Shadow Empire

Chapter 688: More Chaos
While checking the list of visitors, the Speaker saw a name he had heard of but was not familiar with, Lance White.

"Is this matter related to this person?" He put down the list in his hand and looked at his secretary.

The secretary glanced at the slightly odd name on the list and continued with his work, saying, "Now the underground world of Jingang City has been unified, and Lance White has become the emperor of the underground world there."

"He has a close collaboration with the Williams family, and he also has some connections with the Cleveland Senators."

The Speaker of the House raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Casino."

The secretary smiled and bowed slightly, "Yes, the casino."

The huge profits brought by the casino made everyone jealous. He took another look at Lance's information and curled his lips, "Lucky guy."

In fact, he can also get a share of the profits that the Lans Casino transfers to the state government. After all, he is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, not a small figure, and the annual profit is about 200,000 US dollars.

If you think this is a lot of money, it actually only accounts for about one-sixth to one-seventh of the Speaker's annual income besides salary.

But to say that it is too little and uninteresting, it is after all two hundred thousand.

Many people may not be able to earn or take out 200,000 yuan, let alone 200,000 yuan.

After checking the materials, he sat there thinking. These people were about to arrive, and the news from Congress was for him to invite them over for a talk so that they would not continue to confront each other.

The stability of the city is very important, and this behavior is not conducive to the subsequent development of Jingang City.

He was considering what strategy to use to communicate with them.

To be honest, there is no direct connection between the Speaker of the House, Mayor Williams, and Mr. Charles and others. At most, they have a personal relationship.

Everyone knows each other, and it can be considered a superficial acquaintance. When they meet, they can say a few words, but it is limited to two sentences, no more than one.

There was no deeper communication beyond that.

He had a headache. Those people in Congress really caused him a lot of trouble.

He really could do nothing about these orders that were pressed down from top to bottom!

At 12:05 noon, the luxurious motorcade stopped outside the hotel, and Lance and Mayor Williams got out of the car.

The Speaker of the House shook hands with both of them enthusiastically, introduced himself, and then invited them into the hotel.

A little later, Mr. Charles and others also arrived here. They also had a luxurious motorcade and a seemingly large team of bodyguards.

They were a little scared, afraid that Lance would suddenly attack them, so they took precautions.

With a bulletproof car and a bodyguard team of up to fifty people, as long as Lance and his men don't drive out the tanks, even if they are attacked, Mr. Charles and his men can hold out until the Maintenon police arrive at the scene.

The Speaker of the House, who had just settled Lance and the others, hurried downstairs, shook hands with Mr. Charles and others, introduced himself, and then took them into the hotel.

The negotiations took place after dinner, and before that they were free to move around.

After lunch, Mayor Williams and Lance prepared to go back to their rooms to rest. Their rooms were on both sides of the corridor.

As we came out of the elevator, Lance took the initiative to ask, "Are you free tomorrow?"

Mayor Williams glanced at James, who took out a small notebook with his schedule for tomorrow.

"Yes, an hour and a half, after lunch."

He spoke in a loud voice, without hiding anything, so Lance could hear it.

This made Mayor Williams look directly at Lance, with a slightly inquiring look as if asking him what he was going to do.

"There's something we can talk about with Owen and his friends."

"Owen?" Mayor Williams repeated the name. "It's a familiar name, but when you mentioned it suddenly, I couldn't remember who it was."

James did remind him, "Is it the secretary of the former mayor?"

Lance nodded, "That's him."

Mayor Williams smiled a little, "I heard people say that he is actually Sidney's son."

He wanted to tell a joke he had heard, but when he saw that Lance didn't smile, he froze for a moment, "Really?"

Lance pursed his lips and didn't answer, but it was enough for Mayor Williams to know the answer!

"Wang Defa, how could he..." When he wanted to ask how could that guy Sidney do such a thing, he was suddenly stuck.

Because he thought of Arthur, Sidney's dead illegitimate son, and now Owen!
As a qualified politician, he immediately figured out a lot of things!

He used an illegitimate son who was not his own son to attract malicious fire from the outside world, but hid his real son until the end and successfully inherited everything from him.

He also heard that Owen was now a member of the state legislature, and that Sidney had squeezed out his remaining political surplus value after leaving office, which just happened to give Owen a seat in this year's House of Representatives.

This is definitely the best start for Owen. In the House of Representatives, he can get to know a lot of people and quickly build his own network.

At the same time, he does not need to bear the consequences after Sidney's downfall. He is just a secretary. Even if he cannot get rid of some causal relationships, the consequences that fall on him will not be that heavy.

Whether he seeks re-election in the future, or seeks to develop in the local area or within the party, this is a relatively perfect start.

It can't be compared with the start of directly interning in the Presidential Palace, but in terms of the region, it is already a very strong start.

