HPDBC Chapter 164 Steel and Gold
Chapter 164 Steel and Gold
Chapter 164 Steel and Gold (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets, 8/12)
The light from the crystal chandelier gradually dimmed, and the noisy background music slowly faded away.
The guests began to leave.
Luxury cars lined up in a long queue in front of the porch, their taillights casting streaks of red light in the night.
Those elites who were just exchanging business cards on the dance floor and engaging in lively discussions at the buffet table, with expressions of satisfaction or regret, slipped into their private spaces.
Saint-Cloud Manor has returned to tranquility, but it is a more oppressive tranquility.
Leo didn't leave.
He was kept behind.
Evelyn led him through the empty hall to a study on the west side of the manor.
Dark walnut wainscoting, a full-wall bookshelf, and a heavy Persian rug.
Leo stood in the center of the room, not in a hurry to sit down, his gaze slowly sweeping over his surroundings.
Roosevelt's voice rang in his mind at just the right moment.
"Look at this room, Leo."
"This originally belonged to one man."
"Those heavy oak furniture, the hunting rifles hanging on the wall, and the lion skin rug in the corner."
"The original design of this place was for old-fashioned gentlemen with sideburns and tailcoats to smoke here and decide Pennsylvania's railroad freight rates or coal prices amidst the swirling smoke."
"This is a bastion of patriarchy."
"But now, its owner is a 28-year-old woman."
Leo's gaze shifted to the bookshelf.
In such wealthy families, bookshelves are usually just decorative items.
The room would be filled with hardcover books with gold foil covers, the Encyclopedia Britannica, or unopened complete works of Shakespeare, to showcase the owner's non-existent cultural background.
But the books here are different.
Roosevelt guided Leo's gaze.
"Look at those spines, Leo."
Leo took a few steps closer.
He saw the book title.
"The Morgan Family", "The Birth of the Federal Reserve", "The History of Standard Oil", "Clausewitz on War", and "Diplomacy".
There are even more professional ones.
Pennsylvania Coal Mine Safety Act, Tax Avoidance Structures and Legal Boundaries of Trust Funds, Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
These books are not new.
The spine of the book has obvious creases, the cover is worn, and some pages have densely packed labels stuck in between.
"She's reading these books," Roosevelt said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "She's reading these books about monopolies..."
Treat knowledge about power struggles and how to accumulate wealth through legal loopholes as an operational manual.
"Look at that table again."
A huge desk was placed in the center of the room.
Evelyn walked to the wine cabinet and poured wine with her back to Leo.
Leo took the opportunity to look at the map spread out on the table.
That was a detailed electoral map of Pennsylvania.
But it not only marked the administrative divisions, the map was also densely covered with pins of different colors, connected by red lines.
Leo leaned closer for a look.
Red needles are stuck in several key swing counties on the western outskirts of Philadelphia, next to a string of numbers written in pencil—the average income and debt ratio of middle-class families in that region.
Blue needles are stuck in the industrial area around Pittsburgh, next to markings of the local union's sphere of influence and recent strike records.
There were also some black needles stuck in several inconspicuous small towns.
Leo recognized those places as the locations of several large local newspapers and radio stations.
This is a battle plan on how to control the flow of public opinion, funds, and votes.
"She has a deeper control over this family than I imagined," Roosevelt exclaimed. "In this two-hundred-year-old, sprawling, and greedy old money family filled with incompetent elders, a young woman can't secure her position with just bloodline."
"She has to be ruthless, shrewd, and better at manipulating the rules than those men."
"She has probably already seized control of the finances of all the uncles and elders in the family who are trying to challenge her."
Evelyn walked over carrying two crystal wine glasses.
The amber liquid sloshed in the glass, and the ice cubes clinked together.
She handed one of the glasses to Leo.
Leo took the glass and looked at the woman in front of him.
In the dim light, her delicate, pale face appeared somewhat cold and hard.
