In the study of the Alfred estate in Washington, the last intact vase finally met its end under his fury.
The reason for Alfred's wrath was simple — the DuPont family had deep business interests throughout the South. While condemning Leo, Alfred had called several southern governors, trying to turn them against him.
He even sent Robert personally to lobby them, but clearly, all his efforts had been in vain.
Alfred was baffled. He had promised investments and jobs, offered money, women, even death threats — everything within his power.
In short, Alfred had shown the utmost "sincerity" he could offer. Yet he still couldn't figure out what Leo had that he didn't.
Standing nearby in the study, serving as Alfred's political advisor, John Stillman could clearly see the confusion on his patron's face.
"Leo does have something you don't," John said calmly. "Religion. The evangelical priest Cade is one of his staunchest allies.
I originally planned to bring Harold back from Brazil to dilute that influence, but I acted too late. Leo had already dealt with Harold ahead of time.
You've done business in the South — you should know the power of the Evangelicals. The governors there must appease them. They not only control the votes politicians dream of, but they also help suppress the increasingly restless Black population.
I'm sure whatever you offered, Leo matched. But what Leo can give them, you never could."
Alfred suddenly understood. He calmed himself and asked,
"So what do we do now? We can't have Truman step in this early, can we?"
"Of course not," John replied. "Once the President takes a stance, it must be final. And if even his statement can't secure us the win, we're finished. He can't act rashly.
Besides, while Leo has secured the South, the Midwest hasn't spoken yet.
If you call Roland, Morgan, and Samuel now, you might be surprised to find they're already on planes heading there.
You might appear to be allies, but your inability to agree on how to split the spoils makes you competitors as much as partners."
Half-doubting, Alfred made the calls — none of them answered.
Through his own channels, he soon confirmed John's words. Roland was in Illinois, and Samuel in Wisconsin.
"Damn it," Alfred cursed, immediately ordering his secretary to buy a ticket to Missouri.
He had a good relationship with Missouri's governor, Forrest Smith.
Over the next few days, a fierce battle unfolded in the Midwest between Leo and his three opponents — Alfred, Roland, and Samuel.
Previously, neither side had paid much attention to the Midwest.
Now, the Midwestern governors were seeing the biggest windfall of their political careers.
One day Leo invested in a factory; the next, Samuel sponsored a company to go public; the day after that, Roland and Alfred each announced new industrial projects.
The key difference, however, was this — Leo's three main rivals had all come in person, acting humble and attentive, while Leo merely sent his executives to negotiate.
Worse yet, tabloids were publishing photos of Leo partying with three actresses at his Beverly Hills villa — wine, women, and luxury on full display.
Naturally, the governors saw this as a sign of Leo's "insincerity" and made their choices accordingly.
Soon, the governors of Indiana (Henry Shricker), Kansas (Frank Carlson), and Missouri (Mennan Williams) publicly accused Leo of tax evasion.
As time passed, Minnesota and Wisconsin followed suit.
Aside from Ohio — under the Taft family's control — and Illinois, where Leo had deep roots, most Midwestern states turned against him.
The advantage Leo had gained in the South was now slipping away — even reversed!
In this Midwestern tug-of-war, it was clear that Leo was on the back foot.
At the Capitol Hotel in Jefferson City, Missouri, a victory banquet was coming to an end.
After seeing the last governor off with smiles and handshakes, Roland Morgan, Samuel, and Alfred dropped their grins instantly, their eyes wary of one another.
"Usually it's these fools flattering us," Alfred grumbled, pulling out a chair. "If it weren't for that damn Valentino, I'd never have to force a smile for them!"
"At least we've overtaken Leo for now," Roland said. "But we can't stop. After tonight, we head west!"
Samuel frowned. "Something feels off. Leo may act like a playboy, but during critical moments, he's never careless. I doubt he's really wasting his time in Beverly Hills."
"True," Roland said. "But what can he do? Even if he came to the Midwest now, he'd be too late. Maybe he's already abandoned it to focus on the West."
"Enough guessing," Alfred interjected. "Every time we try to predict Leo's next move, we end up playing on his battlefield. This time, we follow Roland's lead — westward! I don't believe Leo could've secured the West in just a few years."
But Samuel still couldn't shake off his unease. He barely slept that night and boarded Roland's private jet the next morning, dark circles under his eyes.
He'd planned to nap during the flight but noticed both Roland and Alfred looked grim.
"What's wrong?" asked Samuel, his voice weak with fatigue — he was nearly seventy, far less energetic than the other two.
"Wrong?" Roland passed him a newspaper. Samuel's eyes widened as he read the headline:
"Pennsylvania Governor Daniel Tompkins Retracts Statement."
Tompkins claimed his earlier accusations were based on misinformation and that after further investigation, he found no direct evidence of Leo Valentino's tax evasion — even apologizing publicly.
"This can't be real!" Samuel exclaimed.
