Franco is willing to back Jacques all the way. He doesn’t mind if Jacques is hiding something from him, and whatever that was, he’s pretty sure it’s for the better. He had been Jacques advisor for a year, and it has been the only year in his life that Franco is fully respected. Jacques listens to his every advice and could even support or add suggestions while he’s at it. Jacques is a listener, a politician America needs.
Franco made a powerful campaign speech for Jacques. It has been aired on state news and gained him the highest poll that week. The speech is about equality, and how lessening the favor to the rich would cause a huge trickle-down effect to the commoners of New York City. They may not be holding the high society of Manhattan, but there sure are more commoners in Brooklyn and Queens. The people, as well as esteemed economists and doctors, like the idea of combatting toxic capitalism, or giving the high society a special treatment. This would give more options to minimum wagers, lesser monopolistic rule, and more respect to the working class.
(AN// I’d like to talk more about the toxic economy of America, but like, this is a short chick-lit.)
A lot of working classes including the minimum wagers, doctors, overworked nurses, vets, and underpaid lawyers sympathized with Franco. Not only was Franco right, the man also has pleasant personality.
The next week, however, their polls went down. It all went to a young and handsome socialite who made the twitter break down because of his good looks. Talk about making America great again.
However, that is not the reason of the poll rise. The socialite named Gregory McKlein is the younger brother of a successful hospital chain tycoon named Julia McKlein, who just mysteriously owned the Chen Hospitals through a series of stock buying. Gregory announced that the McKlein-Hampton hospitals (because the McKlein family is partners with the Hamptons, apparently) will give cheap accommodations to everyone. He also expressed his agreement with the National Free Healthcare Service.
And down did the polls go. NHS is every American’s desire. The very thing Europe and Canada is laughing at them about. One time, Marcus told Franco that The Philippines, A DEVELOPING COUNTRY, has free healthcare services in certain places like Makati. How about New York? One of the richest state of America?
Nobody can combat the NHS proposal.
However, some citizens still have faith in Franco. How many times has it been that a President ran with NHS in their platform and never actually made it happen?
Maybe this Gregory McKlein is another bullshit.
The votes of New York are half-half. But only one will win the race.
Franco asked a tour in that newly-opened, formerly-Chen’s, McKlein-Hampton hospital. He knew this was the Hospital that Marcus inherited from his ex-wife Hannah Chen, but sold it to Julia McKlein instead. He also knew Julia McKlein was formerly Jean Alexandra Hampton, but he doesn’t really care about whatever rich people do. He just wants to make sure that the Hamptons are not bluffing about turning this state-of-the-art hospital into a cheap accommodation.
Actually, no. He wants to know where the Chens went. What the Hamptons did to them was beyond illegal. Maybe he could ask them for help.
While he was touring the hospital, (Which, in his opinion, is really high-class.) a commotion happened at the information desk.
A young man with long rugged hair, paper-white paleness, deep-brown eyes adorned with deep brown eyebags, and oversized white shirt without pants, was demanding about a certain ‘Miss Hannah Chen’. This man has Chinese accent, and he’s saying he owns this hospital.
(A Chen?) Franco thought. (Finally. But why he looking like that?)
Hampton guards surrounded the pale man, and as a response, he ran towards the exit. By some miracle, the man is agile, peppering the fact that he’s panicking and would do everything to escape. Franco used the other exit while the other guards follow the young man.
Franco went to the back storage near the empty pharmacy where he thought a hiding fellow would go. And there he was, seeing the very small man squeezed in between boxes. When he saw Franco, he panicked, his tired eyes dilating in fear.
“P- Please…” the man whispers. “I don’t… I don’t want.”
“It’s alright.” Franco said, using his ever calming voice. It’s all thanks to that incident a few years ago that made his voice deeper and soothing. “You’re safe with me.”
“No.” The man hid his face even deeper his closed, trembling palms. “I don’t want to go back. I just want to see Hannah.”
“Miss Hannah Chen?” Franco said. “She’s in prison. How about the other Chens?”
“N- No. No no please. No.”
“Then how about we go to the police to sort this out?” Franco rationalizes.
“No. Jean will find me there. He will, he will kill me. The Hamptons… they’re… they’re dangerous. They’re everywhere.”
Franco realized what this could be. He’s a Hampton victim. But to be fair, despite the evil allegations towards the Hamptons, and despite knowing what Quinn could be capable of, he doesn’t think the rich man could actually be a literal danger to the citizens.
Quinn doesn’t seem to be the kind of person to harm a civilian because he’s insulted or he went against him politically. Governor Jacques would have been missing. Now, who is this man that the Hamptons would victimize him?
Oh no. That’s impossible.
He’s dead.
“Kid, are you… Harold Chen?”
The man slowly faced him in fear, but in submission, he nodded.
According to the pictures, Harold Chen is a buffy Asian man with stereotypical jockish grin. He was boastful, proud, and he looks like he could sue you if you don’t let him cut in the line.
However, this kid who actually looks like a malnourished teenager (He’s 31, supposedly) is nothing like the Harold Chen that Manhattan knew. He’s skittish, sickly, scared, submissive, and light. Like, 50 kilograms light.
Franco brought him to his apartment, covering him in hoodie and facemask. With his heavy-tinted car given by the Governor, it was easy to pass the security, even the checkpoint that suddenly got stationed in the fork roads. (Damn, Quinn is fast).
Harold’s current stature and natural skittishness enabled him to squeeze under the chairs. It seems this man is fond of squeezing himself in places. It almost made Franco’s stomach churn.
In his apartment, he immediately fed the man who insisted on eating under the table. After that, he told him to rest in his bed, but Harold disagrees.
“They have eyes everywhere, sir.” He said, and proceeded on crawling to his closet.
*
Notes: Trigger warning on the next chapters.
YOU ARE READING
Tensions and Attentions
Humor[Completed, new upload] [Book 2 of Bro of my Life] In the High Society Upper East Side of New York, tensions happen. Quinn is a pompous, bratty, and genius capitalist, while Franco is a simple political advisor/activist who just wants to punch his f...
