Chapter 87: A Movie and a Family Dinner
Chapter 87: A Movie and a Family Dinner
Lance leaned against his car, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching passersby on the street.
The middle-class neighborhood had strict entry rules, and the security guard eyed Lance suspiciously. He didn’t have any psychic powers to detect criminal intent—he just instinctively distrusted non-residents, especially those as good-looking as Lance.
Lately, Lance’s ventures had started gaining traction, and he’d gotten to know more about Patricia’s father, Mr. William Lawrence.
Mr. Lawrence was a municipal civil servant working under the mayor, holding a position that was neither particularly high nor low. He was a member of the Federation Party, one of the Federation’s three major political factions alongside the Liberty Party and the Socialist Party.
Originally, there had only been two dominant parties—the Liberty Party and the Federation Party. The Liberty Party advocated for the freedoms of the middle and lower classes until a significant split occurred years ago, giving rise to the Socialist Party.
Socialists believed that excessive individual freedoms could bring disaster to society and the nation. They championed industrial and economic development, a stance fundamentally at odds with the Liberty Party’s emphasis on liberalism, which Socialists derided as “reckless freedom.”
The core ideological conflict was the priority of individual versus national interests, and the two camps couldn’t reconcile. The Socialist Party, heavily backed by capitalists, grew rapidly, often taking the reins of government and dominating Congress.
In this political climate, Mr. Lawrence’s Federation Party had little leverage to help his career. Thus, at forty years old, he remained stuck in a middling municipal position.