Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 640 Commencement Of The National Congress (Part Two)

At this point, half the politicians in the hall were in favor of Frank's decision.

However, after a few moments Reuben suddenly stood up, and all eyes turned to look at him. They knew that the much-awaited highlight of the National Congress was about to come.

Years ago, when Richie had not been the leader of Dragon Island and was in charge of overseeing the National Congress, Weston's grandfather Merle had been the head of the faction who strongly opposed the Long family. But in a surprising turn of events, Weston fell in love with Wing and after that, Merle resigned from politics. However, it has been known that ever since the ancient times, power has been the biggest force in perpetuating uncontrollable desires. Once seized by it, one will have to spend their whole life filling the big hole of greed in their heart if they succumb to its mercy.

"I don't agree with the Chief Commissioner." Reuben simply stated. This Congress was of critical importance to his plan, and Reuben simply cut to the chase. "The Long family has been leading Dragon Island since the beginning. I think they have been in power for too long. Their ways of thinking are quite traditional, which is not good for the development of Dragon Island. The situation calls for rotating ruling party system. More parties should be involved in the development of Dragon Island. This is the best path to take." Reuben finished.

"I agree."

One-third of the politicians were now with him. The rest were still observing.

Eric's lips were formed into a crafty smile during all this time, as if hiding a big, exciting secret. Back on the day when Richie had left office, Frank had sat there in the very same seat looking relaxed and arrogant, just as Eric was now. Looking at the whole scene had made the senior deputies in the National Congress feel as if they had gone back to the old days.

A heated dispute was going on between the factions. Frank just stood there silently. Members of the rival factions kept defending their own standpoints and attacking their opponents', and vice-versa. The Congress was conflicted about which system to adopt. Even when the two factions came to a stalemate, Frank and Eric maintained their composure.

Jeff, a low-ranking official who had just been raised to a member of the Congress sat in the corner. He seethed silently while watching the two political parties arguing hotly and contesting each other. It made him immensely satisfied and a malicious smile crept over his face. Their plans were coming to fruition.

His phone buzzed and he was snapped out of his reverie. It was the message notification. He took his phone out of his pocket and eyed the people around him warily. Everyone was engrossed in watching the two parties argue. When he saw no one was paying attention to him, he read the message.

"Jeff, I have Molly," the message from Lucy read.

The message pleased him greatly. A few seconds later, Lucy sent him a photo message, which showed Molly lying on the floor unconscious. Her hands and feet were tied and her mouth was sealed with tape. Her clothes were dirty and her hair was tangled around her face.

The sick smile on his face got even bigger. He looked up from his phone and up at Eric. He then forwarded the picture to both Eric and Brian.

Just as Eric was getting bored with the heated argument between the two factions, he received the message. He furrowed his brows upon seeing the picture and looked up, his eyes sending daggers to Jeff.

Jeff was observing him and waiting to see his reaction. He smiled and just nodded at Eric rather casually, but on a closer look his eyes were filled with cruel, sadistic joy. By sending the picture to Eric, he wanted to tell him that he had Molly, and Brian wouldn't be a threat to him anymore. He also wanted to know if Molly could be useful as a bargaining chip against Eric, too. Jeff was inwardly pleased with his thoughts.

Jeff saw how Eric reacted and now, it was clear that Molly really proved to be useful. As long as he had her in his hands, he could pin both Brian and Eric down. The very thought of it had him internally screaming with joy.

Eric squinted and slowly looked away. Wrath was taking control over his body. His face was dark and devoid of any emotion, emitting a dangerous aura.

The change in Eric's demeanor did not escape Frank's eyes, but he didn't reveal any of his thoughts until the tension between the two sides had subsided. He then cleared his voice and spoke, "It is the Long family who has contributed greatly to the development of Dragon Island. Generations of the Longs have devoted themselves to this Island. Our ancestors established the National Congress not only to keep the Longs diligent and steadfast in fulfilling their duties, but also for the development of Dragon Island. If the multiparty system is really good for the development of Dragon Island, the Longs will step down. However, right now, there is no evidence that we need a multiparty system."

His words that he spoke with such finality made everyone feel oppressed. "Today I will leave office and Eric will succeed me. Are there any comments on it?"

His tone was flat, but nobody dared to question him. A dead silence filled the hall.

"Of course, we all support Mr. Frank Long's decision. But we are wondering whether Prince Eric thinks he is capable of leading us. Dragon Island is a big island with more than 100 million residents after all,"

a voice suddenly piped up from a corner of the quiet hall. Everyone was startled and turned to look at the person who just said that after Frank's slightly imposing speech. Jeff rose up from his seat slowly. He was Reuben's only son. His comment had made it clear to everyone where he sided.

The hall fell into another long silence. They were again undecided on the matter. It was true that the Long family's rule had been rock-solid. However, as of now more than half of the Congress had been won over by the multiparty system. Things were really starting to get serious for the Long family. Things would get better if Frank still held office, but that was out of the question.

Jeff's blatant disrespect towards Frank's speech and his confidence made people start feeling something was off. Eric stood up and glared at Jeff, who looked back viciously. Eric gritted his teeth and tried his best to contain his temper and prevent himself from lashing out in anger. He was still glaring at Jeff, but in his mind he also blamed Brian.

Tension was building up in the hall. In one corner, Farrell listened closely to his earpiece. He just got some information and after confirming it, he walked towards Frank. He whispered something in his ear and retreated back to his place.

Frank raised one thick eyebrow and asked slowly, "If Eric can't lead Dragon Island, who can? The Duans? You?"

To this, Jeff answered, "As we can all see, my father has made a great contribution to the development of Dragon Island. As for me, if Dragon Island adopts the multiparty system, I will prove that we made the right decision by managing to get the agreement on Crystal Oil Exploration Project with Sun Island."00000000000000