"While we were busy conquering the Midwest," Roland sighed, "that sly fox Leo was pretending to party in Beverly Hills, when in fact he'd gone to the Northeast — stealing our supporters. Look at this next paper."
He handed Samuel another. It carried the same headline, but this time it was Vermont's Governor Lee Emerson who had changed his stance — and the front page showed Leo shaking hands warmly with him on the steps of the city hall.
"But how? Leo had no real influence in the Northeast! What did he use to turn those governors? Aren't they afraid of us? Do they think only Leo kills governors, and we don't?" Alfred growled.
Roland explained, "The governor of Maine told me Leo had long supported local legislators and mayors there — their political base. That pressure's real.
If I hadn't promised more money, he'd have switched too. We might threaten their lives, but Leo threatens their political futures — and to men like them, that's often worse."
"When did Leo recruit all these local politicians? How did they dare defy us?" Samuel asked, bewildered.
"Veterans' committees and labor unions," Roland said. "Many city legislators were men Leo handpicked from veterans' associations. As for the mayors, besides money and intimidation, it's about votes.
The Northeast is the most industrialized region — the unions hold immense power. By controlling them, Leo controls the vote."
Roland realized Leo must have predicted this confrontation long ago — laying the groundwork years in advance.
"These governors are useless," Alfred sneered. "Letting underlings push them around after all these years in office."
"You're forgetting another player," Roland replied. "The Rockefeller family's influence here rivals ours."
"Damn Rockefellers," Alfred spat. "I don't know what Leo offered to win over that greedy clan.
What do we do now? Trying to win back those defectors won't work — they can't flip-flop again without losing all credibility.
Maybe we should do what Leo did — go south again?"
Samuel suggested.
"If you can think of it, so can Valentino," Roland said. "He's already in the South now, waiting to strike. My view: stick to the plan. We move west. Like Alfred said, no way Leo could've locked down the West so fast."
"Then let's move," Samuel said. Roland and Alfred nodded, ready to disembark.
"You're not flying with me?" Samuel asked.
"Samuel," Roland said smoothly, "you should fire your assistant. He got drunk last night and missed Will's call. Will had to reach us instead — he said you can't go west.
Leo's attack on Wall Street has reignited memories of the Great Depression. Many radicals believe Wall Street is once again destroying America — and persecuting the 'war hero' Valentino.
They're organizing protests — even planning to storm Wall Street. Will needs you in New York to steady the situation. I'm generous — you take my plane. Alfred's bringing his own anyway."
Samuel's face twisted — partly from worry over the riots, but also because he suddenly realized what Roland's "generosity" really meant. If he returned, he'd be cut out of the spoils.
No wonder Roland was being so magnanimous.
"Thanks, Roland," he said bitterly. "But remember — if Leo can flip the Northeast, he can stir up the Midwest too. Those governors are weather vanes.
Leo controls the grassroots — don't tell me he can't control the Midwest's. Someone should stay to secure our gains there."
His words hit home. Everyone knew that whoever went West would have first claim to the spoils — and none of them wanted to give that up.
But now that Samuel had said it aloud, they couldn't ignore it without seeming selfish.
After a long argument, they agreed — the true winner would be decided not by the West, but by who could win over more politicians in Washington afterward.
As the plane ascended, Roland and Alfred looked at each other and muttered in unison, "Cunning old fox."
Then they turned away with a cold snort and went their separate ways.
Roland Morgan, who had built strong ties in the West after taking over the Bank of America, decided to go there alone.
As expected, the Midwest soon suffered the same fate as the Northeast — this time, led not by the Rockefellers but by Robert Taft, a major Midwestern political figure.
Several Midwestern governors switched sides to support Leo.
After a fierce struggle, the balance stabilized — Leo now held the support of five more states than his rivals.
Sensing the tide turning, the three regrouped in New York and decided to strike where Leo was weakest — Washington.
There, they still had the upper hand, since Leo, in California, could not easily influence the capital.
Soon, several major Washington politicians voiced their opinions. Dean Gooderham Acheson, who had replaced Marshall as Secretary of State, was the first to speak out — thanks to Alfred's influence, as Acheson had once served as the DuPont family's legal counsel.
Next came Attorney General Tom Clark, who had been Pierre DuPont's private lawyer.
Roland followed with several congressmen accusing Leo of tax evasion.
Samuel used his Senate and Treasury connections to pressure further — Secretary of the Treasury John Wesley Snyder also denounced Leo.
Few in Washington dared speak for Leo — especially in his absence, giving everyone a convenient excuse to stay silent.
Meanwhile, traditional Eastern political families — the Jeffersons, Hutchinsons, and Adamses — publicly turned against Leo.
Their stance prompted smaller eastern financial groups, including the Boston consortium, to join the chorus of condemnation.
For a time, the winds shifted again — and the East regained the upper hand.