Empire of Shadows

Although Arthur was only the "unimportant" youngest son of Councilor Williams, it didn't mean Councilor Williams didn't like him.

In fact, if not considering it from a work perspective, Councilor Williams favored this youngest son somewhat because of his mother.

Men always have these strange and complex thoughts, especially some successful Federal men. They want their wives to be both their sexual partners and their daughters.

It's not to say they have any perverted sexual preferences. This is just a change that "success" brings them.

Most males of intelligent animals are like this, and it's also a way to show their strength.

So, although Arthur wouldn't become the next "Councilor Williams," no one would underestimate him too much.

But they wouldn't value him too much either, after all, he couldn't inherit the core power and wealth of the Williams family.

Out of respect for Councilor Williams, he also had a place in this circle.

He looked towards the person who was speaking, and his initial thought of fighting with the other party immediately vanished. It was Fleming who was speaking.

Fleming's surname was Coda. In this city, they were known as "the wealthiest family."

The Coda family had been committed to laundering money, although everyone knew it was impossible to completely launder it, because if they really had a day when they completely laundered their money and had no black money at all, and no criminals in the family.

Then the moment that day arrived would also be the moment they sent themselves to the guillotine!

They established the "gambling table dynasty" of King's Harbor City through violence, and what protected this honor was not their gentleness or their humility, but the guns held by their gunmen, and the bullets that were already loaded and could be fired at any time.

Fleming was one of the core heirs of the Coda family. In recent years, the Coda family's active laundering had also allowed the local upper class to accept them. Although everyone was equally rotten at the core, at least on the surface, they didn't want people to think they were mingling with the mafia.

Seeing that someone was going to step forward, Arthur smiled and raised his hand, "No one is more suitable here than you, Fleming."

The guy in his words smiled very reservedly, but everyone could read the arrogance hidden beneath his peaceful smile.

Perhaps on other issues, he wasn't good at showing certain traits, but when it came to comparing who was richer, most people here were not his opponents.

Fleming walked up to Arthur and put his arm around his shoulders, "Then it's settled. I have a ready-made villa in the Bay Area that Shaina can live in."

The others remained silent. Their fighting with Eric over wealth was only because the rumors were getting worse and worse. They were unwilling to let an outsider marry their local opera flower.

But to say how many people here really liked Shaina, there really weren't many.

These playboys might be changing different sexual partners every day, young, beautiful, mature, charming. In a city with more than one million permanent residents and population trade, as long as they had money in their pockets, they could get everything they wanted!

Fleming got this opportunity. A group of people followed him out of the room and saw the ivory-white convertible in the parking lot outside the opera house.

Upon seeing this car, someone still couldn't help but whistle.

"Twenty thousand, Eric is really willing to spend. I remember he didn't have that much money," someone whispered in the crowd.

Although the mayor doesn't actively interfere with Eric's spending, everyone has known each other for six years and knows each other's situation very well.

Eric only has a two thousand allowance per month, which is already the limit. With his attitude of not daring to speak loudly in front of the mayor, it's impossible for him to ask the mayor for money again.

As soon as he spends almost all the money on hand, his consumption will obviously be downgraded.

He never saves money, at least no one has ever heard of him having the habit of saving money, otherwise there wouldn't be a situation where he has no money at the end of the month and borrows money from others.

This time he can take out so much money in one go, it's hard not to imagine where this money came from.

Shaina surrounded the car, and the fiery red fresh roses on the seat also made her particularly fascinated. She looked at Eric with a face full of surprise, "Can I sit in and try it?"

Everyone has something they can't resist. She was already tired of that rigid car, which had no personality at all, and was not modern. Unlike this car, even a screw made people like it from the bottom of their hearts.

Her salary was not enough to support her buying such a convertible, and her family would not take out so much money just because she wanted a convertible.

Eric had given her many things, but this time, she felt that Eric had finally become smart and sent it to her heart.

She smiled sweetly and said "Thank you" to Eric, which made Eric's heart bloom instantly. He directly opened the door of the driver's seat, "Beautiful lady, this is your moment!"

Shaina sat in the car, touching here and looking there, seeming very satisfied.

At this time, another group of people had approached. Fleming stood at the front, "It's just a car!"

His voice was not small, and Eric immediately turned his head to look at him impatiently, "It's just a car, it's easy to say, but why did you give me this opportunity?"

The lackeys around him also laughed, but instead, his momentum did not fall into a disadvantage.

Fleming took out a cigarette and lit one. He didn't even look at Eric, but looked at Shaina, who was sitting in the driver's seat and grabbing the steering wheel, "How can it be enough to just have a car?"

