After the divorce, I started to transfer

The air in the minister's office smelled faintly of paper.

The minister, seated behind his large desk, looked serious. After staring at Lawrence for a moment, he tapped the desk lightly with his fingers and said, “Lawrence, you should know that in your current position, it’s not appropriate for you to interfere in the specific duties of a district attorney. Let alone call him yourself. I don’t know your specific reasons for doing this, but I know it’s certainly not for some so-called public opinion influence or humanitarian reasons. So, you should understand what I mean.”

“Our department is being watched by countless people right now, including the media, the House and Senate, and even those damn trade committees. They're all watching us, trying to find something to do to ruin us. You did this very poorly; this blatant behavior is easily criticized.”

“Yes, sir.” Lawrence immediately admitted his mistake, his attitude was upright, “I promise that this will never happen again.”

Lawrence remained relatively calm. Although the matter had indeed been handled somewhat hastily, he believed the district attorney or anyone else wouldn't find any fault with it. He genuinely hadn't accepted any money, and his claim of acting out of humanitarian considerations and public opinion was true, as many media reports did indeed express sympathy for the breastfeeding mother.

As for this mother, she is the daughter of his wife's classmate's sister. He believes very few people would know about this relationship, and even if they did, he could easily deny it. After all, the other party is connected through his wife's side of the family.

However, this incident also reminded him that in the future, if a similar situation arises, he certainly wouldn't directly call the district attorney in person. He could easily delegate it to his assistant or someone else.

Making the call himself was somewhat unwise. However, the situation was special; his wife and that classmate were right in front of him, in his own home. To save face for his wife, and also because of a bit of vanity that many men have, he made the call in front of them.

"Also, did you get involved in the antitrust investigation against Dial Corporation?"

Upon hearing the minister's words, Lawrence finally became a little nervous.

Dial is a conglomerate that manufactures agricultural machinery. A few months ago, the Iowa Attorney General filed an antitrust investigation against the company. This large and profitable enterprise was unlikely to readily comply with the Attorney General's charges.

So, the other party approached him through a complex web of connections and, through a third party, transferred $500 million to an offshore foundation under his wife's name. Of course, this was done quite discreetly. After receiving the money, they would naturally have to speak to the Diyael company.

However, this time he did not intervene directly with the Iowa Attorney General himself. Instead, he contacted the Attorney General through his assistant, inquired in detail about the antitrust investigation, and subtly expressed his concern about the case.

In addition, he also attempted to remove the Attorney General through legitimate administrative means. Once the Attorney General was removed, he would naturally be unable to launch an antitrust investigation against Dial.

I never expected that such a confidential matter would be known to the minister. This involves serious bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power for personal gain.

Therefore, Lawrence was still a little nervous at this point, and he immediately shook his head in denial: "No, sir, I have not interfered in this matter at all. Who said I interfered in this case?"

The minister tapped the table and said sternly, "Instead of denying it to me, you should think about how you let others know. If you didn't do it, how could anyone have reported you? They have concrete evidence that you accepted bribes from the Diya Company. You know this is a very serious matter. If the two houses find out and launch an independent investigation against you, can you withstand the investigation?"

Lawrence broke out in a cold sweat, but he remained composed, showing little tension or fear on his face. He simply spoke solemnly, "Minister, this is malicious slander and persecution against me. You should know that in all our years at the Department of Justice, we've offended countless people. Countless people want to kill us, so they spread rumors, slander, frame us, and even attempt assassination."

They couldn't deal with me, so they targeted my family and children for revenge. My youngest son, Byron, was shot in the abdomen this afternoon and nearly died. It initially appeared to be an accident, but after a thorough investigation, it was discovered that there was some human intervention involved.

Upon hearing this, the minister paused slightly, looking somewhat surprised, and asked, "Is this true? How could such a thing happen? How is your child now? If it was arson, the investigation must continue, and the culprit must be brought to justice."