She stood in front of that huge desk, the bookshelves and maps behind her seemingly forming a backdrop to her throne.
She didn't feel out of place at all in this room decorated with a masculine style.
Instead, she put the room under control.
"sit."
Evelyn pointed to the high-backed chair across the table.
Her tone was flat, yet carried a habitual commanding air.
Leo sat down.
"You danced quite well on the dance floor just now," Evelyn said, "but I bet you're not thinking about a waltz right now."
I'm thinking of you.
Leo answered honestly, looking directly at the woman behind the desk.
Evelyn paused for a moment.
She raised her eyelids, and a layer of frost instantly formed in her eyes.
"Do I pique your curiosity?"
"Yes." Leo leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping across the study. "I was wondering what it would feel like for a woman to sit in this position."
Evelyn gave a cold laugh.
"What's wrong? Is this making you uncomfortable?"
There was a hint of provocation in her voice.
"Seeing a woman sitting in the main seat, seeing a woman wielding the family's scepter, stung your fragile male pride?"
"No."
Leo shook his head, his tone calm.
"I'm not a male chauvinist, and I don't care whether the person sitting across from me is male or female."
He stood up and walked to the bookshelf.
"But I am a realist."
"For two hundred years, the rules here have been set by men, and the games here have been played by men."
Leo turned around and looked at her.
"This world, especially the world of power, has never been made for women."
"Those old guys, those bankers, those uncles and elders in the family. They're used to women appearing as decorations in the banquet hall, not as decision-makers at the negotiating table."
Evelyn's fingers tightened slightly as she held the wine glass.
"So?" she asked coldly, "Are you saying I'm not good enough?"
"On the contrary."
Leo walked back to the table, placed his hands on the surface, and leaned forward, shortening the distance between them.
There was no disdain or mockery in his eyes.
"What I'm trying to say is that to fight your way through a pack of wolves and tigers, to gain a foothold in a game dominated entirely by men, and even to trample them underfoot."
Leo's voice lowered.
"You must have suffered a lot to be able to stand here?"
Evelyn was stunned.
She was ready to refute Leo's doubts and mock his prejudices.
But she was not prepared to face that sentence.
suffer?
Who would ask whether the eldest daughter of the St. Cloud family suffered?
People only see her wealth, her power, and her terrifyingly ruthless methods.
She had long been accustomed to other people's fear, jealousy, and even hatred.
But at this moment, this young man from Pittsburgh saw through her hard armor to the scars on her body that had not yet healed.
This is not sympathy.
Compassion is the charity of the strong to the weak.
This is one way of understanding.
It is the understanding of another beast that has also struggled in the mud.
Evelyn looked at Leo.
She took a deep breath, picked up her glass, and drank the wine in one gulp.
The spicy liquid burned her throat, allowing her to regain a sense of control.
"You're a very observant person, Leo."
Evelyn put down the empty glass.
"Pain is the price that must be paid in this position."
"It's good that you understand this principle."
"Now."
Evelyn reached out and pointed to the map on the table, abruptly steer the conversation back on track.
"Put away your psychological analysis and let's talk about Murphy."
"His support in the West has peaked." Evelyn drew a circle on the eastern side of the map with her finger. "If he can't make a breakthrough around Philadelphia, the general election is still very uncertain if he can rely solely on the votes in Pittsburgh."
Her slender fingers gently tapped the lower right corner of the map, which covered several counties surrounding Philadelphia.
Montgomery County, Bucks County, Chester County.
Evelyn read out these names.
"These areas are known as the Philadelphia Collar, and for the past thirty years, it has been a stronghold for the Republican Party. The people who live here are wealthy, conservative, and hate taxes."
"But things have changed now."
Evelyn's finger traced an arc across the map.
"The demographic structure is shifting. Older generations of conservatives are retiring and moving to Florida. Higher-educated young families are filling the vacuum; they care about education, the environment, and are disgusted by extremely conservative social issues."
