Pushing One's Luck

After all, he is now the distinguished Holy Father, the mentor of the Holy Son, and the public face of the Saints. With millions of eyes watching from below, he simply had to maintain his image.

Henry Lee sat upright, gazing toward the stage. A moment later, Pope-elect Stern took the stage to deliver the opening remarks of the ceremony and welcome the guests from all directions.

There were quite a few non-members invited this time. Primarily, the Saints wanted to project an image of being open-minded—showing that the Saints were neither extreme nor a cult, let alone terrorists.

However, because they were a minority with a weak voice, they were misunderstood by some people, yada, yada, yada.

Henry Lee, however, caught the subtext behind these words:

Because we belong to a minority group, we must be respected. Our beliefs cannot be questioned; otherwise, it is a lack of freedom, a persecution of minorities, and a regression of this country's civilization!

Shouldn't the white liberals in the audience reflect deeply on themselves and learn to respect the small in number and emotionally fragile Saints, just as they respect Black people and the LGBT community?

You've got to hand it to him—Henry Lee absolutely loved this line of reasoning, this "white liberal savior, protect me" rhetoric.

At the end of the day, open and free Western countries are fascinating. As long as you are a minority and the disadvantaged party, you can run wild!

Ivana was also listening attentively. Unlike Henry Lee, who grasped the core essence, her focus was on the future strategic planning of the Saints after Stern took absolute power.

She had researched the Saints extensively of late, concluding that rather than calling them a religious organization, it was more accurate to describe them as an exceptionally cohesive political party whose platform, beliefs, and career achievements all marched forward in tandem.

Even with their constant talk of being a "minority group," their actual numbers had already surpassed the Green Party, ranking third and trailing only the two opposing major parties.

This was precisely why her father dared not underestimate them. Even when he was in office, though the Saints didn't care much for his erratic methods, Trump never had any intention of making an enemy of them.

And now, times had changed completely. The formidable momentum of the Saints was growing increasingly undeniable. For the Trump family, an "alliance" was just a polite way of saying it; in reality, it was holding onto someone's coattails!

Take this trip to New York, for instance. Ivana had not faced any rejection from high society; in fact, some people had already shown goodwill and initiated conversations with her.

She remembered the last time she came here with her father—protesters followed them every step of the way, and even the Mayor of New York advised them to leave immediately because police resources could not absolutely guarantee their safety!

Just listen to those words; it was practically a threat telling them they were not allowed to step foot in New York!

So, the real reason the Trump family packed up and moved to Florida was just that humiliating.

Now, Ivana had returned, holding onto the coattails of the Saints, and she could feel the social circle beginning to thaw toward her. Although the process was slow, the initial signs were already visible!

She looked once again at Henry Lee, who was seated prominently in the front row. This guy looked rather dashing when he was being serious, and her father had even hinted that she should cultivate a good relationship with him and not waste her own advantages.

While this went against conventional public morality, in their high-society circles, they were often indoctrinated with an entirely different philosophy centered on the supremacy of interests, and she didn't resist it.

Stern’s speech concluded, and the audience burst into applause.

Following that, a representative of the Council took the stage to announce the Council's decision regarding the appointment and dismissal of bishops.

Unsurprisingly, the three new bishops nominated by Stern were successfully approved.

Together with the two veteran bishops, they formed the brand-new leadership structure of the Saints.

After another round of passionate rhetoric, the event came to an end.

The gathering then transitioned into a banquet. Naturally, a grand ceremony had also been prepared to host the guests, featuring lavish meals and fine red wine as well-dressed elites gathered together in droves.

Some discussed commercial blueprints, while others debated the political landscape, chatting away in small groups.

Henry Lee was also in his element, exchanging witty banter with the guests at this social function.

As an international superstar, his recognition factor was undoubtedly the highest in the room, and as the number two figure of the Saints, his status was similarly illustrious.

Naturally, sycophants and flatterers swarmed around him. Whenever Henry Lee told a joke, even if it wasn't particularly funny, plenty of people would still applaud and roar with laughter.