"Thank you. My child is out of danger now, but is still under observation in the hospital. I believe God will protect him."

"That's good." After saying that, the minister sat up straight again, staring at him seriously. "Lawrence, we've known each other for seven or eight years now, and we both know some things. So you need to remember what I'm saying. Whatever you're going to do, you'd better keep your tail hidden first. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes, sir. I understand what you mean. I will be careful."

"Alright, let's leave this matter at that for now. As for the Dial Company, whether you were involved or not, don't concern yourself with it anymore. This is my last piece of advice to you."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"Okay, you can go out now. Please give my regards to Maria."

Maria was Lawrence's wife. The minister's sudden remark sent a chill down Lawrence's spine. In fact, the minister's relationship with their family wasn't particularly close; his wife, Maria, had never even met him.

At this point, Lawrence didn't want to think about anything more. He immediately stood up, nodded slightly to the minister, and then turned and left.

As he walked out of the minister's office, he smiled and nodded to the minister's secretary as he passed by. It wasn't until he reached the elevator that his expression truly darkened.

Both the local prosecutor who filed a complaint against him for obstructing justice and the antitrust case against Dial Corporation seemed premeditated, forcing him to be vigilant.

Under normal circumstances, even if the chief prosecutor in these areas intervenes in their cases, they wouldn't resort to such desperate measures as writing a complaint letter or reporting him. After all, a local official has more power than a distant one; if they don't get rid of him, he has a million ways to retaliate.

Therefore, these two complaints and reports seemed somewhat suspicious. Before clarifying the real reason, he dared not easily retaliate against the two prosecutors.

With a ding, the elevator arrived. His mind cleared, and he stepped inside. Just then, his phone rang.

"Sir, we found Job in a restroom stall; he's passed out." The moment the call connected, the bodyguard Ibrahimovic's voice came through. Lawrence felt a wave of dizziness. He immediately asked, "What happened? He was perfectly fine; why did he collapse?"

Ibrahimovic explained, "Sir, according to the doctor's initial assessment, it appears to be a cerebral hemorrhage. As far as I know, Job has always had high blood pressure, and he was drinking at a bar last night, not returning home until 3 a.m...."

"That's impossible!" Lawrence immediately interrupted him, angrily shouting, "He's always been healthy, even with a bit of high blood pressure, how could he suddenly have a cerebral hemorrhage and collapse like this? Investigate, investigate thoroughly! Were there other people in that restroom at the time? Find them all, screen them one by one."

Byron just got into trouble, and now his brother is in trouble too. What a coincidence! You have to find out the truth, or you're fired!

After saying this, Lawrence immediately hung up the phone.

Just then, the elevator arrived at his office floor. He had no desire to go back to work at that point; besides, it was already past closing time. He pressed the button for the basement, where his car was parked. He also called his two security guards, telling them to meet him in the parking lot immediately.

Ten minutes later, Lawrence arrived at Master Hospital. He quickly reached the emergency room. Ironically, he had just been there that afternoon, waiting for his youngest son to be in emergency care, and now he was waiting for his eldest son.

"What exactly happened?" Lawrence stared at Ibrahimovic, who was already waiting at the door, with a grim expression.

Ibrahimovic felt a pang of guilt. He'd only been gone for five or six minutes to use the restroom, and his protected person had vanished. When he found him, the boy had collapsed in a stall and had clearly been unconscious for at least ten minutes. Thankfully, they were at the hospital; he quickly carried him to the emergency room for first aid, otherwise, Ibrahimovic's life would certainly have been in danger.

Judging from his condition, even if he survives, he may suffer serious long-term consequences, such as hemiplegia or even paralysis. There's no doubt that Ibrahimovic's bodyguard failed in his duty.

Faced with Lawrence's questioning, he lowered his head with a face full of shame and said, "I'm sorry, sir. I failed to protect him. But my investigation so far indicates that it was really just an accident. He suddenly passed out while using the restroom stall. If I hadn't checked the surveillance footage and searched each stall one by one, I wouldn't have been able to find him. When I found him, he was completely unconscious. But he should be out of danger."

