Leo didn't argue. He just wanted to see what the old fox Patrick was up to. Now he knew.
Leo had encountered this kind of thing in his previous life too — it was nothing more than arranging a cushy position for his own son, drawing a salary while justifiably taking a share from every project.
If this meant Leo would have a steady stream of projects in the future, he could accept it.
"Of course, if you're recommending him, he must be talented. The company can give him a senior executive position, light work and generous pay. And of course, this Mr. Eric will receive a share of project earnings."
"No, I think an executive director role suits him better," Patrick said, raising his finger and shaking it.
"Sigh."
Leo sighed deeply, thoroughly disgusted by the shamelessness of American politicians. Just because he was strong, Patrick thought he could blatantly steal?
The Anglo-Saxon character was on full display.
In that moment, Leo found the people from his previous homeland — whom he once disliked — somewhat endearing by comparison.
Patrick mistook Leo's prolonged silence for submission. This wasn't the first time he'd done something like this. Patrick stood up and said to Leo:
"Your company will grow stronger. Eric will take office in three days."
"No, Patrick. I don't agree. He can only have a symbolic post."
Patrick's face darkened. "You don't have the right to refuse me!"
Leo shook his head. "Patrick, at the table, the old players leave and the new ones join. No one can dictate how others play their cards."
"Are you declaring war on me, Leo?"
"No, I'm just telling you — one man can't take all the money. My offer still stands."
"Very well, boy."
As the car started, Patrick said to his secretary Cyril:
"Tell Andy to come see me tomorrow. And leak the news about turning the Lynchburg Lumberyard into the Lynchburg Hotel to those idiot lumber workers. A disobedient dog needs to be taught a lesson."
Standing by the window, Leo frowned as he watched Patrick's car leave.
Something was wrong. A cunning man like Patrick wouldn't act so aggressively just to get his son a job. Moving on to the next target before digesting the last one? This kind of greed didn't match what Leo knew of Patrick.
Something must have happened to force Patrick to accelerate.
A soft hand gently grasped Leo's. "Was the meeting unpleasant? I saw the Godfather leave looking furious," Emily asked softly.
Feeling the softness in his hand, Leo smiled and said, "It went very well."
It went well enough to help him make up his mind.
Originally, after getting his first pot of gold, Leo planned to move cautiously, using his "golden finger" to become rich before thirty. But now, someone was so eager to deliver fortune to his door — how could he not accept it with a smile?
Leo's confidence came from the fact that for some people, wealth was just money. For him, it was a power amplifier.
"Darling, tell the family not to wait for me for dinner. I have some calls to make."
Emily asked curiously, "How long will it take?"
"Quite a while. I have a lot of calls to make."
Bentonville, Arkansas — Walker Walton returned to the dinner table after taking a call and told his parents:
"I'm not going to help Sam anymore. I'm heading to Virginia."
Florida — Hunter Morton slung his rifle over his shoulder just as he got home and the phone rang. Upon answering, his cloudy eyes cleared instantly and he replied with excitement:
"Understood, Instructor!"
Las Vegas — On a construction site, three burly men were beating up a scrawny young man.
"Mind your own damn business, Faith!"
On the ground, Faith was counting. "Fifteen… The instructor said I must endure three times for each of them… That's fifteen total. Time to fight back."
"Hey, what's this idiot mumbling about?"
Before the thug could finish, Faith sprang up like lightning, leapt onto his neck, and with a swift twist of the legs — the man stopped breathing.
A few moments later, five bodies lay on the ground. Faith's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
Dragging his exhausted body back to his apartment, he saw a telegram on the floor. After reading it, a bright smile spread across his face.
Ohio, Kentucky, Nevada, California, Washington…
At dawn, Emily noticed the other side of the bed was empty again.
She turned to look toward the desk — sure enough, Leo was studying there. The man had endless energy, while she was still sore and could barely turn over.
Sometimes, having a boyfriend who was too strong was a blessing and a curse.
"Dad, where did Jack go?" Emily asked Michael over breakfast.
"I sent him to Texas. His uncle has a huge ranch out there — miles from anyone. Should be no one for him to gamble with out there."
Just as the family enjoyed their breakfast, Leo's grandfather rushed in, flustered.
"Leo, there's a crowd of workers gathering outside the villa!"
Leo and Michael came to the gate to see a large group of angry lumber workers.
"Michael, why are you closing the lumberyard? Opening a hotel? We don't agree!"
As the new union leader, John stepped forward.
"Gentlemen, have you forgotten about the Environmental Protection Act? The law represents the will of the town. I must abide by it. To prevent unemployment, we decided to use the beautiful scenery and convenient location to open a hotel."
Michael spoke sincerely.
"Hey, Michael, we only know how to chop wood — we don't know how to wait tables for fancy folk!"
"Yeah! That's women's work!"
Leo frowned. He knew Michael lacked management skills, but didn't expect the workers to be so spoiled and ungrateful.
"What do you want me to do? The law is the law," Michael said helplessly.
John opened his mouth, but another worker interrupted:
"We don't care! You're the boss — figure it out. We own 20% of the land. We won't agree to any hotel!"
Michael looked crushed.
"Gentlemen, whether or not a hotel opens won't affect the comfortable lives Michael and I lead. We could let the lumberyard rot, and wait until you all, desperate for jobs, give up your rights. But we haven't. So perhaps, you should thank Michael for his kindness."
"Who do you think you are, you damn brat? Even if you marry Emily and latch onto Michael, you're still not qualified to lecture us!"
The workers glared at Leo with jealousy.
In their eyes, Michael had mysteriously shared the money with Leo after fulfilling the order. Everyone in town believed Leo was just a lucky freeloader.
Leo didn't tolerate disrespect.
He knew these uneducated rednecks only respected strength.
He stepped forward, dodged the opponent's guard, and executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw — followed by a well-placed kick to the head.
Just enough force to knock the guy out.
That move made the crowd quiet down. They realized Leo wasn't someone to mess with.
"As for qualifications — Michael has entrusted me with full management of the Brown Lumberyard and gifted Emily 70% of the shares.
Whining solves nothing. Michael can't fix everything on his own.
The real issue is the law. If the townsfolk passed a protest to implement the Act — then we can also protest to repeal it!"