Chapter 106
Chapter 106
The great doors of City Hall swung slowly open.
Beyond them, a long flight of steps led straight into the inner hall. Red walls and tall columns flanked both sides. This was supposed to be the most just place in Chicago — but for years, it had been treated by more than a few as a pipeline for personal gain.
Ethan was about to climb the steps when he stopped and turned back toward the old man with the missing arm.
"Come inside with me."
Everyone standing near the entrance went quiet.
Eddie glanced up, then quickly looked back down.
The old man stayed where he was. The empty sleeve of his worn jacket hung loose at his side. He took half a step back. "What would I be going in there for? I just wanted to see from a distance."
"Today, watching from a distance isn't enough."
Ethan looked at him. "Come in and watch me set this city straight."
The old man's lips moved. In the end, he didn't refuse. He just slowly straightened his back.
---
Inside City Hall, both sides of the main hall were already packed.
There were municipal officials, representatives from Chicago's major families, and people who'd heard a new mayor was taking office and had shown up to make themselves known. Most of them had assumed there would be an inauguration ceremony today — some encouraging words, the usual formalities. However iron-fisted the new mayor might be, the ceremony still had to happen.
Instead, what walked through the door was a young man in black.
And beside him, a one-armed old man.
The moment they entered, the expressions of many people in the hall shifted.
Eddie was about to call on everyone to pay their respects when Ethan raised a hand to stop him.
"Hold on."
Eddie swallowed the words immediately.
Ethan walked to the head of the room. He didn't sit. He turned and looked out across the entire row of people before him.
"By your customs, today should include an inauguration ceremony and the standard briefings."
His gaze moved slowly from one face to the next.
"I won't be sitting through any of that today."
No one in the hall spoke.
Ethan stood at the head of the room, fingertips brushing lightly across the back of the chair.
"I didn't come to Chicago to fill an empty seat."
He paused.
"I came to collect what's owed."
The words landed. Several faces in the crowd visibly changed.
Those who had been hoping to coast through the ceremony and figure out the new mayor's temperament later were now staring at the floor.
Eddie stood to the side, his back pulled tight.
He knew Ethan wouldn't go easy on anyone — but he hadn't expected Ethan's very first words to cut off every possible exit.
Ethan turned toward the first row on the left.
Standing there was a heavyset middle-aged man in a gray-green suit.
"What's your name?"
The man stepped forward quickly, bowing his head. "Mr. Mayor, I'm Efrain Hubbard, Director of Internal Affairs."
"Director of Internal Affairs."
Ethan repeated the title, then said, "There's a man named Kellan at the front gate who openly drove citizens away and had a whole line of guards charge out with him. Did you, as Director of Internal Affairs, know anything about that?"
Sweat broke out on Efrain's forehead immediately.
He kept his head down. His throat moved. "Mr. Mayor, I failed in my oversight."
"Failed in your oversight?"
Ethan studied him for a moment. "That phrase is the most well-practiced one in all your mouths."
Efrain's knees buckled. He nearly hit the floor.
Ethan went on. "When nothing's gone wrong yet, you say you weren't informed. When something blows up, you say you failed in your oversight. When it can't be buried anymore, you promise a thorough investigation. And at the end of it all, a few subordinates get sacrificed as scapegoats — while the ones who actually gave the orders stay right where they are."
The hall was completely silent.
Ethan looked at him. "Am I wrong?"
Sweat ran down the side of Efrain's face. He didn't dare say a word.
Ethan turned and sat down in the head chair.
The moment he sat, every head in the hall dropped lower.
"Eddie."
"Here, sir."
"Have all of City Hall's records sealed — ledgers, transaction logs, reports, everything."
Ethan looked at Efrain.
"Director of Internal Affairs Efrain — take him into custody."
Efrain's face went white. He dropped to his knees on the spot. "Mr. Mayor, please show mercy! I may have failed in my oversight, but I have never been disloyal. Please give me a chance to make this right."
"Whether you've been loyal or not isn't for you to decide."
Ethan said, "We'll find out after the investigation."
Eddie bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
Two members of the Dragon Security Bureau stepped forward and hauled Efrain toward the door. He tried to resist — but when he looked up and caught Eddie's eyes, the sound died in his throat. He didn't dare make another sound.
Ethan's gaze moved on and settled on an older man in an official's robe.
"And you?"
The man bowed. "Mr. Mayor, I'm Kalman, head of the Department of Special Events."
"Head of the Department of Special Events — and yet you let City Hall turn into a place where attack dogs block the gate."
Ethan looked at him steadily.
The composure on Kalman's face cracked. He kept his head down and said nothing.
Ethan leaned back in his chair and tapped once on the armrest.
"Today, my first order of business is to establish three rules."
Everyone in the hall stood a little straighter.
"First," Ethan said, "City Hall is not a kennel. From now on, anyone who uses the name of City Hall to abuse or intimidate the people will be arrested first and investigated after."
"Second, within three days, the Dragon Security Bureau will compile a complete register of all retired veterans wounded in service and all fallen soldiers' families across Chicago. They will be reassigned according to their circumstances. Anyone who uses this as an opportunity to line their own pockets will answer to me."
"Third, starting today, City Hall runs on ability — not seniority, not appearances. Those who can deliver will be rewarded. Those who can't should see themselves out."