Leo could tell that Herbert was a highly capable man—ruthless, domineering, and just a bit unhinged.
A born villain—not someone to be trusted.
But Herbert's proposal did align with Leo's goals.
After all, once Ben found out about the failure, there was no telling whether he'd go berserk and cause further chaos.
Seeing Leo nod in agreement, Herbert flashed a knowing smile.
He shook Leo's hand before preparing to leave—when Tucson suddenly opened the door.
"Don't forget the withdrawal of the lawsuit."
Herbert's polite facade instantly sharpened.
He shot Tucson a cold glare, then motioned to a staffer to hand over the already-prepared lawsuit withdrawal to Leo and the others.
"Once again, thank you, Mr. Valentino. See you on the 21st."
"He seems pretty nice,"
Michael said with a chuckle, holding the withdrawal form.
Tucson glanced at Leo with an expression that clearly said:
"Where the hell did you dig this idiot up?"
Leo wasn't interested in explaining.
He simply asked,
"So—this mysterious five-day delay. Any thoughts?"
"I'm glad you weren't fooled by his polished hypocrisy,"
Tucson said, shooting another glance at Michael before continuing:
"The key question is: how will he pay you the money?
As I told you before—Herbert is… flexible."
Leo frowned in thought.
"Richmond allows someone that brazen to operate?"
He understood Tucson's subtext: cash payment, time and place decided by Herbert himself—
It didn't take much imagination to guess what Herbert was plotting.
"He's a clever scumbag. It's been five years—I've known he's a criminal, but I've never been able to pin anything on him,"
Tucson said, as if weighing whether to say more.
Leo patted Tucson on the shoulder. He had a few guesses but didn't press further.
If Tucson wanted to talk, he would.
"Thanks. That 3% fee? Worth every penny—it gave me time to prepare."
—
That night, Leo and Emily spent the evening in their hotel.
Maybe it was Leo's good mood—or maybe Emily was just excited by the new environment—
either way, things got wild.
Emily even unlocked a new "under-the-stars pole dance" skill.
When she finally fell into a deep sleep, Leo quietly slipped out of the hotel.
Earlier, he'd spotted a Chinese pawnshop near the lumber yard, open 24 hours.
He stopped by and exchanged another $5,000 in cash.
He had expected trouble—
but it turned out that in 1945, America was a lot safer than the 21st century version.
—
By noon the next day, back in Lynchburg, Leo received a package from New York.
True to character, James—the editor with a cold face and warm heart—had sent him over thirty books and SAT prep materials.
He'd even marked a few universities in the college catalog: University of Virginia, Stanford...
But what moved Leo most was the official letter of recommendation, written on the letterhead of The New York Herald Tribune, personally signed by James himself.
—
Back in Lynchburg, Leo remained as busy as ever.
First stop: his family's grocery store.
He called out Daniel and Sean, instructing them to follow Herbert back in Richmond.
Next, Leo headed to the church to discuss the land development project with Father Lesterwyn.
On the way, he "coincidentally" ran into Jonathan.
"Leo, got a minute to talk?"
"Oh? Is our dear mayor feeling better already?"
Leo quipped.
Jonathan didn't respond directly.
"Just come. I think you'll like the surprise."
Walking side-by-side toward town hall, Leo said,
"Every surprise worth having is earned by your own two hands."
—
Same mayor's office.
But this time—it was Patrick pouring the water, not Jonathan.
"Leo, I just knew you'd figure a way out of Michael's dilemma.
Haha—low-cost lumber from Canada, huh?
By the way—when exactly did you get in touch with Father Lesterwyn?"
Leo didn't answer the question.
He went straight to the point:
"Jonathan said you had a surprise for me. If not, Mr. Mayor, I'm very busy."
Patrick dropped the fake smile.
He knew his usual politician's tricks had no effect on Leo—but hey, worth a shot, right?
"The Lynchburg police station was built in 1808.
It's outdated and too small—completely incapable of supporting our town's growing law enforcement needs.
After two recent violent incidents, the Seven-Man Council has voted to rebuild the station at a new site."
He took a sip of water, then said nothing, just watching Leo.
Leo replied calmly:
"You know, I saved some people in the Pacific.
They've always been looking for a way to repay me.
This lumber helped me become genuine friends with someone."
Patrick remained the consummate politician.
His mention of "Canadian lumber" wasn't casual—it was a veiled probe.
He wanted to know if Leo had a powerful patron behind him.
The deeper Leo dug into American society, the more he realized that despite all its banners of freedom and equality,
its political mindset was still trapped in medieval feudalism—especially in small towns like Lynchburg.
To Patrick, whose family founded the town, political power here was a family fiefdom.
Everything he did was about protecting his territory from outside influence.
That was the real reason behind all of his questions.
Leo answered honestly—whether Patrick believed him or not, that was his problem.
Because now the power dynamic had shifted.
Leo and Michael were the ones with the leverage going into the coming feast of wealth and influence.
—
"To rebuild the station," Patrick continued,
"we've secured a partial government grant from Campbell County.
Additionally, a low-interest loan fund is being established under the Lynchburg Community Bank."
Another pause.
Patrick waited for Leo to answer the second implied question.
Leo took the cue:
"Not sure if you've read the latest Lynchburg Daily,
but I wrote the story about Desmond.
He's a devout member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Spreading his story benefits the Church, and in Richmond, Father Lesterwyn gave me a little help."
"We've conducted a thorough evaluation," Patrick replied.
"Our conclusion: the Lynchburg Real Estate Company is the best fit for this project.
Jonathan will be your point of contact going forward."
Patrick handed over a thick folder full of project specs and internal documents.
"You've got the complete version.
Jones Real Estate only received one-third of it.
Close it—you can read it at home.
Let's move on to something more... decisive.
Michael's seat on the Seven-Man Council will be preserved."
At that, Leo put down the materials and straightened up.
He knew what this was—
Time to slice the pie.
"That seat always belonged to Michael.
And honestly, having him on the Council is in your best interest, too,"
Leo said plainly.