Chapter 572 - 268: Schrödinger’s Monroe
This wasn’t a choice between Washington and Pittsburgh.
It was a choice between survival and destruction.
"I’ll be right down."
Monroe hung up the phone.
He grabbed the jacket from the back of his chair and hastily put it on.
Monroe turned and walked out of his office.
The stark white light of the hallway cast his shadow on the wall, stretching it long and distorted.
...
On the way from the Governor’s Mansion, Leo sat in the back seat, watching the intersecting lights of Harrisburg pass by the window.
Campbell was now clearly blocking Washington from pressuring him.
If even he could realize this, there was no way Washington hadn’t prepared for it long ago.
Leo dialed Murphy’s number. He needed to know Washington’s true stance.
Two days later, Murphy got back to him.
"Daniel mentioned something during a meeting on Capitol Hill today." Murphy’s voice sounded uneasy. "A few bigwigs from the Democratic National Committee, including House Whip Montoya and Majority Leader Raymond Walker, spent three hours together yesterday afternoon."
"It was a closed-door emergency meeting. Very high-level. Even Sanders was left out."
Leo’s fingers tightened slightly around his phone.
"What was the topic of their discussion?"
"I don’t know." Murphy let out a breath. "But one of the attendees was Aston Monroe’s mentor from his time studying in Philadelphia. That person is now a senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee, specializing in vote projections for Swing States."
Leo hung up.
’The logic clicked into place.’
If he were one of those bureaucrats in Washington, faced with a contagion that could detonate public opinion nationwide and even hold the entire party hostage, their only choice would be to excise the lesion.
Campbell had made friendly overtures, which meant he wasn’t on Washington’s side. Therefore, Washington must have been making its own preparations.
The most logical path was to prop up a number two who was eager to take the top spot.
Aston Monroe.
Leo’s mind raced.
’So the most critical question now is, has Washington already contacted Monroe?’
’If they have, what terms did they discuss? What is Monroe’s real stance right now?’
At this moment, the Philadelphia elite was like Schrödinger’s cat.
He might have already accepted Washington’s offer of amnesty and was preparing to backstab Leo; or he could still be watching from the sidelines, waiting for a better offer from either side.
Leo decided to bluff Monroe and see what he could smoke out.
Harrisburg. The Lieutenant Governor’s Office.
Leo pushed open the doors to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.
Aston Monroe sat behind his desk, head down as he reviewed a report.
He looked up at Leo. "Leo, what brings you here at this hour?"
Monroe put down his pen, his tone flat.
"Finished cleaning up the mess in Pittsburgh?"
Leo didn’t stop. He walked straight to the desk, his gaze locking onto Monroe’s eyes.
"Washington contacted you?" Leo asked directly.
The instant he asked the question, he had already run through all of Monroe’s possible reactions in his head.
Monroe might deny it outright, feign confusion, and then ask Leo what nonsense he was spouting, trying to cover up his contact with Washington.
Alternatively, he might feign immense shock and anger, accuse Leo of spying on him, and then turn the tables by attacking Leo’s personal character.
He might even put on a profound air, playing tai chi with Leo with an "I know something you don’t" attitude, neither confirming nor denying anything. He would use this to raise his own value and seek greater benefits by playing both sides.
These were all standard Politician’s moves.
Leo watched Monroe calmly, waiting.
The muscles on Monroe’s face remained tense for half a minute before he slowly nodded.
"Yes. Raymond Walker called me personally." Monroe crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
Leo hadn’t expected this. Monroe had chosen the one reaction he hadn’t anticipated.
Such honesty rendered the entire playbook of arguments Leo had prepared completely useless.
For a moment, Leo didn’t know how to respond. He could only stare at him, waiting for what came next.
"However, I’ve ultimately decided to continue cooperating with you." Monroe stood up. "Because rather than be Washington’s dog, I’m more interested in seeing how you’ll play this game of chess."
Leo looked at Monroe and instantly understood.
This unexpected frankness was, in itself, a response.
Monroe had laid Washington’s cards right on the table. He was observing Leo’s reaction, waiting for Leo to offer a corresponding price.
This meant that on Monroe’s scales, the weight on Leo’s side was at least as heavy as Washington’s.
He was inclined to cooperate, but he needed a reason to fully commit to this side.
Realizing this, Leo knew where he stood.
He knew that Monroe, an elite Politician groomed by a prominent Philadelphia family, had only ever had one thing on his mind: profit.
In that case, he would just have to give him a greater one.
He walked over to the huge administrative map of Pennsylvania hanging on the wall.
It was a detailed map.
Every county, every highway, every river, and even the border of every electoral district was marked with extreme clarity.
Leo extended his index finger and pressed it firmly onto the center of the map.
"Aston, let’s be frank."
"In that phone call from Washington, the first thing they must have brought up was the out-of-control public opinion across All of America. They would have told you that the photo of the Wailing Wall from the Luigi case has the bigwigs at the Democratic National Committee squirming in their office chairs."