Even though some people in Jingang City are unwilling to admit it, the city of Jingang City has left traces of Sidney's long tenure as mayor, traces that cannot be erased!
Mayor Williams agreed without asking what they were going to discuss specifically. He would know tomorrow anyway.

Lance slept until dinner time in the afternoon. The Speaker of the House originally planned to have everyone sit together for dinner, but was still rejected.

Lance made himself something to eat in the room, then took a shower, changed his clothes, and then went to the meeting room.

Mayor Williams and James have been here for a while, and there are two cigarettes in the ashtray in front of him.

If it wasn't all his, he was there for at least ten minutes.

He took the initiative to raise his hand and greet Lance, and Lance sat next to him.

The people sitting opposite them cast unfriendly glances at Lance, then gathered together to whisper.

After waiting for a while, the Speaker of the House finally arrived.

"The road is a bit congested. The evening rush hour in Maintenon is really life-threatening. Sorry!"

He sat at his seat, between the two groups of people, casually took out the documents from his briefcase, placed them on the table, and flipped through a few pages.

"What should I say?" After looking for a while, he raised his head and looked at Mayor Williams and Lance next to him, and then looked at Mr. Charles and others on the other side.

"I don't understand why both of you have to make such a fuss over such a small matter."

He had hoped someone would continue what he was saying. Negotiation, communication, and the most important thing was talking.

How can we talk about communication if they don't even want to talk?
However, this also made him realize the difficulty of this mediation work. He frowned and looked at Mayor Williams, "Mayor Williams, you speak first."

Mayor Williams touched his hair and said, "The planning of Jingang City is limited by the times and can no longer keep up with the current development speed. I want to expand the city to lay a solid foundation for faster urban development. They are obstructing the development of the city, it's that simple."

The Speaker of the House of Representatives was a little confused. If it was really that simple, why did they get involved with the refugee group?
He turned to look at Mr. Charles, "What about you?"

"What do you have to say about what Mayor Williams said?"

Mr. Charles shook his head. "I respect the mayor's development plan for the new city, but Mr. Speaker, I can't suffer losses just because the city needs to develop, right?"

He looked at the Speaker of the House, took out a few documents and handed them over. "This land was originally on the outskirts of the city, but according to the mayor's plan, it will soon become a new central area close to the city center."

"You should know something about the land prices in Jingang City. After these plots of land are commercially developed, their value will be much higher than the compensation package given to us by the City Hall now."

"I support the city's development, but I will not let myself lose a lot of money for the city's development!"

The Speaker of the House of Representatives looked at some of the documents he provided and suddenly had a headache. If it was just a dispute of personal feelings, it would be relatively easy to mediate, but if it was purely for money, it would be the most difficult.

This document illustrates the changes in land prices, development trends and people's confidence in the value of these lands. From any point of view, it is no problem for the prices of these lands to increase several times.

He turned to look at Mayor Williams, who frowned and said, "The city's planning is always changing. Previously, the use of this land was for industrial construction, but it will indeed change to commercial use in the future."

"According to the contract we signed and the local laws, the city hall has the power to claim back the land whose nature has been changed and re-arrange it for you."

Mr. Charles raised his eyebrows, "But the price has to be reasonable. The price you're giving now is obviously unreasonable!"

"My land is worth tens of millions and you are planning to give me a few million. Why should I obey you?"

Mayor Williams glanced at him and asked, "Everyone else can accept this price, but you can't?"

"You just want to blackmail me, don't make your reasons so grand!"

Mr. Charles couldn't help laughing, "Aha, this is the funniest joke I've ever heard, I blackmail you?"

"How much money do you have for me to blackmail?"

"Don't talk about how upright you are, Williams. You know me and I know you. Put away your tricks."

"You want these lands? Fine, no problem. Just pay for them!"

"If you don't pay and still want to get these lands, I can only say that there is no way!"

His voice was a little louder than before. After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the Speaker of the House and said, "It's not that I don't give you face, but these people's words are too irritating. They are only willing to give me one-tenth of the price of something worth tens of millions, or even not even one-tenth of the price."

"I'm not begging you, Mayor Williams!"

"You begged me!"

The emphasis he put on calling him "Mayor Williams" gave it an aggressive feel.

The Speaker of the House watched them arguing for a while and couldn't help but slap the table with his hand, and the two groups finally quieted down.

He pounded the table hard. "Quality, gentlemen!"

"You are civilized people, not uneducated illiterates. Maintain your manners and etiquette, and don't make me feel like clowns!"

He paused and said, "I roughly understand your current problem. I think we can do this!"

He looked at Mayor Williams and said, "There is nothing wrong with what Charles said. The City Hall will definitely make a profit on this deal."

"Can you raise the amount appropriately and not lock it so tightly?"