"Warren's core support has already weakened here."
Evelyn looked up at Leo.
"The problem is that the Democratic candidates in the past were too stupid. They tried to appease the poor in the city by raising taxes, which scared away the middle class in the suburbs."
"Murphy is different."
"His Rust Belt policy may sound radical, but at its core it's about infrastructure development and job creation. This is acceptable, even attractive, to suburban voters."
"If we can cut off Warren's incitement on cultural issues, if we can control the media direction in Philadelphia and turn those counties blue, Warren is doomed."
Leo listened to her analysis, secretly surprised.
He originally thought Evelyn was just a family heir who was good at capital operations, an aristocrat who sat on the clouds and looked down on all living beings.
But her understanding of electoral district boundaries, her insight into population movement, and even her grasp of voter psychology were surprisingly profound to Leo.
"Are you very interested in politics?" Leo asked.
"I have no interest in politics," Evelyn replied. "I'm interested in control, and politics is just a means to achieve control."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in Leo's mind.
"Leo, grab her."
"She is the missing piece of the puzzle for you."
"You have soil, you have workers in the South, you have angry crowds, you have that primal power that grows from the soil."
"She has sunshine, capital, fame, and the secrets to navigating this elite society."
"If there is only soil and no sunlight, the seeds will rot in the ground; if there is only sunlight and no soil, it is a castle in the air."
"Only through combination can a towering tree grow."
Leo tightened his grip on the wine glass.
He understood what Roosevelt meant.
But a sense of resistance welled up inside him.
"Miss Claude—"
Leo opened his mouth.
"Saint-Cloud".
Evelyn interrupted him.
Her voice wasn't loud, but the defense of her surname in her tone was unquestionable.
"My surname is Saint-Cloud."
"This represents two hundred years of history, and the first pioneers to come to this land."
"You may call me Evelyn, or Miss Saint-Cloud, but please do not use my last name incorrectly; that would be disrespectful to history."
Leo paused for a moment, then nodded.
"I'm sorry, Miss Saint-Cloud."
Evelyn stared at him for a while, as if to make sure he had really taken it to heart.
Then, she turned her gaze back to the map.
"You and I don't need to worry about Murphy's upcoming campaign."
Evelyn's tone was nonchalant.
"Right now, Murphy is the darling of the Democratic campaign committee. To win Pennsylvania, they'll shower him with checks like they're worthless."
"His campaign account will receive more in the next few months than he has in the House of Representatives over the past decade."
Evelyn's finger left Philadelphia on the map, moved westward, crossed the Appalachian Mountains, and stopped in the rusty region centered on Pittsburgh.
"But you are different, Leo."
"You need to integrate the rust belt."
"Your Industrial Revitalization Alliance is an ambitious plan, but also an extremely fragile one."
"Those mayors who work for you, those old guys from Erie and Scranton, they're all in cahoots with you now, but that's for the money, for the orders. If the supply chain falters, or if the pressure in Harrisburg gets any greater, they could turn against you at any time."
"You need a deeper bond."
Evelyn looked up, her gaze fixed intently on Leo.
"Besides the bill settlement system we previously agreed on, my family can provide others."
"I will publicly declare that the Saint-Cloud family endorses your system and supports your alliance."
"You know very well what this means."
Evelyn took a step closer, her cool fragrance permeating Leo's breath.
What Evelyn St. Cloud was going to do was lend Leo the intangible assets her family had accumulated over two centuries: reputation, connections, and channels.
Leo looked at the woman in front of him.
"This is a very good deal."
Rio frankly admitted it.
"But why me?"
"The St. Cloud family has stood strong in Pennsylvania for two centuries, and your doorstep has been practically worn down by politicians seeking investment. Philadelphia legislators, the governor of Harrisburg, even senators from Washington—aren't they all incredibly respectful to you?"
"There are plenty of people in this industry who are smarter, more ruthless, and have better connections than me."
Leo spread his hands.
