Empire of Shadows

“A very sumptuous dinner!” said Mrs. Charles, who was sitting in the car, touching up her makeup in the mirror.

Today was the second day of the New Year. The lively upper-class social life had already begun. Because Mr. Charles was not here, Mrs. Charles needed to carry out more “madam diplomacy” to maintain their family’s popularity in the upper class.

In fact, being a person of power and influence also has many troubles, for example:

If you or your family do not appear in front of people during key holidays, they will suspect whether your family has encountered some trouble, so much so that you did not appear when you needed to.

But if you appear too many times, too frequently, they will suspect whether you are plotting some conspiracy, and thus become suspicious.

Today, Mrs. Charles had been socializing outside for a whole day. In the morning, she attended a relatively high-end fashion salon.

Some of the well-connected ladies in the Golden Port City upper-class ladies’ circle gathered together. The managers and artistic directors of some fashion brands were also at the scene. They brought the new product catalogs for this spring and promoted this year’s fashion trend to them.

By the way, they also invited them to attend this year’s spring press conference. Maybe someone would get carried away and order a set of flashy and impractical fashion.

Their main job was to compliment each other, and then to appreciate the catalogs of those new products, and finally, it was over.

The entire fashion salon took two hours. Then she immediately returned home to change into a different outfit and accessories, and then immediately attended the “New Year’s Luncheon,” which was also a ladies’ social circle.Another group of ladies with good relationships, or of the same status, gathered for a meal in a sunroom. The room was surrounded by blooming flowers, and the rich fragrance made her feel a little nauseous.

But fortunately, the dishes were not so greasy, and the red wine was not bad. Everyone ate and chatted, talking about some meaningless and un-nutritious topics, which lasted until 1:30 in the afternoon.

Then she rushed home without stopping to change into another set of clothes and matching accessories and attended the afternoon tea party.

It was also a ladies’ social event, taking into account another group—these circles had overlapping parts, but also non-overlapping parts. It was possible that just a few more people’s changes would evolve into several circles.

Women are always very complicated, especially on the question of “are you one of my people”!

Fortunately, the “Flower Date” in the sunroom at noon had left her with no appetite. At the tea party, she had a little bit of pastry, which was sickeningly sweet, but the coffee was not bad and neutralized it a little.

The things discussed at the tea party at the beginning were relatively serious, the international situation, and then the domestic situation. But as they talked, the topic shifted to how long that thing needed to be to satisfy an elegant lady.

Mrs. Charles also offered some of her own views. She believed that it was not just a matter of length, but also of hardness and heat, which were all very important.

Of course, a young body and a handsome appearance were also one of the important factors.

These women with chaotic private lives were full of energy when they talked about this. Some of the ladies were so thirsty that they were constantly swallowing their saliva. It could be imagined that after their tea party was over, they would definitely need a good release.

Mrs. Charles was also a little thirsty, but she had no time to solve the problem of thirst, because she had to go home as soon as possible, change her clothes, accessories, and even her hairstyle, and then, with her son, go to a dinner party.

She really wanted to curse, but she was also tireless, because this was something that every noblewoman had to experience, and would experience again.

The dinner was very sumptuous, with dozens of dishes. This time it was not just a ladies’ dinner, but also those gentlemen.

It was not very convenient for Mrs. Charles to attend such an occasion alone, so she was with her son, Little Charles.

After being busy all day, she could finally relax for a while. She put away her makeup mirror, took off her high heels, and rubbed her ankles. She was exhausted.

Little Charles, who was sitting opposite her, just nodded boredly. He was still in the “playboy” stage of his life.

Mr. Charles’s wealth and power had made him stand on the finish line of others from the moment he was born. Even if he did nothing and squandered his money, the money would only become more and more.

He just needed to enjoy himself to the fullest.

Obviously, these dinner parties held by his father’s generation were not a good place to enjoy oneself. They were full of annoying rules and etiquette. He was fed up with these things, as well as the faces and their names that he could never remember.

He replied perfunctorily, “It was okay!”

Mrs. Charles glanced at her son sideways. “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with… so-and-so’s little girl recently.”

Her expression was calm, without the desire to be curious and inquire about her son’s new girlfriend. “You can play with her, but you can’t marry her. I don’t want to repeat this matter, nor do I want to stage that incident again, understand?”

This sentence made Little Charles even more dissatisfied!

He glared at his mother, then turned to look out the window and lit a cigarette.

He had once been passionately in love with a girl, and he had wanted to marry that girl very much. But Mr. Charles had warned him that a person who was not outstanding enough like him would only have one end, and that was to have more offspring for the Charles family.

Born in such a family, as long as you are not outstanding enough, you can only become a breeding machine, whether you are male or female.

But even for a breeding machine, it’s not that you can just find anyone. He had to obey the interests of the family, marry someone he had never met, or someone he didn’t like, and then frantically make babies.

