As they were about to part ways, Feena held onto Jack's arm and said worriedly, "Jack, please. I'm begging you not to get into trouble with Patrick, okay?"
Jack could see the fear in her eyes. He gave her a reassuring nod, and only then did Feena leave reluctantly.
After returning home, Jack first visited Valery and her family. He'd heard that one of Tarthy City's most prominent lawyers had taken up Valery's case. He asked about the details and offered a few words of comfort to the Babcock family.
Jack received a mysterious phone call. After answering, he said calmly, "Keep monitoring. Let me know immediately if anything happens."
A while later, Emily came to find Jack and handed him a gold-embossed invitation.
"There's a charity gala in Tarthy City in a few days. Your father and I won't be able to attend, so I want you to go. Events like this are a good chance to meet people and start building your network."
Tarthy City was, after all, Jack's true home. If he was going to build his future here, it was best to start building his connections sooner rather than later.
Jack accepted the invitation with a faint smile.
Later in the evening, Jack called Elias and asked to meet at the latter's private club for tea and a conversation.
Lately, Elias had been feeling increasingly uneasy.
Among Tarthy City's four most prestigious families, the Carpenters had long been at odds with the Roes in the business world. The Carpenters held a slight edge in power, keeping the Roes consistently at the bottom of the pecking order.
But the tide was turning. The Roe family was now forming a close alliance with the Trevell family, both rallying behind Gerard, who was expected to take office soon. Together, they had launched a counterattack on the Carpenter family.
Various government departments in Tarthy City had begun investigating Carpenter family enterprises under official pretexts.
Although no serious issues had surfaced yet, the Carpenters' publicly listed companies were already under pressure. Negative media coverage was piling up, hindering business operations. The Roe family capitalized on the turmoil to expand their interests.

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