The southern and eastern districts of Richmond were part of the city's planned expansion areas.
At the moment, Leo found himself at the intersection of these two districts.
He had come here because Patrick owned a building.
The building was three stories tall, with no architectural beauty. Due to land issues, it wasn't worth much.
The only advantage was that the place was large.
Behind the building, there was a vast area that could be used for employee training or as a material storage yard.
The first through third floors each had different nameplates hanging on them.
On the first floor, the left side was named: Kevin Design Company.
On the right side, it was named: Supreme Sales Company.
The second floor was named Valentino Real Estate Company.
The third floor was named Blue Ridge Real Estate Company.
Yes, Leo had split his companies.
Patrick had hoped to take over, but Leo had made sure he wouldn't. However, if Thomas took control of the company by force, what would happen then?
Given such a harsh environment, Leo had to make multiple plans.
Blue Ridge Construction on the top floor specialized in municipal engineering.
After dealing with Patrick, Leo had bought a painting from Senator Thomas's collection for $300,000 at an auction organized by the Morton family.
At the event, Thomas had his staff deliver several bridge engineering projects.
Leo, with his experience, knew exactly what to do.
He took the identification information of Evelyn, which was also handed over by Thomas's staff.
Thus, the Lynchburg Veterans Association Fund gained an unremarkable shareholder.
This fund now owned 40% of Blue Ridge Construction.
The fund's shareholders also included: Desmond's wife Dorothy's sister, a relative of the Lieutenant Governor, Jonathan's nephew from the Lynchburg Police Department, and others.
Of course, there were still some vacant shares, which Leo planned to use to rally more people.
Here in Richmond, it wasn't wise to fight with someone as intense as Patrick. It would only expose him to further risks.
Instead of waiting for others to take advantage, it was better to get more people on his side.
The core of Blue Ridge Company was simple: "make it convenient for others and for yourself."
The Valentino Real Estate Company had a property division. In Leo's design, this division was mainly responsible for the development and operation of residential buildings.
Currently, the main focus is divided into two parts:
One part is new community construction, and the other part is the renovation of old areas.
This is the foundation for Leo to unite his brothers and expand in the future.
Leo personally owned 75% of the shares.
As for the first floor, Leo established a separate design company, freeing Kevin to replicate some of the designs from his past life.
At the same time, the designs would be the company's core competitive advantage.
Tucson's newly formed legal team was mainly responsible for applying for copyright protection for these innovative designs in the blueprints.
As for sales, Leo had experience in real estate in his past life.
He knew that the success of selling houses wasn't primarily about quality but about whether the sales team could persuade people.
This was definitely a core competitive strength.
The first floor of the building was the least conspicuous, but Leo knew that the two companies on the first floor were the most crucial.
With them, even if the companies above were taken over, Leo was confident he could make a comeback.
The company's relocation took three full days and was nearing its end.
Sitting in his spacious office, Leo watched the people lining up downstairs. For the first time, he truly felt that his career was beginning to take off!
Richmond, Council Square
The square was crowded with people.
"God bless America!"
Thomas closed his speech and gently closed his eyes, enjoying the applause and cheers from below.
Since his inauguration as governor and senator, he hadn't felt such a reception in a long time.
Today's cheers were particularly enthusiastic, something Thomas hadn't experienced in his entire political career.
Thomas felt that, apart from his own enduring political skills, the main reason for the warm reception was the speech Leo had written for him.
To Thomas, this speech felt magical.
There were no long-winded sentences favored by high society. Each sentence in the speech was short and easy to understand.
There were no complicated or difficult words, only colloquial language and slang.
Some phrases had arrows beside them, indicating where he should raise his voice.
It was a speech that political professionals would consider trivial, but it captivated the veterans in the audience.
Thomas privately swore that from now on, any speech aimed at the poor would be written by Leo.
Thomas was also thinking that Vice Governor Harry had already taken action.
As an ambitious politician, he had keenly realized the value of Leo's speech in the election.
"Mr. Valentino, as my sponsor, I sincerely invite you to join my election committee,"
Thomas said, stepping forward to put his arm around Leo's shoulder. He then turned to Vice Governor Harry, saying:
"After some time, I'll formally invite Leo to join our cause. Once he becomes a member of the Democratic Party, he can join your election team."
Leo caught the subtle competition between the two men and secretly laughed.
He wasn't proud of becoming popular but reflected on how each profession had its own vulnerabilities.
Donating $50,000 to Harry's campaign had no effect, but when he used his best tricks, they were all eager.
This made Leo reflect on whether his previous focus on war strategy had dulled his understanding of human nature.
Compared to the casual cocktail party after the Lynchburg Veterans Association meeting, the Virginia Veterans Association's post-meeting celebration led by the state government was much grander.
More than a thousand military representatives were invited to the Virginia Music Hall to enjoy fine art.
The association's managers and the attending dignitaries then went to the famous Jefferson Hotel in Richmond.
This hotel was named after the third president of the United States, who had also served as Virginia's governor.
In the hotel lobby, there was a statue of Jefferson, surrounded by carvings of his accomplishments.
The banquet was held in the hotel's grandest hall, Jefferson Hall.
The hall was magnificent, and entering here was a symbol of entering Virginia's upper class.
After countless toasts and conversations, Thomas and Harry, along with their trusted aides, went to a more private meeting room.
This was nothing unusual to the guests, as it always happened this way.
What surprised them, however, was that this time, two unfamiliar young men followed Thomas and Harry into the meeting room.
Especially Bishop Harris from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who watched as Desmond entered the private room he had always dreamed of.
"Do you know him, Harris?"
The vice mayor of Richmond asked.
"That's Desmond. I don't know if you're aware, but this man, blessed by God, is a devout member of our Seventh-day Adventist Church.
His philosophy of not killing is one of our important calls."
"Oh, I know him. He seems to have recently been elected as the mayor of Lynchburg.
That's quite an important position.
We should schedule a round of golf and talk about the hotel there. People are excited about that upcoming hotel.
Many of the congressmen believe that it will help ease the relationship between Virginia and Washington.
I didn't expect you to not only preach the Bible but also have such sharp political insight."
After the vice mayor left, Harris's face turned red and white.
The unintended compliments were the most hurtful.
Because Desmond's success today had nothing to do with him.
Regret for his earlier abandonment made his insides churn.
However, the vice mayor of Richmond was an important political resource for him.
Clever Harris was already considering how to repair his relationship with Desmond.