"I'm just the mayor of Pittsburgh, a newcomer who hasn't even established himself in Washington yet. Isn't it too risky to put such a huge bet on me?"
Evelyn turned around and walked to the French windows in the study.
Outside the window, there was a well-ordered manor view, a symbol of the old order.
"Because the world is changing, Leo."
Evelyn's voice drifted over softly.
"No one can sit on the throne forever, and no family can live on its past achievements without changing its ways."
She turned her head and looked at Leo.
"For the past hundred years, we have been accustomed to dealing with old-fashioned gentlemen in tailcoats who speak fluent Latin, and we have been accustomed to distributing benefits within that set of established rules."
"But now, those rules are collapsing."
"Popularism is on the rise, anger is building at the bottom, and tech upstarts are challenging the authority of old money. The old faces in Washington have lost control of the situation. Look at Congress now, look at those radical bills."
Evelyn's eyes sharpened.
"We need fresh blood. We need people who know how to get through the mud, how to manage anger, and how to establish order in this chaotic new era."
"We've looked at many people, elites who graduated from prestigious universities, and successors groomed by their families. They are excellent and obedient, but they are too clean."
"They lack the instinct to survive in dire straits, and they lack the resolve to sell their souls to the devil."
Evelyn walked back to the table and looked directly at Leo.
"But you are different."
"You climbed your way up from the bottom. You dare to confront Morganfield with a knife, and you dare to gamble with the entire city government. You have a wild vitality that can never be cultivated in an ivory tower."
"You have investment value, Leo. Huge investment value."
"You're like a unicorn that hasn't fully grown yet. Betting now is risky, but if you succeed, the reward will be a hundred or a thousand times greater."
"Don't underestimate yourself, I believe in you."
Leo felt a mix of emotions as he listened to these words.
Being used and treated as a tool sounds cruel.
But this is the safest option.
This means that he holds an irreplaceable position on the opponent's chessboard.
"very good."
Leo nodded, accepting the reason.
"So what's the price?" Leo asked directly.
What do you want?
"Port shares? Or more land development rights?"
Evelyn turned her head.
She looked at Leo.
"I have no interest in those small businesses, Leo."
Evelyn walked up to Leo.
She reached out and gently placed her hand on Leo's shoulder.
"The price I want is very simple."
"From now on, you must come to Philadelphia to see me once every two weeks."
Leo frowned: "See you? What for?"
"report."
Evelyn's eyes revealed a desire for control.
"I need to know your every plan and every move."
"I need to make sure my investments don't go astray."
"You're a wild horse, Leo. You have power, but you're prone to losing control."
"I don't need you to obey my orders, but I need you to stay within my sight."
"This is the price."
She didn't ask for any direct financial reward; what she asked for was the "right to know" about Leo and the "influence" he had over him.
She wants to keep this thread firmly in her own hands.
Leo did not answer immediately.
He looked into Evelyn's eyes.
There was no emotional fluctuation in those eyes, only a rational, almost cold, calculation.
A report every two weeks.
This sounds like a subordinate giving a performance review to their superior.
Leo's instinct was to refuse.
But for a politician who has already mentally prepared himself, restraining his instincts is a fundamental skill.
Leo took a deep breath, emptying his chest of all emotions, and then filling it with fuel called ambition.
"make a deal."
"Leo said."
Evelyn's hand slid off his shoulder and stopped on his chest.
Her fingers hooked onto Leo's dark blue tie.
Evelyn frowned.
"besides."
She released her grip, clapped her hands dismissively, as if they had been dusted off.
"Change your tie."
"Terrible taste."
"Next time you come to see me, dress like a real mayor, not like an insurance salesman."
Leo glanced down at his tie and chuckled to himself.
He sensed a peculiar aura.
"I'll consider it."
Leo straightened his tie and stood up.
"Well then, see you in two weeks, Miss Saint-Cloud."
See you in two weeks.
Evelyn sat back down in her chair.
