Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: The Gaze of Boston

"It's quite a surprise. Your novel fascinated me. It's truly well-written."In the garden, Hector Cabrera glanced at the exquisite scenery, sipping his coffee. He suddenly smiled with a hint of suspicion. "Milo, did you really write it?""Of course," Milo admitted without hesitation. "The original manuscript is still in my safe. I plan to auction it off once The Da Vinci Code surpasses twenty million copies sold. The proceeds will be donated to charity.""Twenty million copies!" Hector, who had just taken a sip of his coffee, almost spat it out. He swallowed hastily, but the hot liquid scalded him slightly. "You really dare to dream! There are only a handful of novels in the entire world that have sold over twenty million copies.""I apologize, but it should be achievable soon. Wendy has already told me that domestic sales have surpassed two and a half million copies," Milo shrugged, crossing his legs and leaning back comfortably in his chair. "And it will soon be translated and published in eleven countries worldwide. Hayek, the editor-in-chief of the New York Times, estimates that it might reach twenty million copies in about six months.""Fuck!" Hector's expression changed, and he looked at Milo seriously. "Milo, how can one hear the voice of God?"Milo smiled and waved his hand. "I can understand why March is here. But Hector, you were doing fine in Manhattan. Did you come to Los Angeles just to catch up?"Both the Cabreras and the Blackburns were members of the Boston Group, based in New England. The Boston Group, centered around Boston's banks and investment firms, was one of the world's most important financial centers. However, the foundation of the Boston Group was its arms industry.California, Texas, and Boston represented the "industrial" part of the American military-industrial complex.The Blackburns and Cabreras had different roles within the group. Due to historical reasons, the Blackburns leaned towards religion. The chaplain on the Mayflower, Brewster, was one of Milo's ancestors. The Cabreras, on the other hand, had significant influence within the U.S. Army.The entire group was ostensibly led by families like the Lowells, Lawrences, Adamses, and Lodges. But unlike the increasingly unified Morgans and Rockefellers, the Boston Group had highly decentralized power. Its internal struggles were relatively frequent compared to other groups.By the way, the only Catholic president in American history so far, known for his bold ideas, was from a family that was an outer member of the Boston Group.The entire group consisted of hundreds of families, large and small. The Blackburns, Cabreras, Harrisons, Bayards, and Adamses were among the more prominent members.As a Cabrera, Hector's career path should have been to join the army and then work at the Pentagon. His brother March, for example, was a former U.S. Marine and the current head of the DEA in Los Angeles.But Hector had shown a love and talent for finance since childhood. Two years after marrying a daughter of the Lawrence family, Hector went to Manhattan to work at the Boston First Bank branch.Hector would never have appeared here without a reason. Fortunately, his brother March was present. March noticed Milo's confusion and smiled, leaning forward slightly and whispering, "Hector has a new job. Starting next month, he'll be the venture capital director for Boston First Bank in Los Angeles.""Hmm?" Milo looked at Hector with surprise and smiled. "I remember you were the venture capital director in Manhattan. Being transferred from Manhattan to Los Angeles, as I understand it, is like falling from a Hollywood A-lister to a regular A-list star."The U.S. had several financial centers: New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. Los Angeles was not one of them. The Boston Group's influence was mainly concentrated in New England, the six states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. At most, it extended to the East Coast, with a very low presence on the West Coast.In Manhattan, Boston's voice still carried some weight. But in Los Angeles… The Boston Group's influence was negligible. The Blackburns' influence here might be stronger than the entire group's because old John had won the heart of Miss Wilson back then."Laugh if you want. It's just that my father-in-law stepped down from the position of chairman of First Bank this year. But coming to Los Angeles instead of going back to Boston was my own choice," Hector said sincerely."Because I'm here, you want to come and rekindle our friendship?" Milo teased."Fuck you, your mouth is still so sharp! Rachel is pregnant. I'm not gay!" Hector retorted irritably.Rachel was Hector's wife's name. Although they had fallen out before, the original Milo had attended Hector's wedding after the Blackburns and Cabreras reconciled."Okay, congratulations, congratulations on becoming a father. Please give my regards to Rachel," Milo said with a shrug and a smile.As an aside, Hector's wife was six years younger than him. Hector was one year older than Milo. In other words, when Hector got married at twenty-one, his wife Rachel was… well… Don't be surprised. Although the U.S. opposed child marriage around the world, even in 2024, 45 states still allowed girls under 18 to marry with legal permission."The reason I chose Los Angeles is Silicon Valley," Hector said, finally getting to the point. "But Claude Lowell is in charge of San Francisco. I couldn't push him out, so I had to choose Los Angeles. Moreover…""When I was looking at the Silicon Valley companies listed on Wall Street investment bank rosters, I made a surprising discovery: almost all of those companies had shares held by a company called Paladin Venture Capital.""Of course, I know who Paladin Venture Capital belongs to. In fact, all of Boston knows!"Hector narrowed his eyes, his smile widening as he slowly stated his opinion. "Milo, I believe this is a great opportunity for the Blackburn family to increase its influence in Boston.""You might not have understood what I was saying before, but now, I think you should understand what I mean."Milo smiled, still teasing. "Ha, of course I understand. In short, it's because of me that you chose Los Angeles."Hector shrugged, neither denying nor admitting it.Milo already knew this, even without Hector's explanation. Before, his grandfather might not have called him more than a few times a year. He spoke most often with Paladin and Robin, especially Paladin, who called him even more than his mother did. But after Paladin's death, Milo's grandfather called him almost every month. Especially after Milo wrote The Da Vinci Code and after Netscape's successful IPO, old John called him over a dozen times a month.Naturally, Milo was well aware that the Boston Group and even Wall Street were very interested in the shares of the internet companies he held.