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"I\'m sorry!" Dave lowered his head in shame, needing to apologize to Julian for failing him. Julian\'s request had been for Dave to subtly relay some information to Mrs. Vivian, thus influencing her judgment and planting a figure favorable to the association by the mayor\'s side—not to form a relationship with her.

Some may think feelings are uncontrollable, but in truth, humans have the rational capacity to manage their emotions. This is why there are so many con artists and heartbreaks in the world.

Dave shouldn\'t have allowed himself to form any attachment to Mrs. Vivian, let alone let her get pregnant—that was the real disaster.

This could all have been avoided, but under their shared indulgence, things had spiraled out of control.

Julian waved his hand dismissively, but to be honest, he was deeply agitated. He had the urge to smash something to vent his... frustration? After all the work of gathering a group of misfits, the association, and the trade company, everything was finally on track, only for a minor incident to threaten to destroy it all.

He wasn\'t being paranoid—the mayor\'s influence in the city was enormous. Before the New Party\'s rule, the mayor\'s title was "governor," with authority over every affair in the city, holding every string of power.

Even though the New Party had reduced the "governor" role to "mayor," the position still held considerable power, far beyond what a small businessman like Julian could challenge.

If the mayor traced this back, he would likely deduce that someone was orchestrating the events between Dave and Mrs. Vivian. Even if he didn\'t, Julian, as Dave\'s "boss," would be within the line of fire.

Logic told Julian that the best course now was to gather his assets and flee with everyone, escaping at least the areas under Old Party influence if not going far away.

But his instincts told him that if he chose to flee rather than face his challenges, he\'d likely spend the rest of his life running. His dream of an economic empire would remain just that—a dream—because he couldn\'t bear such a burden or responsibility.

Watching Julian pace back and forth, his face twisted with worry, Dave finally mustered up the courage to speak, "Julian, I\'ll turn myself in." The surrounding associates all turned their gazes on Dave, thinking he\'d lost his mind. Turning himself in would mean certain death, and it would be neither easy nor dignified. By now, Julian had explained everything to everyone; he had no right to keep such a disaster hidden.

Julian paused mid step, turned, and without a word, slapped Dave so hard he was lifted off his toes, stumbling backward.

"Fool!"

"Utter idiot!"

Julian roared, pacing faster, his gaze fixed on Dave.

"I guarantee that if you surrender, in less than three days, the association will be finished, I\'ll be finished, everyone will be finished!" He pointed at Dave, marching over and kicking him in the shoulder, sending him sprawling.

"You think what you\'re doing is selfless? Wrong! You\'re just a small time player, a pitiful one at that. Big players don\'t quell their anger over the life or death of one nobody—it takes the deaths of many small players to satisfy them!"

"Instead of considering turning yourself in, I suggest you think about how to kill that bastard instead!"

"How about we kill him?" Dave\'s tone was sinister, as if this was the best solution he could think of—killing the mayor. With the mayor dead, all their problems would vanish: no one would continue searching for Jon, and there would be no further threat to the association. But was it really that simple? Would assassinating the mayor truly solve everything?

No, of course, it wouldn\'t be that simple. If a politician died under suspicious circumstances, what would be the first thought?

A conspiracy!

A cover up!

If a prominent Old Party member, and a city mayor no less, were mysteriously assassinated—even assuming Dave and his companions could somehow breach the mayor\'s heavily guarded defenses, kill him like the legendary assassin god Futhesine, and then quietly escape without anyone noticing—it would still be pointless.

The death of such a prominent Old Party figure would undoubtedly be labeled as a "political assassination," and to savvy politicians, a person\'s death can sometimes be more valuable than their life. People tend to sympathize with "victims." Exploiting this so called political event to attack the New Party and tarnish its reputation, the Old Party would pressure the New Party into launching a full scale investigation into the mayor\'s death, either to clear its own name or uncover who was setting them up.

At that point, with both the New and Old Parties involved, along with opportunistic politicians, businessmen, and moguls eager to gain from the chaos, Julian had no doubt he\'d be betrayed. The association and Eastern Star would be reduced to mere dust beneath the wheels of history, burying the insignificant truth.

It was even likely that the mayor himself was anticipating Jon and his "associates" to act recklessly, maximizing the political benefits he could reap from it.

If Julian wanted to weather this storm safely, the only option was a direct approach—through politics.

In Julian\'s extended dream, he had observed many powerful figures with a distinct trait: they were all intensely goal oriented. Businessmen would say they were opportunistic, while politicians might call it strong political ambition.

Clenching the slip of paper in his pocket, Julian decided to reach out to the man named Shaun. He felt it was time to have a conversation.

He cast a harsh look at Dave. "Get dressed and come with me!"