Chapter 1027 - 1027

What he needed to do was help Joachim Young secure the position of County Mayor of Greshire County.

Doing this had two benefits.

First, by helping Joachim Young, he could establish a connection with Hadley Thorne.

He was well aware that because of the Houseman Family affair, both Joachim Young and Colter Hall had a natural hostility toward him.

But officialdom is brutally realistic.

If the benefits someone brings you outweigh the harm, even a blood feud can be shelved for the time being.

Dirk Carter, who had always refused to take sides, had no choice but to change tactics after arriving in Silverwood City; if he ended up being suppressed by both the top leader and the number two, his work would obviously go nowhere.

So he chose to temporarily cling to the big tree that was Hadley Thorne, to make him see his value; that way he could move between the first and second in command and survive in the cracks.

Secondly.

Once Joachim Young took the County Mayor's seat in Greshire County,

he himself would be able to investigate the Majestic Peak Town song-and-dance troupe case with a certain amount of backing.

Handling the case would naturally be twice the result for half the effort.

Of course, there was one last point: Joachim Young winning the County Mayor position in Greshire County would speed up the break between Hadley Thorne and Colter Hall; the fiercer their conflict, the higher his chances of reaping the benefits as the fisherman when the snipe and the clam fight.

Each link hooked into the next, dazzlingly intricate; when he finished laying out his plan,

Athena Meyer was dumbstruck.

He really hadn't expected that Dirk Carter, who had only been in Silverwood City for a few days, already had such a flawless plan.

"Right now, the Greshire County Mayor position has basically narrowed down to two candidates: one is Joachim Young, arranged by Hadley Thorne, the other is Reginald Goodman, arranged by Colter Hall. That day Hadley Thorne hinted to me that Reginald Goodman's personal lifestyle was problematic. All those rumors—have you heard them?"

Dirk Carter asked.

Athena Meyer nodded.

She smiled and said, "It's not just me. I'd say there isn't a soul in The County Committee compound who hasn't heard."

"Oh? Tell me about it…"

Dirk Carter said, unable to wait.

"Let me say this up front: this is all just what I've heard. Whether it's true or not, I don't dare make things up…"

Athena Meyer first laid some groundwork.

Then she started to recount what she knew, bit by bit.

Reginald Goodman, forty this year, a deputy division–rank cadre, currently serves as Deputy Secretary-General of the General Office of the Silverwood City Government.

On his own, he didn't have much backing.

But he had another identity: he once served as secretary to the CPPCC Chairman Luke Zechariah.

You really mustn't underestimate Luke Zechariah's role.

Before becoming CPPCC Chairman, he was Mayor of Devonshire City; back then, Colter Hall was the Vice Mayor under his hand.

In other words, they'd already known each other back in Devonshire and had maintained quite a solid relationship.

You have to admit, Luke Zechariah did have foresight.

Right before retirement, he received word from his superiors that he was to be transferred to Silverwood City as CPPCC Chairman.

His first move was to find a way to get his secretary Reginald Goodman transferred to the General Office of the Silverwood City Government to serve as Deputy Secretary-General.

That was step one.

Next.

He used his connections again to have Colter Hall transferred to Silverwood City to serve as Executive Vice Mayor.

In other words.

Colter Hall's ability to gain a firm foothold in Silverwood City owed a great deal to Luke Zechariah.

Later, when Colter Hall rose to Mayor, with Luke Zechariah's continued support, it was precisely under these circumstances that he was able to form a power bloc capable of standing up to Hadley Thorne.

Colter Hall's faction was also known as the "Devonshire City clique."

And it was precisely because of this.

That even though Reginald Goodman was only a Deputy Secretary-General, his status in the General Office was still very high.

Even the City Government Secretary Hansel Levin had to give him some face.

Maybe it was exactly this kind of backing.

That made Reginald Goodman so brazen in the way he did things. He had a particular fetish: he "especially loved other men's wives."

You could call him lecherous, but it wasn't that he liked every woman; even if a breathtaking beauty were delivered right to him, he might not bat an eye. On the other hand, if it was a subordinate's or colleague's wife, as long as she had even a bit of charm, he wouldn't let a single one slip by.

This brings us to a "scandal" that broke out in the Municipal Government office half a year ago.

The protagonists, besides Reginald Goodman, included another Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government, named Jovan Lewis.

Jovan Lewis is forty-seven this year, several years older than Reginald Goodman, but he had a young trophy wife, named Callie Linden.

Callie Linden is thirty-six, a full eleven years younger than Jovan Lewis. Since she's quite good-looking, Jovan Lewis even had a nickname at the office: "wife-pampering maniac."

Just over half a year ago.

On his way home from work, Jovan Lewis had a minor car accident.

Nothing serious, but he did injure his ankle, so he took sick leave and went into the hospital.

During his hospital stay.

Reginald Goodman went to visit him on behalf of the office.

He would've been fine if he hadn't gone—but once he went, his eyes locked onto Callie Linden.

At the time, Callie Linden was in the hospital taking care of her husband. Reginald Goodman had gone to offer his sympathies, but the moment he saw this alluring woman, his restless heart started to stir.

Now, this Callie Linden herself wasn't exactly a paragon either.

After all, Jovan Lewis was getting on in years and was flagging in that department. Faced with Reginald Goodman's lustful gaze, how could she not sense what was going on?

After this incident.

Reginald Goodman deliberately began cozying up to Jovan Lewis.

After a few rounds of contact, the two of them became quite close.

From then on, Reginald Goodman would drop by Jovan Lewis's home for meals whenever he had an excuse, and Jovan Lewis was extremely hospitable, treating him every time with good wine and meat.

After a while, Jovan Lewis began to notice something off.

His wife, who had been listless and drained every day, suddenly became radiant, and every time before Reginald Goodman came over, she would carefully dress herself up and change into all sorts of sexy outfits.

Even though he sensed something was wrong.

Jovan Lewis didn't have any proof.

So, when Callie Linden wasn't at home, he installed a hidden camera in a concealed spot in the house.

The day after Reginald Goodman came over as a guest again and left.

Jovan Lewis checked the footage, and it felt like the sky collapsed on him.

The man couldn't hold his liquor, but his behavior after drinking was actually decent.

Every time Reginald Goodman came over, they'd have a few drinks; to make sure Reginald enjoyed himself, he always tried his best. Many times, the dinner wasn't even finished before he was already dead drunk.

That day was no different.

Under Reginald Goodman's repeated toasting.

In less than half an hour.

Jovan Lewis was feeling dizzy.

With the help of Callie Linden and Reginald Goodman.

He was supported to the couch in the living room to rest.

And just as his snoring filled the room.

Reginald Goodman wrapped his arms around Callie Linden and started exploring her body.

Their two burning bodies clung together, first kissing passionately, then stripping each other's clothes off in no time and entering combat mode.

If it had just been an affair.

Jovan Lewis might not have flown into such a rage.

The key was the way they conducted this affair—that was what nearly made him explode on the spot.