Elsewhere in Arcton, a

Before becoming prime minister, Seyson Alridge had long been deeply entangled with James in a mutually exploitative relationship. His rise to power had depended entirely on James’ financial and logistical support.

Seyson’s term was now coming to an end.

According to the laws of Arcton, the next prime minister had to be a member of the House of Representatives. The speaker of the house would nominate the candidate, who must then be confirmed by both houses of parliament before being formally appointed by the king.

Stephen, due to his background and identity, could not directly interfere with the election. But he could lend support from behind the scenes, using others as intermediaries.

Back when Seyson ran for office, he had a formidable opponent. Her name was Ensa Mahana.

In both family background and personal capability, Ensa far outshone Seyson. In fact, she had nearly won the last election.

No one could have predicted that midway through the campaign, Seyson’s popularity would skyrocket as if out of nowhere. Public support and votes surged, leaving Ensa far behind in the voter tally.

Shortly after his victory, Seyson pushed through legislation legalizing marijuana.

The biggest beneficiary of that law was none other than James, leader of Arcton’s most powerful criminal syndicate.

It was then that Ensa finally realized the truth. Seyson had been working with James all along.

James poured money into Seyson’s campaign, and once elected, Seyson repaid the favor by giving him free rein to expand his influence.

Emboldened by their alliance, James even dared to challenge the Jacobson family in Orkford directly and had even sent men across the border multiple times in attempts to assassinate Stephen.

This time, Stephen came to Arcton with a single purpose. He was there to help Ensa win the election.

Unlike Seyson, who was blinded by greed and obsessed with power, Ensa was upright and idealistic. She carried a sense of duty and a strong vision for her country. She was the kind of leader who served the people, not herself.

Half a month ago, Xavier had already traveled to Arcton to act on Stephen’s behalf and support Ensa’s campaign from behind the scenes.

Tomorrow was election day. Stephen had brought a team with him to capture James.

At this point, James’ base was

surrounded so tightly that not even a fly could escape. As soon as the election election results were confirmed and Ensa took office, Stephen’s team would take action immediately.

Later that evening, Tessa headed back to the Yates residence for dinner.

The TV in the living room was playing international news.

Carla, the housekeeper, carried dish after dish out to the table.

Marianne came down the stairs, holding Seline by the hand. “You’re back, Tess.”

“Yeah, I’m back.” Tessa nodded. She placed her bag on the couch,

washed her hands in the ba

and Stepped back out just in time to hear the news report on TV

“Today, Ensa Mahana secured the majority support of the lower

in Arcton and has been offie honet

elected as the new prime minister.”

= 4 na Mahana secured the

Tessa walked over to the television and stared at the screen.

Was this what Stephen had gone to Arcton for?

He had mentioned before that James’ political backer was about to fall. Could he

have meant Seyson, the outgoing prime minister?

Then, what was Stephen doing at this moment?

As if on cue, her phone suddenly rang.

Her heart skipped a beat and started pounding wildly in her chest. She pulled out

her phone.

It was that familiar number again.

“Hello?” Her voice trembled slightly as she picked up the call.