NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 224: Finally over.
Lastly, finally the last speech was again by William, as he stepped up to the microphone to deliver the final blow to everything.
You've heard it all, across the cities, in our towns, through every corner of this great nation, and even beyond our borders. We are not merely enforcing new rules. We are forging a new era. This is a turning point in our history. An era of rebuilding, of rising, of becoming not just a secure nation, but a livable one, a proud, working, striving, unstoppable nation.
Our vision is not limited to safety in the streets. No, this is broader. This is deeper. It's about transforming our economy, uplifting our people, and standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies. In fact, we aim to surpass them, not out of arrogance, but out of duty. We owe it to our people to lead.
That is why lastly I am announcing a monumental investment, 170 billion dollars will be committed to a national reconstruction effort.
These funds will go toward rebuilding what was lost, restoring what was broken, and building what was never dared. New hospitals. Clean, modern workplaces. Public infrastructure that serves not just the capital, but every single state, every forgotten county, every deserving community across our homeland.This is our future, and it must be built by all of us.
And so, to the titans of our economy, the billionaires, the magnates, the visionaries I say this, now is the time. Now is the hour to step forward, not just with your wealth, but with your heart. Join us. Invest not just in profit, but in people. Help us build this great nation, not for a legacy but for life."
Yeah, he planned it very well, and it showed that he is actually not just a great liar, a great strategist, but more than that, he really is the person whose role is to be the president, and he has the mind for it. This last announcement was just a shell to help the deal with James, because William knew a lot of eyes would be watching them, and so he needed to make something up to actually hide the tracks that they are working with him. But most importantly, it was to actually show James that all of this, that the announcement today, basically means nothing to him, like he is not going to be investigated or anything like that, but will have the opportunity to build up his family however he wants, and the time was there for it.
The 160 days of national emergency will be a rush for all of them, but not just that, but the 1-year peace treaty, they can't attack each other because that would be a total catastrophe. So that time, with the new announcement of rebuilding and investing, James can join the government and the government can join him, and help each other even more.
Not just that, but it gave another great opportunity to James himself. He wanted to be somebody who is there for the people, who the people will remember as a great man, the Don who helped them, and this is what was going to help him. This is going to be his first step toward that. With the different shell companies, with the government's help and umbrella, he can do it. He can finally start the deal with Benjamin and his revenge. He can finally step toward greatness and not the darkness that was engulfing him.
The opportunity was finally there, and he will act on it. The message was sent by President William.
"Thank you all, and may God bless you all." He finished his speech, and that was the moment when finally the frozen crowd suddenly erupted into joy, into cheers.
It was more than cheer. A lot of them cried on the spot. A lot of them even fainted hearing what was going to happen, because it was something that they thought was never going to happen, that their children would still be living in these conditions, that the government had abandoned them long ago. But no… this was real, as much as their reaction was real.
Thousands of people were so loud that Linda, for a moment, even covered her ears because it was just fucking so loud as they went back to the building. And one thing she noticed as they were walking was that the news and journalists on the side were just fucking frozen too… but the best thing about it was that it was the journalists who were against the government and the party that was currently ruling. The opposing side was there, totally frozen, and didn't even bother to ask any questions.
They criticized the government 24/7 every single day, and now they actually did what they were being criticized for not doing… and now, well, the only thing they could do to criticize them is one thing that even William, at the beginning of writing the speech, thought about.
The national emergency also gives the right to silence all media, which also means a huge point that the public can grab on and say the government is controlling, manipulating everything. So William decided to actually not do it, only if it's necessary… which meant if a media outlet starts talking about the Bellini family or their business, something that they had their hands in… but other than that, he will not silence them.
But there is always someone in the crowd that is not like the others, and that's exactly how it was.
Linda kinda was slow, and the others were already in the building, so as she walked toward the door, suddenly from the right, a journalist popped out with her microphone toward her.
"Minister!" She shouted in a voice that was rushing and frantic. "Is there any news that you can share about the independent KSC News? Evelyn Ava, our journalist, disappeared the same night when the raid on Marco De Luca's house happened?" She asked, and as Linda looked at her, she kinda got frozen.
What to say?
She was never put under this much pressure in her life, and now a sudden question from a reporter about that woman, who she saw dying that night, being shot and killed by James Bellini, and then, well, her body was fucking stuffed into a barrel. She needed to lie something quick to not seem visibly stressed about the question.
"It's currently under investigation by the NSBI where she could have vanished, but judging by the evidence that we found, she was most likely shot and killed."
"But who?" The reporter asked immediately. "In our findings, the raid was over when she arrived at the scene."
"That is impossible." Linda said. "This raid was one of the biggest that ever happened, and it lasted 4 hours to clear out every single threat around and in the estate. To get a bigger picture, more than 30,000 bullet casings were found and are currently being processed, so I can't give a straight answer. But if you're pointing at our agents, that is just an outrageous statement. We do not silence journalists, nor have we ever done so. So it's most likely that she was killed while Marco De Luca tried to flee the scene through the same gate where her blood was found. Not just that, but around her blood, one of Marco's guard's bodies was found with a pistol in his hands."
"Then where is her body, then?" She asked back, and it was a great question with no idea what to say because it was like a mystery… how can a body suddenly disappear when there are more than a hundred agents there… how?
"That is a question that is a mystery to us too. This is currently under investigation just like how thousands of reopened cases. So what I can say now is that we will have an answer to it, but not right now." Linda said and wanted to dip as fast as she could, but the other journalists suddenly woke up and bombarded her with questions and one of them was a trap.
"With all of these new laws, and agencies, and anti-corruption, can I ask, when will the time come when publicly known underworld figures like Dante Castillo, Damien Montoya will be arrested? Or when will investigations and operations begin against the public known enforcers or high-ranking members?"
It was a trap. At least, a trap that the reporter asked without knowing it was. If Linda said something wrong, it could fuck up everything moreover, the relationship between Dante Castillo, Damien Montoya, and James. Because she knew James would step toward them… but more than that, the worst part was that she knew what he was really asking about, those enforcers or high-ranking members were none other than Ferrucci, Hector, and Bella, their pictures out there without names.
"It is… not as easy as you might think it is." Linda started. "We can't just arrest them because they are publicly known to be gangsters or connected with the underworld. We need solid evidence against them, which can take weeks or months, especially now that we know there are corrupt officials who can help them to hide this evidence. So the first step to clean our streets is to clear ourselves." She said, and now looked deep into his eyes. "One more thing, this is a really dumb question to ask. Because if I give a straight answer, what do you think? They didn't watch the television? Should I just give out the information on when we will strike them down? Please think before asking stupid questions. Thank you all." She said, and finally turned and left them and well, they were stunned.
Linda, for them, for a long time, seemed to be a minister who was just a doll pulled by the president. But now she had the power and authority, she talked with a lot of it actually and well, she showed them the arrogant side of her that every minister has.
And she did it well, because with it she seemed like someone who actually cares.