This was the striking manifestation of fame and status.

After making small talk with them for a while, Henry Lee strolled back over to Ivana's side.

She had just finished conversing with a few ladies and cast her gaze toward Henry Lee as he walked toward her, greeting him, "Congratulations, Mr. Lee!"

"Or perhaps I should call you Holy Father—I suddenly realized that my friend has such a divine background!"

"Then you'd better hurry up and get on his good side," Henry Lee joked. "How is New York?"

New York was Ivana's hometown, the place where she grew up, and she knew it inside and out, but she also understood the subtext behind Henry Lee's words, so she replied in kind: "Not bad. The metropolis is beautiful, and the people are very friendly."

Henry Lee chuckled. "It will get better. It will."

He asked again, "How long are you staying here?"

"A day or two. Mostly just for today's event." Ivana looked at him as she spoke, a hint of a smile on her face, anticipating where their conversation would lead.

Just then, someone passing by greeted Henry Lee, and he had to divide his attention to respond. After a few repetitions, he said to Ivana, "Apologies, there are simply too many people here!"

"I understand. This is your turf!" she nodded.

"My turf," Henry Lee repeated. "So, let me take you to a good place. I really don't want to exchange polite pleasantries with them anymore."

"It seems you're quite a straightforward person!" Ivana smiled and then nodded, "Certainly!"

"Follow me."

Henry Lee led her away from the banquet hall, taking the outer stairs up to the second floor. It was much quieter here; no guests had arrived, and the night view of the coastline was visible.

"Watch your step, it's uneven here."

The ground was actually completely flat.

However, Henry Lee managed to take her hand.

He pulled her toward the edge of the balcony, not letting go, leaning his back against a pillar, and looked at her with the tone of someone who knew her very well: "Have you been well lately?"

Ivana didn't pull her hand away either. They had been texting each other privately for a while, talking about all sorts of topics, including sex, which Westerners were fairly open-minded about.

"Same as always. Still haven't found what I specifically want to do. Business, politics—the outside world is always guessing what I should do, but honestly, I have no idea myself."

"You have a stray hair," Henry Lee reached out to brush a strand of hair from her shoulder. "I was asking, do you consider yourself happy?"

"Me? Dropping the kids off at school, helping them with their homework—I'm practically devolving into a mediocre housewife."

"Perhaps that's just your own impression." With a smiling expression, he gave her a gentle pull, drawing her into his arms. "I think you possess a unique charm."

"Don't," her heart beat a little faster being held like this, the tension breeding a sense of excitement. "We agreed on the rules."

"I won't have any improper thoughts about anything below your neck."

Henry Lee looked directly into her eyes, and after delivering this guarantee, he kissed her.

Ivana felt a sudden urge to laugh and broke into giggles midway through the kiss.

"What is it?" Henry Lee loosened his embrace slightly.

"Nothing, I just think you—mmph!"

Since nothing was wrong, it was better to focus!

A moment later, Ivana's cheeks flushed slightly under the moonlight. With her hands pressed against Henry Lee's chest, maintaining a distance that remained ambiguous, hesitation flickered in her eyes: "I don't know what to call this. This feeling makes me feel expectant, but I really don't want to cross my own bottom line."

"It's fine, I will respect you," Henry Lee gently stroked the hair at the back of her head. "And this is a secret that only the two of us know."

Clearly, both of them were probing and sparring with each other, and very obviously, Henry Lee was pushing his luck an inch at a time!

From her strong resistance the last time he kissed her, to her half-hearted reluctance this time.

Next time, who knows, it might just be "just the tip is fine, it's no big deal."

Of course, Henry Lee had always respected her boundary, and she had always maintained her bottom line, but those two lines were remaining parallel while sinking downward!

At that moment, Henry Lee really felt like saying: Metropolis socialites certainly have all sorts of tricks up their sleeve!

PS: Still can't build up a backlog of chapters.