He looked at Charles again, "The planning and development of the city is also a good thing for you local businessmen."

"The more prosperous the city becomes, the more people there are, the more money you make."

"You can definitely lower the price a little bit and not be so stubborn."

Mr. Charles immediately said, "I can lower it a little, for your sake, Speaker!"

The Speaker of the House smiled more, then he turned to look at Mayor Williams, who closed his eyes and looked like he didn't want to talk.

This made the Speaker of the House of Representatives a little angry, but he still tried his best to mediate. "Look, Charles is willing to lower the price. Why can't you take two steps forward?"

"Mayor Williams?"

Of course he couldn't take two steps forward. If he took two steps forward, he would have to take many steps back after returning to Jingang City!
He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and looked at the Speaker of the House. "Others can accept the price, why can't they accept it?"

"Speaker, I don't mean to embarrass you, but if I did that, I would be the one who would be embarrassed."

"How will those who have signed the contract view me? Will they go back on their word? Will it cause problems we can't predict?"

"This price has been evaluated, from a little over a thousand to two thousand. I have shown my sincerity!"

"Other issues are easy to discuss, but this price cannot be changed!"

If he changes, it would be tantamount to a disguised compromise with the Bay Area, and the authority and majesty he has established would be completely lost with the concession.

Charles knew that he would never give in, so he expressed his willingness to lower the price. What a cunning bastard!
The Speaker of the House looked at Mayor Williams, who also looked at him without fear. Their eyes collided and sparks flew!

Lance coughed twice, interrupting the escalating confrontation.

The Speaker of the House turned to look at Lance, his expression softened a little, considering the two hundred thousand dollars a year.

"Mr. Lance, do you have any opinion?"

Lance shook his head, "No, I just think we should take a break. Everyone is a little too excited."

The Speaker of the House glanced at Mayor Williams again and gave Lance the face. "Okay, then take a break."

Arriving in the lounge, Mayor Williams sat on the sofa with a gloomy face, crossed his legs, and lit a cigarette, "His butt is completely crooked, maybe Charles and the others have already fed him!"

These were actually his angry words. Both Lance and Mayor Williams knew very well that they were definitely at a disadvantage in this kind of mediation.

And it will become the side that hinders mediation.

Whether Charles and others make concessions or how much they concessions will not affect the actual results - the mayor says one, I say two, and I win!

Mayor Williams, on the other hand, would not give in at all. Even if it was just an increase from 2,000 to 3,000 or 4,000, it would still be a concession to the Bay Area.

Those who have signed the agreement will feel regretful. What if they insist on it?

Those who were wavering would return to the Bay Area because the Bay Area had once again proved that they were the rulers of the Golden Port City.

So no matter what, Mayor Williams cannot give in, not even a single step.

It seems like this is a war about "price", but in fact, they are fighting for the highest power in the city!
"We can't continue to let this Speaker of the House mediate. He will only become more and more biased. Is there any way to...end this bad mediation in advance?"

"For example, let the prosecutor take the police to arrest those who have evidence?" he made a suggestion.

Lance shook his head. What Mayor Williams said was that there was no point in arresting those involved in prostitution through the Red High Heels' account books.

This crime may be fatal to politicians, but it does not have much lethality to these capitalists.

Lance was silent for a while, walked to the phone, picked it up, and dialed the number of Melo who stayed there.

"Have someone arrest Charles' family members, and then have them find a way to contact Charles."

He put down the receiver and walked back to the sofa and sat down. "I have arranged for someone to keep an eye on them. There will be news soon."

Mayor Williams nodded slightly. James sat in the back and wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and at the invitation of the staff, they returned to the negotiation table.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives glanced at Mayor Williams with a displeased expression and said, "You have been considering it for so long. How do you think it is going?"

He also took the initiative to persuade, "These are just some small things. There is really no need to make such a fuss over these small things. It's not worth it!"

Mr. Charles still had a mocking and sarcastic expression on his face. He wanted to see how Mayor Williams would respond if he was willing to cooperate!

Mayor Williams remained silent, and the Speaker of the House became a little impatient again. He rarely encountered such a difficult mayor-level villain. Just as he was about to lose his temper, someone suddenly knocked on the door, and the knock was very urgent.

The Speaker of the House asked someone to open the door. His secretary whispered a few words to the hotel staff at the door, and his expression suddenly changed drastically.

After the door was closed, he returned to the Speaker of the House, somewhat unsure of what to do, and whispered in his ear what had happened.

The expression on the Speaker's face immediately became serious. He looked at Mr. Charles, who was a little confused. How did this have anything to do with him?
Before he could figure out what was going on, the Speaker of the House of Representatives said, "Just now there was a call from Jingang City. Your family was kidnapped on the way home..."

(End of this chapter)