Chapter 1119: Roland's Affair

After finishing his day's work, Roland returned home and gave himself a simple wash.

Federal people do not like to wash up at night; even if they are covered in sweat, they will curl up directly on the sofa or in a spring bed and fall into a deep sleep, carrying the stench of sweat all over them.

It is not until the next morning that they will take off these clothes, go to the bathroom, and rinse off.

Of course, this is limited to the underclass; the middle class and upper class still clean themselves every day, if conditions permit.

Roland came out of the bathroom wiping his hair; his wife had already prepared his loungewear, placing it on the counter outside the bathroom.

As he put on his clothes, he smelled the fragrance wafting through the air.

He did not live in a villa, but in a detached house with a total area of about two hundred square meters. The aroma of food cooking in the kitchen passed through the living room and entered his nose, which made him feel a sense of hunger.

"What's for dinner?" He walked into the dining room and found a seat to sit down.

On the table were beef and lamb, as well as some fruit salad and bread—a simple yet hearty dinner.

"Simple" meant it lacked complex cooking techniques or fancy elements, while "hearty" referred to the meat.

"Thank you." Looking at such a hearty dinner, Roland said these words once again.

His wife sat opposite him, manipulating her knife and fork with a calm expression, moving some beef and lamb onto Roland's plate. "You saved me and my family; this is my promise to you. You don't need to say thank you to me."

Many years ago, Roland accidentally saved a family of three who were on the verge of life and death during his work; they were being pushed to the extreme edge of despair by gangs due to private debt issues.

Roland had a case in his hands that happened to involve this gang, and at the same time, he learned about this matter, so he saved this family.

At that time, Roland might... not have been too extreme yet, not possessing such extreme justice. After saving his current wife and her family, his wife asked if there was anything she could do to help him.

At the time, Roland had no need for her, but she emphasized repeatedly that at any time, as long as Roland needed her, she would repay Roland's life-saving grace.

In the years that followed, Roland cracked many cases, and his style began to undergo some changes. In the words of his former colleagues, he went from being a humorous person who liked to laugh to becoming cold, serious, and possessing a feeling of hating evil just as one hates an enemy.

His methods were sometimes very rough, and when dealing with those criminals, he was often a bit... excessive.

But because he was dealing with criminals, the Federation at that time had no intention of caring for criminals, so many criminals could only accept their fate after being interrogated.

During this process, an incident occurred: Roland's parents were retaliated against. Although it did not result in any serious consequences, this incident sounded an alarm for Roland.

This made him realize that the better he did, the more those criminals hated him, and the more problematic the safety of him and his family became.

After that, he found his current wife and asked her to play this role, which she has done to this day.

Roland picked up his knife and fork and began to enjoy the food on his plate. As he ate, he said, "Soon, it will be resolved very soon."

"As long as I finish the work I have on hand now."

His eyes were filled with longing at this moment. Only when facing his nominal wife would he open his heart, because he knew that anyone might betray him, but the woman before him would not.

They had known each other for twenty years; in those twenty years, she had never let him down. She had also encountered danger, but she had gritted her teeth and endured it.

His feelings for this woman were very strange; it wasn't the kind between a husband and wife, but more like comrades-in-arms or colleagues who shared common ideals and were like-minded.

His wife's movements as she ate paused for a moment. "Is everything... about to end?"

Roland suddenly seemed to have become his younger self; a satisfied smile appeared on his face, enthusiastic and fervent.

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"Yes, yes!"

"Once the Perez family and the Lansi family are handled, the President will be able to fulfill one of his promises to the public within half a year of taking office, which is enough to give his approval rating a huge boost."

"At the same time, people will look forward to the federal government solving the remaining gangs, and I, as the initiator and lead surgeon of this matter, will get everything I want!"

He speared a large piece of lamb and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing without a single thought for his image, even as food scraps splattered from his mouth. "Power, greater autonomy. I can do more things, without so many constraints, without anyone calling me at critical moments of my investigations, telling me to drop everything."

Over these years, he had experienced many such things. Those evil criminal groups—he clearly had the evidence of their crimes, yet just because they had connections to certain big shots...

The hard-earned evidence, which could even be said to be stained with the blood of his colleagues, ultimately had to be destroyed by him personally.

He had had enough; he wanted to obtain higher power, more power, so that no one would go on controlling what he had to do or what he wanted to do.

"Congratulations." His wife put down her knife and fork, looking at him with a smile. "Your wish can finally be realized."