"You should still be living in Prussia, right?"

Shaina looked over here. She left the car a little embarrassed, "Yes, I still live in Prussia."

"Is there a garage?" Fleming asked, "This kind of convertible is most afraid of rainy days. If you forget it outside and don't put up the car cover, you can raise fish inside when you find it."

Shaina's expression changed slightly after hearing this. The house she was living in now belonged to her father, and her father and mother were not here.

The detached house had a garage, and the garage was not small, but she had already had someone change the garage into a training room.

The soundproof decoration was done inside, and a wooden floor like a stage was laid. She would practice singing or dancing inside.

In other words, she now has no place to park this convertible.

Just when she didn't know what to do, and Eric was about to teach her how to manually raise the car cover, Fleming suddenly said, "I also have a villa in the Bay Area that I haven't lived in. Everything is brand new."

"There's a private swimming pool, a court, and a very large garage. Not only can you store this car in it, but you can also store many cars!"

"Anyway, it's empty. As long as you give me a dollar, I'll rent it to you."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to get close to you, I just look down on an out-of-town nouveau riche who wants to take away our opera flower with twenty thousand dollars."

Shaina's face was a little rosy, she was a little excited!

She liked these excellent men vying for her favor, and only in this way could her status and value be reflected.

"The idol of young people in the city," someone has already started to praise her like this. Isn't this a part of the life she craves?

If she could have a higher status and more wealth, that would be even better.

She glanced at Eric without showing any trace. Eric had never been put on her "menu." An illegitimate child who couldn't see the light, even if the mayor favored him, he would only be a marginal figure in the future.

Not to mention that they couldn't see how much the mayor favored him!

And there, Fleming and the others, they were all the "future" of this city. In fact, who to choose was never a question from the beginning!

No matter who she chose, Eric could not appear on the list of candidates.

Maybe before the rumors spread, she might have considered it, but the moment the rumors rose, she never considered it again.

Shaina's somewhat shy appearance made Eric's saliva almost come out, but when he thought that her shyness was not because of him, he couldn't suppress his anger!

"Wouldn't it be not very good, I'm afraid someone will misunderstand..." Shaina's tea art level is there, but not high, but it's enough in this era.

When the big man made Fleming also feel the pleasure, he laughed heartily, "It's okay, it's just a villa. If Shaina, you want it, I can give it to you!"

Shaina's eyes flickered, and finally she shook her head, "I'm not so greedy, Fleming, I'm already very grateful that you can let me live there."

Watching his goddess being moved by someone else's generosity, it was equivalent to Eric spending twenty thousand to decorate the current offender!

It was clearly a warm ivory white, but at this time it seemed a little dazzling!

He went around the car and walked to Fleming's side, and the side of other locals. The lackeys behind him also followed closely.

"Do you have to be against me?" Eric couldn't suppress his anger anymore!

They had been targeting him all this time. If he sent one, they would send two.

If he sent jewelry, they would send a set of jewelry.

Now he finally managed to get Lance to open the casino secretly, and scraped together twenty thousand to buy a car, and it did make the goddess happily say "Thank you." He hadn't had time to suggest that Shaina drive the car and take him for a ride, and then express his feelings again on the way.

That Fleming, what a bastard, always sticking his oar in!

In front of a detached villa with a private swimming pool and tennis court in the Bay Area, a convertible worth twenty thousand… really wasn't quite enough.

Fire blazed in his eyes. Fleming was taller than him, looking down at him with a condescending gaze. "It's not that I'm deliberately trying to oppose you, but that you've never understood the situation, Eric."

"This is Goldport City!"

His words weren't entirely explicit, but they were completely clear.

Goldport City was the Goldport City of their political forces and the five major families, not the Goldport City of Eric and his uncle.

It wasn't that they were deliberately trying to oppose Eric, but that Eric was challenging their dignity!

If there hadn't been those rumors circulating, Eric pursuing Shayna would have been just that, and no one would have targeted him before.

But now that the rumors had spread to the point where ordinary people on the street knew about it, it was no longer just a matter of young people's hormones at play, but a battle for honor between locals and outsiders!

Both sides had reasons they couldn't lose, and reasons they had to win.

Hearing Fleming say such a "familiar" sentence, Eric grabbed his clothes and cursed, "Fuck!"

However, the next second, someone suddenly shouted, "Outsiders get out of Goldport City!" and threw a bottle over, hitting Eric directly on the head.

His whole head buzzed, and hot, sticky blood flowed down his forehead. He touched the warm, wet substance, the scarlet color shockingly visible even in the night.

The scene was silent as the grave for two or three seconds.