Leo didn't say anything more, not even goodbye.
He turned and walked out of the oppressive study, through the long corridor filled with portraits of the Saint-Cloud family ancestors, and strode out of the main gate of the manor.
A night breeze swept over me.
Leo stood on the porch steps and glanced back at the brightly lit Victorian building behind him. In the night, the manor looked like a giant beast perched on a mountaintop, overlooking all living beings.
His mind was filled with grand plans that were about to unfold.
Those plans that originally existed only on paper, those projects that had to be shelved due to a lack of funds, and those ideas that required smoothing things over to be implemented, have all become tangible realities with the entry of the Saint-Cloud family.
He really hadn't expected it.
The crude "regional credit loop" he drew back then actually managed to attract a giant crocodile that had been lurking in the deep waters for a century.
This was an unexpected surprise, but it also contained enormous risks.
Evelyn St. Cloud, this woman is more difficult to deal with than Morganfield.
But Leo was not afraid.
On the contrary, the excitement of a gambler getting a good hand is coursing through his veins.
He'd already done business with devils like Morganfield, he'd already been through the wringer, and his nerves had been forged as hard as steel.
Cooperation?
Of course, we should cooperate.
But if Evelyn thinks she can tame him with her capital and fame, or turn him into a puppet by giving him resources, then she has miscalculated.
If the other party is not genuinely cooperating, but rather wants to devour him whole.
So, Leo was confident that before being swallowed, he could break all of her teeth and then cut a path out of her stomach to survive.
The black sedan glided to the steps.
Rio opened the car door and got into the back seat.
"Back to Pittsburgh."
Leo gave the driver an order, his voice tinged with urgency.
The car started, its tires rolling over the gravel road, and drove into the dark, tree-lined avenue.
"Mr. President."
Leo leaned back in his chair, watching the shadows of the trees rushing past the window.
"You're right."
"She truly is that ray of sunshine."
"But this beam of light is a bit dazzling, and even a bit hot to the touch."
Roosevelt's laughter echoed in my mind.
"It's better if it's blinding."
"The soft light of a greenhouse cannot nurture a towering tree."
"Only the most intense sun, paired with the most fertile soil, can grow the hardest wood."
Roosevelt paused, his tone suddenly becoming somewhat playful.
"But Leo, since you've already sold half your soul, why not consider selling it completely?"
"What do you mean?" Leo frowned.
"I mean, you and Miss Saint-Cloud."
Roosevelt began his analysis.
"Look at her, young, in power, smart as a monster, and possessing Pennsylvania's oldest political assets."
"And look at you, young, ambitious, holding the key to power, on the rise."
"In the world of politics, the closest and most unbreakable alliances, apart from the exchange of interests, are only one kind."
That is marriage.
"If you can turn this alliance into a marriage alliance, then you won't need to come to report every two weeks, and the resources of the entire St. Cloud family will automatically become your campaign funds."
"This is the most efficient way to integrate resources."
Leo was speechless.
He rolled his eyes, though only in his mind.
"Enough, Mr. President."
Leo interrupted the president's whimsical idea.
"I don't want to talk about selling myself for a good price right now, even to so-called wealthy families."
"I've sold the port, I've sold the principle side, I've even sold half my life."
"I want to keep the rest for myself."
He didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer.
That was a power struggle in Philadelphia, a calculated marriage alliance among the wealthy.
He belongs to Pittsburgh.
It belongs to that world of smoke and fire, filled with sweat and the clanging of steel.
Leo closed his eyes, banishing Evelyn's cold, beautiful face from his mind.
His mind was filled with data, project schedules, and promises that had not yet been kept.
"I'm going back now."
"I told myself," Leo said to himself.
"The workers are still waiting, the factory is still waiting."
My career is in Pittsburgh.
The car accelerated and drove into the night.
The lights of Philadelphia faded into the distance in the rearview mirror, while the dawn of Pittsburgh awaited ahead.
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