Chapter 526 - 244: Transaction Upgrade
Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill.
A black Lincoln sedan drove familiarly into Saint Claude Manor.
The security guards at the gate didn’t even stop it; they recognized the license plate from Pittsburgh.
Leo Wallace pushed open the car door and walked into the glass conservatory alone.
Evelyn Saint Cloud was standing among a cluster of prized orchids.
She seemed to be in a good mood today.
Two thick documents were already laid out on the round table.
Hearing footsteps, Evelyn turned around.
"You’re right on time, Leo."
Evelyn gestured to the documents on the table, her tone carrying the brisk efficiency of a businesswoman.
"These are the draft authorization forms for third-party asset management of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System and the State Employees’ Retirement System."
She walked over to the table and picked one of them up.
"Combined, these two fund pools are worth over one hundred billion US Dollars."
"Shall I read you our future investment plan? We intend to allocate this hundred-billion-plus in pension funds into the world’s highest-quality blue-chip stocks and hedge funds. Conservatively, the annualized rate of return will be no less than twelve percent."
Evelyn looked at Leo.
"Everything is ready. We’re just waiting for you to deliver on your promise."
"Evelyn, put the proposal down for a moment."
Leo spoke.
"Are you trying to back out?"
"No." Leo shook his head. "We need to change our deal."
The smile vanished from her face. A deeply hidden aura slowly rose, and the temperature in the conservatory seemed to drop several degrees.
"Change it?"
Evelyn’s voice grew cold.
"Leo, do you remember what you were like when you came to me to make this deal?"
"Now the agreement is on the table, and you’re telling me you want to change it?"
Evelyn narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Leo.
"Do you think my price is too high? Or are you backing out, unwilling to let the Saint Claude Family get involved in your future business?"
"Neither."
Leo pulled out a chair and sat down.
"I have no problem with the money, and I’d be more than happy to let your family manage this massive pension fund."
"But before that, I want you to hear about the new thing I’m offering."
"What is it?"
"Power."
Leo uttered the word.
"To be precise, a position."
Leo stared into Evelyn’s eyes.
"I want your man to run for Acting President of the State Senate."
Evelyn was stunned.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Is this your logic for changing the deal? Offering more and more?"
"Do you know what that position is? It’s the most powerful person in the state legislature."
Evelyn shook her head.
"What makes you think you can just give me that position?"
Evelyn looked at Leo as if he were an idiot.
"That’s decided by the fifty Senators, one vote each. Not even the Saint Claude Family can control the State Senate."
"But I can put William Saint Cloud in that seat."
Leo said the name.
Evelyn was so surprised she even forgot to maintain her elegant composure.
"William? My cousin?"
Evelyn looked at Leo in disbelief.
"The William who’s just coasting in the Senate? The William who can’t even read the clauses of a bill smoothly?"
"Leo, he has no political ambition and no ability whatsoever. The only reason he’s in the Senate is because I donate to his district every year."
"And you want him to be the Acting President?"
"That’s utterly absurd."
"Precisely because he has no ambition, precisely because he’s obedient, and precisely because he’s your man."
Leo cut her off.
"That’s why he’s the perfect candidate."
"I don’t need an opinionated politician. I don’t need an ally who will haggle with me."
"I just need someone who will press the buttons and sign the papers."
"Besides, he’s a member of the Saint Claude Family. If he becomes the Acting President, your family’s status in Harrisburg will reach an unprecedented level."
"Isn’t that what you want?"
Evelyn said, "Our family has always stayed away from such high-risk core political positions. Our strategy is to spread our bets, not put all our eggs in one basket."
"But you don’t have a choice anymore."
Leo said, "Evelyn, look at your family’s current situation."
"You may still carry the title of a great Pennsylvania family, but your influence in Harrisburg is visibly declining."
"Twenty years ago, a single phone call from you could make the Governor change his mind. And now? You have to go through lobbyists, through donations, and even kowtow to people like Monroe."
"If you could still maintain the power you once had, if even one of the male heirs in your family had been competent..."
Leo paused, his gaze sweeping across Evelyn’s face like a blade.
"You would never be sitting in this position."
"You would never have become the head of the Saint Claude Family."
Evelyn’s expression changed.
"Are you looking down on women, Leo?"
Evelyn said coldly, "Do you think I’m sitting here because the family ran out of men?"
"No."
Leo shook his head.
"I’m looking down on everyone else *but* you."
"If any of your uncles or cousins had an ounce of ability, they never would have pushed a woman like you into the spotlight."
"Don’t blame me for being chauvinistic, Evelyn. That’s just how this society works, especially for old-money families like yours."
"In the line of succession for power, women are always the last resort."