Looking at this nominal wife, Roland could not help but show some sentimental expression on his face. "Actually, I should be the one saying thank you. If it weren't for your help over these years, my life and other matters might have become a complete mess!"

Sincere and heartfelt.

The couple was polite and courteous to each other, not at all like a husband and wife. Soon, they turned their attention back to life.

They chatted about topics they were each interested in, though not necessarily interested in each other's, and finished dinner.

Roland's wife cleared the tableware, and when she returned to the living room, Roland had already returned to the bedroom to rest.

He was too tired—not physically exhausted; what kind of exhaustion could one have sitting in an office?

It was mental. He had to sit behind the scenes to control two huge gangs, escalating their war until the very last moment.

All kinds of sudden events made him extremely exhausted. He soon fell into a deep sleep and even began to snore.

Listening to the snoring that even the bedroom door could not block coming from inside, Roland's wife returned to her own bathroom. She took off her clothes, adjusted the water temperature, and walked in.

The water from the shower head splashed down like a sudden rainstorm. She ran her hands through her hair, instinctively closed her eyes, and stood in the rain curtain with her mouth open.

The water from the shower was very warm, but she could not feel it.

After a surge of emotion calmed down again, she walked out of the bathroom, came to her bedroom naked, and looked at herself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror.

There were two knife wounds on her shoulder. Once, a madman, in order to retaliate against Roland, hid at the entrance of their residence.

After Roland left, she was just about to go out to buy some groceries when the madman rushed out and slashed at her.

Fortunately, there were many police officers and their families living around their residence at that time. Her screams attracted the attention of others, and the guy only managed to cut her twice before being subdued.

Later, she heard that Roland had shot and killed his son at the scene of a robbery; he had no family left. After losing his son, he was the only one left in the whole world.

He attacked her also to make Roland feel the pain of a loved one leaving.

The wound on her shoulder had not fully healed to this day; whenever the weather was overcast, she always felt a trace of pain in the crevices of her bones.

Then her gaze fell on the right side of her chest, where there was a gunshot wound.

Roland had sent a gang leader to prison, and later, this guy died in prison under unclear circumstances. Some said it was because of conflicts between gangs, so he was finished off inside.

But others said it was arranged by Roland.

The relative of that gang leader, in order to take revenge on Luo Lan, attempted to assassinate her.

She was actually quite lucky; the gunman's aim was a bit off. The bullet penetrated two layers of glass before hitting her, getting stuck in her ribs.

Although it did not cause serious consequences, her ribs were broken, and she rested for a full half-year because of it.

Just taking a deep breath, sneezing, or any other action that could increase chest pressure would make her feel intense pain.

She had several other such wounds on her body. Over these years, her life had not been that simple or safe.

At first, she would be afraid, but as she experienced more, she began to get used to it—used to being injured, used to people coming to retaliate, used to bearing it all.

Although every time it only earned her a "sorry" and some explanations from Roland, he would absolutely not change anything; he was still pursuing what he wanted.

If these were all things she could endure, then what she could not endure most was that Roland had never touched her to this day.

Strictly speaking, she was still a "girl." She had tried to attempt to have something happen with Roland, but was always rejected by him.

However, she knew that Roland had a real wife and two children, and she was nothing more than the one used to provide cover for his real family.

She had always believed that one day, she would be able to move Roland, and something would happen between them.

Even if she didn't necessarily have to give birth to a child for Roland, just being by his side forever, she might have been satisfied.

Twenty years of companionship, plus the life-saving grace, made her develop more feelings for Roland.

But Roland was always avoiding, avoiding her fervent desires.

Looking at herself in the mirror, no longer young, inexplicably, a feeling of resentment grew in her heart.

However, this emotion came quickly and went quickly. She changed into a light nightgown, lay on the bed, and fell into a dreamland without knowing it.

Tomorrow would be another new day.

When he got up in the morning, Roland went to the garage; he wanted to take some documents to the office, but when he came back, he was frowning the whole time.

The woman who was eating asked, "What's wrong?"

"Is breakfast not to your taste?"

Roland came back to his senses. "No, it has nothing to do with breakfast."

"I remember the garage door was stepped to the bottom last night, but when I just went to look, it had lifted up a bit."

The garage's rolling shutter door had a problem; if closed normally, it would not close completely, leaving a gap of about three or four fingers' width from the ground.

This distance was not enough to worry about anyone crawling in, but he was worried about wild animals running in.