Upon hearing this, Lawrence's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He trembled slightly, his eyes practically spitting fire. He only had two sons, and both of them had met with misfortune in a single day.

Although neither of them is currently in life-threatening condition, there is no doubt that the damage caused to them will be permanent. Especially for the eldest son, even if he survives the acute cerebral hemorrhage, the physical and psychological harm will be lifelong.

He doted on his youngest son the most, but placed even higher hopes on his eldest son, intending to groom him for a political career. His eldest son is already very successful, owning a business consulting firm that earns millions of dollars annually. Once he has accumulated sufficient capital, he can move into politics, run for local councilor, and gradually climb the political ladder.

And now this has happened. If it were just hemiplegia and paralysis, perhaps it wouldn't prevent him from becoming a politician in the future. But Lawrence worries that if he can't speak clearly in the future, it will be almost impossible for him to become a politician, especially a good one. And his youngest son has been introverted and sensitive since childhood, not good at speaking and socializing, and is simply not cut out for politics.

Lawrence's head was buzzing, and he had only one thought: It's over! His dream of a political dynasty was completely over.

……

Around 8 p.m., Chen Feng and Luna finally left their hotel room to have dinner at the restaurant on the third floor. Chen Feng originally wanted the food to be delivered directly to their room, but Luna thought it would taste better at the restaurant, so he let her have her way.

The restaurant was still quite crowded at this hour. Luna walked over arm in arm with Chen Feng, and the handsome couple attracted a lot of attention. Among them was Jones, the white woman Chen Feng had met at the gym before. She was still staying at the hotel and hadn't left.

When Chen Feng saw her, she also saw him. She had been eating with a chubby, balding middle-aged white man, but upon seeing Chen Feng, she immediately stood up, smiled, waved at him, and walked over.

"Hi John, it's nice to see you again. Are you coming for dinner too?"

Chen Feng hadn't expected this white woman, whom he'd only met once, to be so enthusiastic, and he felt a little awkward. However, out of politeness, he nodded slightly.

He didn't say anything, and most people would have tactfully left after seeing his attitude. But this white woman didn't seem to notice anything amiss with Chen Feng's attitude and continued to say with a smile, "Why don't we eat together?"

Chen Feng immediately shook his head and refused: "No need, I'll eat with my girlfriend."

Jones seemed to have just noticed Luna next to Chen Feng. After giving her a quick once-over, he pursed his lips and said, "Your girlfriend is pretty good. She looks like a model. How did you two meet?"

Luna had initially assumed Chen Feng and the white woman were quite familiar with each other, but seeing the woman's expression earlier, she felt a bit annoyed. Chen Feng had already rejected her, yet the woman seemed determined to persist, which only fueled her displeasure. So she interrupted her, looking at Chen Feng and asking, "Honey, is this your friend? I've never seen her before."

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng immediately shook his head and denied it, saying, "She's not my friend. I only met her once before at the hotel gym."

"Oh, I see." Luna nodded as if she suddenly understood, then looked the middle-aged white woman up and down with a hint of disdain, especially at her slightly plump, protruding belly.

Jones finally looked a little embarrassed. But she maintained her composure and continued to smile at Chen Feng, saying, "I'm sorry, we didn't have enough time to talk last time. Please give me another chance. I think we have a lot in common. Here's my business card, take a look."

As she spoke, she handed Chen Feng a business card.

Since it was handed to him, Chen Feng couldn't refuse, so he reached out and took it. Looking at the title, he saw it was the CEO of a certain advertising planning company. He really hadn't realized this white woman was actually a female CEO and a powerful businesswoman.

"Alright, let's find a place to sit. I'm a little hungry." Luna ignored the white woman and pulled Chen Feng away. (End of Chapter)