"So, the very fact that you’re standing here says something."
"It speaks to the withering talent in your family. It speaks to your weakness."
Leo’s words were harsh, but every one of them was the truth.
Evelyn didn’t refute him.
She had climbed to the top over the corpses of countless family members. She knew better than anyone the decay and incompetence within the family.
"I can understand your family’s previous aversion to politics."
Leo continued, his tone softening slightly.
"After all, politics is brutal. One wrong move and the entire family could be destroyed. It’s far safer to hide behind the scenes and play with capital."
"But now, times have changed."
"New powers are rising, and new rules are being written. If you cling to that old mindset of just providing money without taking a side, you’ll be left behind by the times."
"You no longer have a choice."
"If you don’t make a move now, you’re dead."
Evelyn fell silent.
’This is a huge gamble.’
’Pushing an ambitionless cousin into a high seat of power meant the Saint Claude Family would be completely abandoning its pretense of neutrality and entering the political fray directly.’
’Win, and the family is revived.’
’Lose, and they might not even be able to hold onto their current status.’
"What makes you think you can pull this off?"
Evelyn looked up, her gaze complex as she studied Leo.
"Evelyn, you’re underestimating the chips I’m holding right now."
Leo answered, "The current Acting President... he’ll be resigning soon."
"What?" Evelyn frowned.
"Because he *has* to resign."
Leo’s tone was certain.
"I can’t tell you anything more."
"The situation right now is this: the radical faction of the Democratic Party listens to me, the centrists listen to Monroe, and Monroe will also listen to me."
"The Republican Party is also willing to cooperate with me."
Leo stood up.
He walked over to Evelyn, and the powerful, oppressive aura he exuded made her instinctively shrink back.
"Evelyn, you need to understand one thing."
"I have the Republican Party’s votes, and I have the Democratic Party’s votes."
"In this window of time, at this particular card table..."
"My will is law."
Leo raised a single finger, pointing to the sky.
"Forget William Saint Cloud."
"If I wanted to..."
"...even if I wanted to get a dog elected as Acting President of the Senate..."
"...it would be elected."
The surroundings fell silent, only Leo’s arrogant words echoing in Evelyn’s ears.
’This Mayor, who had clawed his way up from the bottom in Pittsburgh, had grown into a true monster.’
’He was rearranging the state’s entire power structure in a way she had never seen before.’
’He even had the audacity to say, right to her face, that he could make a dog the Acting President.’
’The most terrifying part was, Evelyn actually believed he could do it.’
"So, the votes aren’t the problem."
"The only question is whether you dare to accept this proposal."
Leo warned, "Evelyn, get rid of your clever little schemes."
"Don’t think you can still hedge your bets at a time like this, and don’t think about pulling any tricks."
"We’re grasshoppers on the same rope now."
"If I lose, you’re going down with me."
Evelyn’s fingers unconsciously fiddled with the cuff of her silk blouse.
’Leo Wallace was right; the Saint Claude Family was in decline.’
’This decline wasn’t a drop in the numbers on a financial statement, but a deeper, more intangible loss of influence.’
’Her grandfather’s generation had once been the Kingmakers of Pennsylvania politics.’
’But now, times had changed.’
’The old power games, based on connections, bloodlines, and backroom deals, were being replaced by new forces.’
’The internet, populism, and barbarians like Leo who rose from the bottom and didn’t play by the rules.’
’The pampered male heirs within the family were completely unable to adapt to this change.’
’They were still using old methods to deal with a new world, and the result was one retreat after another, constantly losing ground.’
’What she had inherited was an Empire that was glamorous on the outside but steadily shrinking on the inside.’
’She couldn’t let the family sink completely on her watch.’
’She needed to make a gamble.’
’And Leo Wallace was the best bet she could find.’
’He was young, bold, crazy, and most importantly, he could win.’
’If Leo could really push William into that position, then the Saint Claude Family would essentially get its ticket back into the Pennsylvania political arena.’
’This was a golden opportunity for the family’s revival.’
’However, she couldn’t put all her eggs in Leo’s basket either.’
’This young man was too uncontrollable. He could make a deal with the Republican Party today and sell out the Saint Claude Family tomorrow for a greater prize.’
’She had to be prepared for anything.’
"...Alright."
Evelyn took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
"If you can really do this..."
Evelyn looked at Leo.
"William will cooperate."
"The family will cooperate, too."
Leo smiled and turned toward the door.
"Get William fitted for a new suit."
"At the Senate meeting, he’ll be the star of the whole state."
Leo pushed the door open and walked out.
The sunlight from outside spilled over him.
’He felt that what he held in his hands was no longer just air.’
’It was the reins of all of Pennsylvania.’