Only the combination of interests can allow the family to continue to grow and expand.

A few years ago, he was still very young. He always felt that he could defeat Mr. Charles and pursue his true love. He had gotten that girl pregnant.

He had originally planned to tell Mr. Charles after the child was born and then make this a fact.

But he had underestimated his father’s “protection.” Soon this matter was known to Mr. Charles. One day, when he went to find his girlfriend as usual, he saw the girl lying in a pool of blood.

She had been stabbed in the stomach, and then her throat was cut. At that moment, he felt no anger, only endless fear!

He began to tremble, and then vomited!

He was taken home. His pale face was thrown in front of Mr. Charles. Mr. Charles sat calmly in his chair, his legs crossed, looking down at him, his own son.

“I asked her to abort the child in her belly. She said she would rather die than do it.”

“I fulfilled her wish.”

He looked at Little Charles. “You are not outstanding enough in your studies, in managing the family. You cannot bear the responsibility in this aspect. You have to bear the responsibility in another aspect.”

“Before you get married and have two or three children, I don’t want to hear about any illegitimate children appearing again, understand?”

From that day on, Little Charles became even more… indulgent.

Anyway, his life had already been decided.

He didn’t want to talk. Mrs. Charles continued, “You shouldn’t blame your father. Me, your father, we all came through this way.”

“In the future, when you are a little older, you will understand this truth.”

“You are our child. We will not harm you!”

Little Charles didn’t say anything, but just continued to look at the scenery outside the window.

As they were about to pass an intersection, he suddenly squinted his eyes. A dazzling light shone on him, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. He subconsciously raised his arm to block the direction of the light source, and then looked over with squinted eyes.

The moment he saw clearly what was happening, his mind was a blank!

A truck directly crashed into this car. The huge inertia pushed the car directly towards the side of the road.

It happened too fast, so fast that the bodyguards in the bodyguard car did not have time to react. Then several cars inserted themselves into the intersection where the accident had occurred at a very fast speed. The people who stuck out of the car windows were holding submachine guns. They quickly dealt with the bodyguards in the two bodyguard cars in front and behind.

The whole process took less than thirty seconds. Then two people came to the side of this car, pulled hard on the car door, but couldn’t open it.

One of them raised the weapon in his hand and pulled the trigger at the car window, but the bullet only caused a crack in the car window and did not penetrate it.

At this time, Mrs. Charles, who had just reacted, suddenly let out a sharp scream. Little Charles, on the other hand, was holding his head and looking at the cracked glass window with a look of shock, with new bullet holes constantly appearing.

The driver was still able to remain calm at this time. He turned around and said to Little Charles, “There’s a box under your feet. You can pull it out. There’s a gun inside.”

Little Charles immediately pulled open the box under his seat. He fumbled and took out a handgun. With trembling hands, he aimed it at the outside of the car window.

Then he pulled the trigger.

The driver cursed “fuck” and lowered his body, holding his head. With a “piu,” there were then some sparks. Little Charles suddenly clutched his thigh and cried out in a flushed face.

In such a small space, to shoot at a curved bulletproof glass, you’re a fucking genius!

Mrs. Charles, on the contrary, calmed down because of her son’s injury. She turned her head to look at the driver. “He’s been shot. You have to help him!”

The people outside were still trying to break the window. The driver climbed to the back from the front. He tore open Little Charles’s pants and looked at the wound on it. His face was not good.

“The wound is very deep, and the amount of bleeding is a bit strange. I’m not sure if any blood vessels have been torn. We have to go to the hospital immediately.”

“Otherwise, he might die!”

Mrs. Charles looked at the driver with a dumbfounded expression. After looking for a while, she looked at her son, who was trying to awaken her maternal love with “save me, Mom.”

She stared blankly for a while, and finally gritted her teeth and nodded. “Open the door.”

Only by opening the door could they go to the hospital.

But as long as the door was opened, the people outside could come in.

The driver breathed a sigh of relief. He pressed a button on the car door, and a built-in air vent opened, allowing his voice to be transmitted outside. “Don’t shoot. I’ll open the door right away.”

The people outside the door really stopped shooting. He waited for a few seconds, and then slowly opened the door.

As expected of a luxury bulletproof car that cost more than 100,000 to customize. Even after being hit by a truck, the door did not deform to the point where it could not be opened.

After a few kicks, it was easily kicked open.

The driver was the first to get out. He got out of the car with his hands raised high. “Mr. Little Charles has been shot. He needs a doctor.”

The two people outside the car door looked at each other with a look of confusion. They hadn’t penetrated the glass?!

The driver explained with some embarrassment, “He fired a shot inside and hit himself.”

The people around couldn’t help but laugh out loud, but they still respected Mr. Little Charles.

He and his mother were dragged out of the car and then stuffed into their own car, quickly disappearing at the end of the street.