The ecological environment of the Federation was still okay now, especially the community where they lived, but there were many rats, wild cats, or other wild animals here.

These small animals were not enough to bring him any huge danger, but they would make a mess in the garage.

These little things were full of curiosity; every time they slipped in, it would take him a long time to clean up.

So he would always stand on the rolling shutter door to ensure it was fully lowered.

He had always said he would fix it, but he never had the time.

Of course, it was also possible that he thought this matter was far less important than the things he needed to do; at least until the things he wanted to do were finished, he would not deal with this matter.

His wife resumed eating. "Maybe the wind was strong, causing it to accidentally bounce up."

"The wind has been a bit strong lately; I heard a hurricane is very close to us."

Roland looked at her and thought for a while. "I'll have someone from the community come and fix it."

He always felt something was not quite right, but he couldn't say what was wrong, so he could only say that for now.

His wife seemed indifferent; whether it was fixed or not, she wouldn't go to the garage—that was a place only men would go.

After finishing breakfast, he returned to the office. It was already mid-August, the hottest time of the year, but in the mornings and evenings, one could already perceive some of the bleakness and chill of autumn.

After greeting many people, he returned to his office. Just as he was about to start researching some work content, the phone rang suddenly.

He didn't think much and answered directly. "This is Roland."

It took a few seconds for a voice to come through the receiver. "I've encountered trouble and need your help."

Roland immediately put down the other work in his hands. He glanced at the slightly ajar door, said "Wait a moment," then got up, walked to the door, closed it, and locked it.

Only then did he return to sit behind the desk. "What happened?"

"I told you before, try not to call me; the situation is not clear yet."

The woman on the other end of the receiver seemed a bit aggrieved. "I didn't want to call you either, but they rejected little Jamie's application for admission."

"I was thinking if you could think of some way to get them to agree."

Little Jamie was his son, and also his eldest son; he should be starting high school this year.

He had contacted his real wife before, and they had arranged a decent local private high school for him; the person in charge of the high school had also promised to accept him.

But for some reason, school was about to start, and when his wife went to register little Jamie, the school changed its mind, saying they couldn't accept little Jamie for the time being.

Private schools, especially those decent private schools, did not just require money for admission; they also required certain connections.

The most common was "alumni relations"—for example, the parents of these students might have graduated from this school, or had recommendations from other celebrities.

Otherwise, to get into a better private school, one either had to do very well on exams or be very willing to spend money.

Roland actually had money; as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for two or three years, it was impossible for him not to have money in his hands.

But this money could not be spent with peace of mind, especially for sponsoring a school—wouldn't that be telling people that he had a relationship with someone in this school?

Hearing what his wife said, he was also a bit annoyed. "I'll make a call and ask; I'll call you when I have news."

He said this and hung up the phone. He was very concerned about the child's academic situation because he himself was part of the group that benefited from these things.

If it weren't for the fact that he had a good school, if it weren't for the fact that he met so many people during his studies, he could not have become the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Relying on his own skills and abilities? He dared to say that in the entire Federation, in his professional field, there might not be thousands of people better than him, but hundreds certainly existed.

But why were those people still patrolling in some remote city's police station, while he was already standing in such a high position? Just because he graduated from a better prestigious university, while those people only had high school diplomas.

So he hoped his children could walk more smoothly on this path in the future; then, well-known private high schools and elite league institutions were the paths he had to take.

After he finished walking these paths, Roland would recruit him directly, let him become an agent, and give him more opportunities to perform meritorious service; he wanted to build the Bureau of Investigation into something that could be passed down.

Although there were still many problems in this, he believed he could achieve this point.

His purpose in showing favor to Congress was to avoid the change of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's position following the change of the President.

The President had to change at most every eight years; if the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the President's person, then he would certainly be constantly replaced.

But if he was Congress's person and also had face on the President's side, then he could stay on forever.

And he intended to master more people's privacy to ensure his power would not be taken away.

Only in this way could power be passed down to his son through his hands.

He sat there in a daze for a while, then dialed a number. "My friend's child, the one I told you about last time, little Jamie."

"His admission was rejected; you ask what's going on."

This was his cousin; except for himself and his wife, no one knew that the two children had a relationship with him.

To the outside world, he claimed that the mother and the two children were the family of a deceased good friend of his; he had promised his deceased friend that he would take good care of their family.

His cousin immediately agreed, saying he would contact him as soon as there was news.

After hanging up the phone, for some reason, he always felt a sense of unease.