Chapter 513 - 237: Cabinet Dream Shattered
"I don’t care what they call me. Thug, agitator, or dictator."
"I only care about results."
Leo picked up the remote and turned up the volume.
"Watch."
Leo pointed at the screen.
"Campbell’s defenses are about to collapse. In this country, when the guardians of order can no longer provide it, and the champions of change are the ones holding the bread, the scales of power will tip."
Leo stood up and walked to the window.
Hundreds of miles away in Harrisburg, the fire had already reached the rafters.
This fire would burn down Campbell’s cabinet dreams, and it would also burn away the old shackles they tried to lock the steelworkers in.
As for the sparks that landed on his own suit?
Leo adjusted his collar.
He had long since grown accustomed to this kind of heat.
On the path to reshaping order, every part of the process had to be baptized by this raging fire, including himself.
...
The air in the Harrisburg Governor’s Mansion was heavy with tension.
Campbell watched the news livestream on his tablet.
"Campbell is a traitor!"
"Get out of Harrisburg!"
The chants were clearly audible.
He had once thought of himself as the voice of the people, the captain steering through the storm.
Now he was discovering that he had perhaps never truly understood what the will of the people was.
The door was pushed open.
Aston Monroe strode in.
The Vice Governor’s face wore a perfectly calibrated expression of anxiety and concern—the look of loyalty unique to a subordinate addressing his superior in a time of crisis.
He locked the door behind him, shutting out the panicked whispers of the secretaries and assistants in the hallway.
"Governor, the situation is dire."
Monroe walked to the desk, his tone urgent.
"The commander just called me. The protesters are trying to storm the side entrance. They requested authorization to use their weapons to disperse the crowd, but I’ve put them on hold for now. Once the first shot is fired, there’s no turning back."
Campbell turned around, his face as pale as a sheet.
"Why is this happening?"
Campbell’s voice was hoarse, filled with deep confusion.
"But I’m trying to help them! That bill... that review committee, it was to prevent the misuse of funds, to protect the taxpayers’ money! Why are they treating me like the enemy?"
"Because someone wants you to be the enemy."
Monroe stepped forward, took the old man’s arm, and guided him to a chair.
"Don’t you see it yet, Governor?"
Monroe lowered his voice, his tone filled with a sense of profound disappointment.
"Leo Wallace has gone mad."
"He’s exploiting your goodwill, exploiting your eagerness to do something for the people."
"He incited this mob to besiege us for one reason only: to force you to cancel that regulatory rule. He wants to completely abolish the audit committee and turn that massive fund he controls into a runaway horse."
Campbell’s hands gripped the armrests.
"That bastard... I gave him a chance..."
"It’s too late to talk about chances now."
Monroe cut him off, his tone growing more serious.
"We have to face reality, Governor."
"That review committee clause, no matter how noble your original intentions, is poison in the current court of public opinion. It’s seen as a backdoor you left for the insurance companies. No one cares about the truth anymore."
"Now, there are only sides."
Campbell tried to argue, "But if I just explain it clearly, once the bill passes..."
"No, you don’t understand."
Monroe shook his head and leaned forward, his eyes locking onto Campbell’s.
"The problem isn’t just out in the square."
"The problem is in Washington."
At the mention of Washington, Campbell’s body stiffened.
"Just a moment ago, I received a call from Washington."
Monroe began to selectively report to Campbell the contents of that call from Washington.
"People from the Democratic National Committee are watching, and so is the White House."
"Do you know what they’re saying?"
Campbell asked instinctively, "What are they saying?"
"They’re saying Pennsylvania is out of control."
Monroe’s voice turned icy.
"Let’s say you manage to keep the review committee clause after this whole game with Leo Wallace."
"But if you sign that bill now, in the eyes of the bigwigs in Washington, it’s still a surrender."
"It’s bowing down to the far-left thugs led by Leo Wallace."
"You’ll be seen as a fellow traveler of the radicals, an accomplice in disrupting order within the party."
"Attorney General."
Monroe uttered the words softly.
"I heard the White House has already drawn up a list. Your name was at the very top."
"But, Mr. Governor."
"The moment you sign that bill."
Monroe made a sharp, slicing motion with his hand.
"That position will be out of your reach forever."
The only sound in the room was Campbell’s heavy breathing.
It was the sound of a dream shattering.
If he insisted on the reforms, he would have to sacrifice his own future.
And for whom?
For Leo Wallace? For that mob outside cursing out his entire family tree?
A powerful sense of absurdity washed over Campbell.
His good intentions, which he had planned to trade for a place in history, had now become a lead weight chained to his ankle.
The red carpet in Washington leading to a cabinet position flashed through his mind.
He knew he was standing on the edge of a cliff.
The only way to pull back to safety was already forming clearly in his mind.
He had to make a clean break with Leo Wallace.
He had to kill this bill to prove to Washington that he was still the same rule-abiding, order-loving member of the Establishment Faction.
The shame of such a betrayal made him nauseous.
He understood what had to be done, but he didn’t want to be the one to say it.
He sat in his chair and waited.
He was waiting for Monroe to rip away this final veneer of decency for him. He needed his Vice Governor to give him an excuse he could live with.
Monroe watched the old man before him and began to do his duty as a subordinate.
"Governor, you have to understand, this chaos is beyond the scope of administrative debate."
Monroe walked over to the desk, his voice low.
"Leo Wallace is pushing you into a pit of fire. He wants the hero’s glory for himself, while leaving you to take the blame for the riots."
"If you sign this bill now, in the eyes of the White House, you’ll be a weak leader who caved to street thugs. You’ll be seen as a betrayer of the entire order. Your dream of becoming Attorney General will be utterly shattered in that single moment."
"Washington doesn’t believe in tears; they only believe in control. If you can’t even control a single square in Harrisburg, why would they ever believe you could manage a federal department?"
The corner of Campbell’s eye twitched.
He could feel his heart, the one that craved the core of power, pounding wildly.
"You want me to withdraw it?"
Campbell finally asked the question that felt like it was suffocating him.
Monroe leaned down, planting his hands on the desk.
"You must publicly announce that the bill has been tainted by the interference of radical forces. You must tell the people of Pennsylvania that you are personally putting an end to it in order to protect law and order."
"You need to show Washington your iron fist. You need to let the White House see that when it matters most, you are still the firm gatekeeper who can be trusted, who can be relied upon to defend the interests of the Establishment Faction."
"As for those mobs..."
Monroe let out a cold sneer.
"The moment you show your strength, the moment the state police move in to disperse them, they will scatter. Fear will restore order."
Campbell was silent.
It was a multiple-choice question that required no thought.
For a seasoned politician, survival and self-interest always come first.
"...Help me prepare a speech."
Campbell finally spoke.
"I’m going to withdraw it."
"I’m having the police chief clear the square."
"You were right, Aston."
Campbell looked up at his capable second-in-command.
"We cannot bow to chaos."
"We must maintain order."
A faint smile touched Monroe’s lips.
"You’ve made the right decision, Governor."
Monroe nodded respectfully.
"I’ll make the arrangements immediately."
"The media is waiting to hear from you."
"Let them see who the real master is here."
Monroe turned and walked toward the door.
His steps were light, each one landing on a rung of the ladder of power.