Even if it wasn't enough to completely ruin that bastard, to see him being tormented by the media was something he greatly enjoyed.
"Governor, please calm down a moment. Our current issue is with David, and if this gets out, not only will David be implicated, but it will also greatly harm the image of the IRS. At that time, they will definitely hold a grudge against us. This is something we need to seriously consider..."
Upon hearing Eugene's words, Stevenson's expression darkened.
Indeed, IRS inspectors being corrupt and taking bribes was a huge blow to the agency's image. If they found out he was the one who leaked it to the media, the IRS might not directly retaliate against him, but they would certainly remember this grievance.
And his goal was to run for Senator or President after stepping down as Governor.
Being under constant scrutiny by the higher-ups in the IRS wouldn't be good for him in the long run.
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"This matter can actually be maximized to our greatest benefit, of course, on the premise that you, the Governor, need to be patient for the time being."
"How so?"
Eugene organized his thoughts before saying, "It's simple. Although this information isn't enough to take David down completely, we've got a handle on him. Governor, you have only a few months left before you step down to aim for greater goals. We could use this to blackmail him, make him your faithful dog; release him when needed to bite your competitors.
That's far more valuable than dealing with him directly right now!"
Although they stood on different sides, Eugene honestly admired David's abilities.
Stevenson remained silent.
As a father, of course, he wanted to immediately destroy David.
But as a mature politician, he knew Eugene was right.
With David's capabilities, if he could act as his loyal dog, once he resigned to run for other positions, and if he encountered any competitors, letting this dog loose would certainly be enough to throw his opponents into turmoil.
"All right, let's do as you suggest!"
After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Stevenson finally made a decision.
However, he was also secretly planning that once he stepped down and successfully ran for another position and drained David of all his value, he would dispose of this "dog" immediately!
Then, he would let David truly experience what despair was.
...
The next day, soon after David arrived at his office in the bureau, someone from the mail department came knocking on his door.
"Director David, you have a document."
"Just put it there, thank you!"
David thought it was case material sent over from Newtown District or another sub-branch and didn't pay it much mind.
At this time, David, using the function of Golden Finger, was scrutinizing each member of the team.
He hadn't scrutinized these people before, first because it was a waste of time, and second because there really had been no need.
But now, with the incident involving Poppy, he felt it necessary to pay attention, or else similar incidents could happen again.
What relieved him was that after reviewing the squad, aside from Poppy, there were no issues with the other seven members.
In the end, he could only fix his gaze on Poppy.
Under such scrutiny, Poppy was on edge, his heart filled with trepidation.
The other seven who were present also sensed something was wrong, but none dared to ask.
As the atmosphere turned increasingly tense, David finally spoke: "Poppy, I don't believe I've ever mistreated you, every time we complete a mission, you get the same share of tax achievements as everyone else."
Upon hearing this, Poppy was scared witless.
The others, too, realized the seriousness of David's words, and turned their gazes towards Poppy.
Nisen, who had the best relationship with David, mustered the courage to ask, "Director David, what's wrong with Poppy...?"
"See for yourselves!"
David picked up the document from the desk and threw it over.
Without any delay, Nisen and the others went forward to look.
Once they saw the content of the document, they all understood what was going on, and their faces grew somber.
Ariel, in particular, lashed out directly, "Poppy, as an inspector of the IRS, how could you take bribes from those criminals!"
"Poppy, you've not only harmed yourself but, critically, you've harmed our entire investigative team and Director David!"
"Poppy, the Director has given you a considerable share of tax achievements, and with those, you've been able to get handsome bonuses every appraisal period. Why would you take those few thousand US dollars?"
Bucky and Simmons both sternly rebuked him with great heaviness of heart.
But at that moment, Nisen, who had seen the sending address from the state government on the file bag, cursed angrily, "Damn it, it's that bastard Stevenson screwing with us again!"
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Hearing this, Bucky Simmons and the others didn't bother to scold any further, and gathered around Nisen instead.
Indeed, the address on the file bag was from the state government.
For a while, everyone fell silent.
As for Poppy, he was resigned, but he still clenched his teeth and defended himself, "Director David, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been tempted by those two groups of criminals, I shouldn't have become greedy..."
When he took the money before, he really hadn't expected that someone would dare to investigate the IRS.