Chapter 533 - 247: William Saint Cloud
The plane taxied and finally came to a stop in front of the private VIP terminal.
The airstairs slowly lowered.
Evelyn Saint Cloud stood beside a black Lincoln sedan.
She wore a sharply tailored coat with the collar popped, her hands thrust into her pockets. Her cold gaze was fixed on the massive, sixty-million-dollar machine.
It was a family asset.
Or, to be more precise, it was a necessary tool she used to maintain the Saint Claude Family’s vast, expensive, and parasite-infested ecosystem.
The cabin door opened.
A man appeared at the doorway.
William Saint Cloud.
He was thirty-five, but he looked like a college student barely over twenty on spring break.
He wore a Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, covered in an ostentatious pattern of yellow pineapples.
He had on light pink shorts, revealing his smooth calves, and a pair of sockless loafers.
A pair of enormous Gucci sunglasses hid most of his face.
The most ridiculous part was that he was also holding a stemmed glass with a salted rim, containing a half-finished Margaret.
William stood at the top of the airstairs and shivered.
"Goddamn Philadelphia."
William muttered, hunching his shoulders.
He was a waste.
This was a universally acknowledged fact within the Saint Claude Family.
William had perfectly inherited the family name, but none of its predatory intelligence or thirst for power.
He’d spent his entire life doing two things: spending money, and finding more entertaining places around the world to spend it.
Evelyn watched him walk down the stairs and come to a stop before her.
He took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of slightly puffy eyes.
"Evelyn, my dear sister."
William opened his arms, trying to give Evelyn a hug, but the glass in his hand made the gesture both comical and precarious.
"If you called me back for some goddamn family dinner, or that annual board of directors photo op, then you’re just cruel."
William complained.
"I haven’t even finished with Fashion Week in Milan. That new designer, what’s his name... anyway, his show was pure art. I was supposed to meet two models tonight and go to Lake Como..."
Evelyn didn’t move.
She didn’t even take her hands out of her pockets.
William awkwardly retracted his arms and took a sip from his glass to cover his gaffe.
"Get in the car."
Evelyn turned and opened the car door.
"We’ll talk in the car."
William shrugged, downed the rest of his drink, and casually handed the expensive crystal glass to a butler waiting nearby.
He slid into the car.
"Where to?" William adjusted his position, sinking into the seat. "Back to the estate? Or to a restaurant? I’m starving. The caviar on the plane tasted fishy."
"To Harrisburg."
Evelyn replied coolly.
"Harrisburg?"
William was stunned.
He searched his memory for the place name.
"What are we going there for? They don’t even have a single decent Michelin-starred restaurant."
"To be sworn in."
Evelyn ignored his complaints. She turned her head, her gaze locking onto William’s face.
"William, we’re sending you to the State Capitol Building."
"You’re going to be the interim president of the Senate."
The air in the car froze.
William’s mouth fell open, his jaw nearly hitting his chest.
He looked at Evelyn as if she were a madwoman.
"What?"
William’s voice shot up an octave, even cracking.
"President? Me?"
He pointed at his own nose, the ruby ring on his finger glinting under the car’s reading light.
"Evelyn, you’re joking, right?"
William flailed his hands frantically.
"I can’t even tell a legislative bill from a restaurant bill! The last time I voted was two years ago."
"You want me to be President of the Senate? Are you trying to get me thrown in jail? Or do you want me to turn the entire state of Pennsylvania into a laughingstock?"
William may have been a waste, but he had an exceptionally clear understanding of himself.
He knew what he was for.
He was in the Senate to maintain the family’s waning political influence, not to actually be in charge of governing the state.
"You don’t need to."
Evelyn reached out and straightened William’s flashy collar.
"Listen, William."
"I’m not asking for your opinion. I’m telling you."
"Leo Wallace has already arranged everything."
William frowned at the name.
"That lunatic Mayor from Pittsburgh? I’ve heard of him. Why are we getting mixed up with someone like that?"
"Because he can give you this position," Evelyn cut him off. "And we need this position."
"But I can’t do it!" William was almost in tears. "I really can’t! I don’t even know where to sit during meetings!"
"Shut up and listen to me."
Evelyn’s voice turned severe.
"The family will assign you a very capable chief of staff."
"That person will be standing behind you at all times."
"He will tell you when to bang that damn gavel, when to shut up and smile, and when to sign your name on a document."
"You won’t need to think. You won’t need to read those bills that are as thick as bricks."
"You won’t even need to know what those people are arguing about."
Evelyn stared into William’s eyes, enunciating every single word.
"All you need to do is sit in that big chair."