Fleming was also a little dumbfounded. He looked back at the twenty-odd people behind him, his face questioning, as if to say, "Who the hell has such cheap hands?!"

But… it was a little late to discuss this now. The next second, Eric punched Fleming in the nose as if he had gone mad.

Fleming had never experienced that sensation before!

It was both sour and painful, and his nose immediately started bleeding. One of Fleming's cronies, seeing him suffer a loss, rushed forward swinging his fist.

Fleming also swung his fists. He had never suffered such a big loss since he was a child!

Eric also had quite a few lackeys. He was isolated now, so he had the most lackeys.

These lackeys didn't have the chance to consider the pros and cons at this moment. If they didn't step up, they would not only have offended the local forces, but also a portion of the outsider forces led by the mayor.

The only thing they could do now was to charge forward!

A brawl broke out when no one expected it. Morris shrank his neck and retreated into the darkness.

He would follow Eric every time Eric came out. Lance had told him to try to stir things up, preferably to get them to fight.

He had never had the chance before, but today, the atmosphere was just right. He deliberately threw the bottle he had prepared for a long time, and it successfully hit Eric's head.

Now, he should hide.

Even the most elegant gentlemen have more or less violent tendencies hidden in their bones.

Having been targeted all along, Eric, who felt suppressed, began to fully release himself. He didn't care about anything anymore, grabbing someone and just beating them to death.

He knew he had taken a lot of punches, but he didn't feel any pain. The only thing he wanted to do now was to make Fleming pay for sticking his neck out tonight!

Police sirens, the wailing of the police, quickly echoed through the night sky. In less than five minutes, several police cars arrived.

Outside the theater, a brawl had erupted—

Mainly Eric and his lackeys getting beaten, but they would occasionally grab a few people and beat them.

The branch director of the Starlight District Branch breathed a sigh of relief. He was shocked when he received the alarm call!

If these young masters had an accident in his jurisdiction, it wouldn't just be a question of whether he could keep his position, but whether he would suddenly die in some corner!

He directed the police to quickly separate these people, which was definitely a novel experience for him and his subordinates.

These young masters, who were usually high and mighty, could also swear, and swear so filthily!

They were cursing each other's families. Shayna stood aside, her face pale. She knew things had gotten out of hand!

The mayor was entertaining guests that night. This city wasn't truly an iron monolith. There were still some dissatisfied capitalists and forces who had been locked into a rule-permitted range because they had no channels for advancement.

If they didn't rely on external forces, then they would never have the chance to take another step in their lives.

They couldn't choose the rule-makers of Goldport City as their backers, because these backers were not only someone to rely on, but also a mountain weighing down on them, preventing them from easily turning over.

Only someone who could break the deadlock could bring them a promising future and hope.

The fact that the mayor had gone to see Director Dale wasn't kept secret. Of course, their explanation to the outside world was that they had talked to Director Dale about the bombing and hoped he could resolve these issues as soon as possible.

But some people would think deeper. Could these two outsiders form a group?

Director Dale, who had just arrived in Goldport City, had already felt the enthusiasm of the people of Goldport City. If he didn't want to be drowned in the ocean of enthusiasm, then he had almost only one way.

One was the nominal first person in administration, and the other was the first commander of a vertical law enforcement department whose power was constantly increasing. Would the alliance of these two people trigger some special chemical reaction?

People didn't know, but for those who dared to speculate, it was already worth it for them to get acquainted first.

His personal secretary walked over, bent down and whispered a few words in his ear. He stood up with a reserved smile on his face, "I'll take a call."

The other gentlemen naturally wouldn't say no, and all smiled and said, "Please."

After he left the conference room, his expression became calm, "Why did they fight?"

The personal secretary said softly, "I heard it was a lovers' quarrel."

"Eric was isolated and targeted by those people, and then he was probably provoked. Someone threw a bottle and broke his head, and then he started fighting."

The mayor's serious expression suddenly softened a little, "In other words, he was in the right, wasn't he?"

The personal secretary nodded, "Theoretically, their people made the first move."

The two walked into the side hall. The mayor sat on the edge of the chair and answered the phone, "You can speak now…"

"Your Excellency the Mayor, the situation is like this…"

The call was from the branch director of the Starlight District Police Branch. After he heard the end, he gave instructions, "Although it didn't cause any serious consequences, and everyone is familiar with each other, their behavior is indeed somewhat questionable."

"Let's do this, lock Fleming up for a week, and release the others."

"Mayor…", the branch director's head buzzed when he heard this. Wasn't this trying to harm him?

But the mayor didn't give him time to speak, "I still have engagements, that's settled!"

With a snap, he hung up the phone…