would have a very limited effect on the process of heart failure.
There was a distance of about ten meters between him and Lin Qi. Lin Qi could see the pain on his face, but he didn't move. He just stood in the distance.
Wickliff almost sat back down after standing up. His legs were weak and trembling. Recently, the doctor told him that his kidneys were starting to fail. There were many reasons.
Perhaps it was because he was old, or there might be other factors. But whether he knew it or not, it didn't matter anymore.
After resting for a while, he walked up to Lynch with the help of the people around him.
It took a few minutes for him to cross the distance of ten meters. With a kind smile on his face, Lynch raised his hand and shook hands with Wickliff. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Wickliff. I heard you wanted to see me?"
He let go of his hand and walked to another door. Through the window, he saw a living room on the other side. He opened the door and walked over.
Standing in the living room, he looked at Wickliff in the ward. "I don't like the smell of disinfectant that much. Although it can soothe people's minds, let's talk here."
He was torturing Wickliff, and the latter knew it very well. But there was no other way. He needed Lynch's help now, and he also knew that Scarface had accidentally killed an employee of Blackstone Security in order to capture Sister Charlie.
He gritted his teeth, and his lips were a little blue. A nurse quickly carried a small oxygen tube and put an oxygen mask on him.
Only then did he feel a little better. Slowly, with the help of the nurses, he came to another room.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lynch. My current situation …" He smiled bitterly and spread out his hands. "You must have noticed it too. If I've been rude, I apologize to you!"
Lynch nodded. "I sympathize with your situation, but I can't do anything for you. After all, I'm not a doctor."
Mr. Wycliff sighed. "I understand. I've invited you here to discuss a business deal with you."
"To be honest, I'm very short of money recently. After the silver case, most of my funds are …"
"Now I need a lot of money to maintain my illness. I've thought about it, and you're probably the only one who can help me!"
He was very sincere. He had no intention of hiding it, and he couldn't hide it.
If Lynch wanted to find out why he needed money, it might be a matter of a phone call and waiting for a little while. So, he might as well say it directly. At least he could show his sincerity.
Lynch raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure if we can work together. At least, I haven't found out."
Wickliff rested for a while before saying, "Charlie and Sister Charlie's treasure …"