But he found himself speechless.

Because Leo was right.

Ever since Leo was elected Mayor, Murphy had indeed grown complacent.

He had treated Leo like a cashed check.

He had subconsciously assumed that since Leo could handle the campaign, he could naturally handle governing as well.

He had overlooked the brutality of local politics and the backlash from deeply entrenched interest groups.

He just wanted to coast to victory.

And now, Leo was telling him: in the game of power, you can’t just coast to victory.

"Well done, Leo."

Roosevelt’s voice echoed in Leo’s mind.

"I don’t know how you figured this out. Maybe the anger sparked something in you, or maybe the pressure of the last few weeks has forced you to grow."

"But what you’re doing now is absolutely correct."

"This is, in essence, about establishing dominance."

"In a political alliance, the most dangerous relationship isn’t with an enemy, but the one between a mentor and a student, or a benefactor and their beneficiary."

"Once that relationship solidifies, you’ll forever be his subordinate. Your interests will always have to give way to his."

"You have to shatter that illusion."

"You can’t let him think of you as his subordinate. You have to make him understand that here in Pittsburgh, he is the one who depends on you."

"Without you stabilizing the situation in Pittsburgh, his political base will collapse. Without you blocking Morganfield for him, his reelection will be a joke."

"Only mutual fear can lead to a dialogue between equals."

A long silence fell over the office.

Murphy looked at the young man before him.

A year ago, he was just a political novice seeking help in his car.

Now, he stood there with a presence so powerful one dared not meet his gaze.

Murphy picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip.

The warm liquid flowed down his throat, easing the tightness in his chest.

His emotions calmed down.

He was a seasoned politician. He understood Leo’s subtext.

Leo was staging a power play.

Murphy set down the glass.

"Alright, Mr. Mayor."

Murphy sighed, leaned back on the sofa, and rubbed his temples.

"You win."

"You’re right, I was careless. I thought that old fool Moretti would be more pragmatic, but I didn’t expect him to be so stubborn."

"We’re in the same boat now."

"If Pittsburgh really descends into chaos, it won’t end well for me either."

Murphy sat up straight, his businesslike, congressman’s demeanor returning.

"Tell me your plan."

"You’ve caused such a huge commotion, even turning yourself into a laughingstock for the Republican Party. How exactly do you plan to end this?"

"What do you want?"

Leo looked at Murphy.

He knew this was the real beginning of their conversation.

The previous shouting and accusations were merely to set the tone for this dialogue.

Now, they could talk about how to solve the problem like two equal partners.

Leo gestured to Ethan, who was in the corner.

Ethan understood immediately. He took out a prepared folder, walked quickly to the coffee table, and handed it to Murphy.

Murphy accepted the folder with some hesitation.

His fingers traced the cover of the folder.

He hesitated for a moment.

His intuition told him that this folder definitely didn’t contain good news. It might even hold a bigger problem.

He had heard enough about problems for one day. He just wanted a simple solution, like Leo promising to stop causing trouble, or agreeing to apologize to Moretti.

But looking into Leo’s calm yet unfathomably deep eyes, Murphy knew he had no other choice.

He sighed and opened the folder.

Murphy skimmed through the documents quickly, a skill he had honed over many years on Capitol Hill.

The file contained a detailed list of the lawsuits currently facing City Hall, along with the legal department’s estimate of the potential compensation amount.

The more he read, the more his tightly furrowed brow began to relax.

After closing the folder, he even let out a sigh of relief.

"Leo, your situation is indeed dangerous, but it’s not as bad as I imagined."

Murphy tossed the folder onto the coffee table.

"Those personal injury lawyers are like a pack of hyenas that have caught the scent of rotting flesh. They’re circling City Hall."

"Ever since you launched that campaign encouraging people to sue City Hall, the entire Pittsburgh legal community has been in an uproar. The City Hall legal department has received enough letters of intent to claim to fill three filing cabinets."

Murphy stood up and paced back and forth in his office, his tone lightening slightly.

"Fifty million US dollars." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He held up five fingers, waving them in front of Leo.

"That’s the legal department’s current estimated maximum for potential claims. Sounds terrifying, right? But that’s just a theoretical number. In practice, these lawsuits can be dragged out for years, and the final settlement amount is usually less than a tenth of that."

"This level of financial pressure will give Moretti a headache, but it’s not enough to bring him to his knees. He can simply approve an emergency legal aid fund and then toss these cases to outside law firms to handle at their own pace."

"Your move is ruthless, I’ll give you that, but it’s not ruthless enough to force his immediate surrender."

Murphy stopped pacing and stared at the calm-faced young man sitting behind the desk.

"But, Leo, have you considered another possibility?"

Murphy approached the desk, planted his hands on its surface, and leaned forward, his presence imposing.

"Let’s forget Moretti for a moment. Let’s forget this damn political struggle."