The police car, which had arrived at the scene long ago, only at this time sounded its siren and entered the scene of the crime. They had arrived long ago.

If the interception by the Lance Family had not been successful, they would have taken the initiative to intercept these people.

The reason?

That was too simple: speeding!

As for the kidnapping?

Sorry, didn’t see it!

Soon the vehicles and corpses at the scene were all transported away. The residents of Golden Port City had now become much smarter. They were smart enough to understand a truth.

If such a nearly undisguised firefight occurs in the city now, it must be the Lance Family doing something!

The news that Mrs. Charles and Little Charles had been kidnapped quickly reached the Charles manor. Mr. Charles’s butler immediately dialed this number.

The Speaker of the House relayed the matter.

After he had finished speaking, Mr. Charles closed his eyes tightly. He took a deep breath, rubbed his face with both hands, and then slowly exhaled.

Everyone’s attention was on him.

After about four or five seconds, the hands that were covering his face suddenly clenched into fists and slammed hard on the desk. He glared fiercely at Mayor Williams, and then at Lance.

Everyone knew that this must have been done by Mayor Williams and Lance. Only in this way could they disrupt this “forced abdication.”

“I… need to leave for a while,” he said, supporting himself with his hands on the desk and standing up.

It was very troublesome, this matter.

Once his son was dead, there was a high probability that he would no longer have an heir. His brothers and sisters would not miss this opportunity.

This way, his property would have no heir and could be divided up by them.

The larger the family, the more the family is a hub of interests, the more indifferent and apathetic they are to family affection. Their eyes are only on interests.

After so many years of hard work, what was the purpose of the struggle?

Just for his own pleasure?

If it was just for his own pleasure, he could have stopped long ago. The status and wealth he had obtained were enough for him to enjoy for a lifetime.

In the end, wasn’t it all for the sake of passing it on from generation to generation, so that people would always know that in the Charles family, there was such an “outstanding talent” as him?

The Speaker of the House couldn’t stop him on this matter and could only nod. He picked up his coat and walked out while putting it on. After he had left, his curses could still be heard from outside.

The Speaker of the House couldn’t help but glance at Lance and Mayor Williams. The two of them had an “it has nothing to do with me” expression.

In the absence of evidence, the Speaker of the House couldn’t say anything either. What if it was really a coincidence?

Once Mr. Charles had left, the mediation would be very difficult to proceed. And he also realized that there was a high probability that he would not be able to handle these people.

He packed up the things on his desk and shook his head. “It seems that we can’t settle these matters tonight. We’ll talk again after Mr. Charles’s matter is dealt with. It will also give us some buffer and time to consider.”

“Then…” he stood up with his documents. Lance and Mayor Williams, as well as some other gentlemen sitting opposite, also stood up.

The Speaker of the House looked around at the two groups of people and put the documents in his briefcase. “Let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll get back to you later!”

He nodded and then left with his briefcase, led by his secretary.

Mayor Williams also had a faint smile on his face. He showed a regretful expression and walked out with Lance.

Just as they were about to enter the elevator to go back to their rooms, Mr. Charles ran over from somewhere, preparing to rush into the elevator, but was stopped.

He stood outside the elevator, looking at the bodyguards who had put their hands in their chest pockets, his face particularly ugly.

Through these people, he looked at Mayor Williams. “Is this your plan?”

Mayor Williams shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s mine and what’s yours?”

Mr. Charles took a deep breath. “You’ve crossed the line, Williams.”

Mayor Williams snorted lightly. “When you kidnapped Arthur, why didn’t you say this to yourself?”

He didn’t give Mr. Charles any chance to continue the communication. “Alright, it’s getting late. I’m going to rest.”

“If you have time to say these meaningless things to me here, you might as well think about how to find your family, or have another one?”

A sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. Then he had someone close the elevator.

The elevator slowly ascended. Mayor Williams faced the elevator door. “Do you think he will go back?”

Lance pursed his lips. “Can he not go back?”

Mayor Williams’s face finally showed a happy smile. “This is the best news I’ve heard all year!”

With a ding, the two walked out of the elevator. Then, after a few simple words, they went back to their respective rooms.

On the other side, after the Speaker of the House had returned to his own house, he had made a phone call to the congressional side. He had reported the matter here in detail and had also added his own opinion.

“I think both sides have refused to mediate. It is meaningless to continue to force them to sit down.”

“My idea is… just let them do it. As long as the situation doesn’t escalate, someone will eventually win.”

“And even if we let them give up the conflict now, a conflict may break out in the future. At that time, if a problem occurs, the destructiveness will be much greater than solving it now.”

“We have to consider the situation during the war.”

The senator who answered the phone thought for a moment and did not answer him immediately. “We will discuss it. Your mediation work will be temporarily suspended. I will notify you when there is news.”

(End of a Chapter)