Reborn as the Mayor's Girlfriend

Ryzen POV

I was in a very euphoric mood as I got into my family's car. That meeting really took a huge weigh off my chest. I'm so relieved...

Sometimes, we really have to let go of the life that we expected to have, hmm? Instead, we have to start to living the life we are given.

The heavens were right, in the end. I'm just happy with how everything is... I could not ask for anything more.

However, as I delved into my thoughts, my driver suddenly spoke out of the sudden. He wasn't someone who was chatty and he was rather reserved, so I was a bit startled.

"Miss Yu, are you aware about the latest news?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I directed my gaze at the driver and saw that he had a complicated expression on. He let out a soft sigh before replying.

"Mayor Lennox... he's being arrested..."

What!?

My eyes widened and if we weren't at the road right now, I would probably panic right away. What the heck!?

He seemed to be agitated by my expression, but thankfully, he did not let it distract him from driving carefully.

"Sorry, Miss Yu. I just thought that you'd want to know... I just read about it while browsing my phone, while I was waiting for you outside the restaurant..."

Although my heart was beating fast right now since I was feeling uneasy about the situation, I gave him a small smile.

"It's okay, thank you. But, could you please drop me off at the La Coron City's city hall instead?"

The driver felt pleased at my reply and nodded at me before quietly driving again.

I unconsciously put my hand over my chest, bracing myself. I browsed through my phone and instantly, I found the article that the driver was talking about. Indeed, it was a hot topic among everyone and it was only posted 20 minutes ago...

"Breaking News: NBI summons Lennox Zevallos for supposedly abusing his powers as a the mayor of La Coron City

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was urged to to investigate Lennox Nico Zevallos for his alleged misuse of powers and neglect of his responsibilities as a public official.

In a statement by NBI, it was revealed that they were urged by Senator David Banzon to probe on the young mayor.

In a letter, Senator Banzon claimed that Lennox Zevallos have become fatuous over a mere girl, referring to Zevallos' girlfriend, Millen Yu. Senator Banzon further instigated that Zevallos neglected his city, exploited his power as a mayor and misapplied his family's influence for personal gain. Furthermore, he claimed that Zevallos is not a competent leader because he let his personal feelings mix with his government work.

NBI complied with Senator Banzon's request and as of the moment, a letter was already sent to Zevallos, inviting him to appear on their main office by next week."

This is so ridiculous! This is obviously power-tripping!

Although my heart surged with anger and resentment, I know that I had to calm my emotions.

As I analysed the report properly, it is not as bad as the driver made it out to be. Lennox is not going to be arrested, he was just being summoned based on ridiculous claims. But still, he may face criminal charges if the national agency suddenly decides to give him penalties.

Ah... but as I try to calm myself down by using breathing techniques, it could not ease the anger that I felt. At the same time, I feel guilty.

Lennox got into such a ridiculous mess just because of the situation involving me and my family...

So much for thinking that the storm has calmed down, huh?

Once I got to the city hall, a lot of people were greeting me warmly. However, I could only give them a small smile. I am not in the mood to exchange pleasantries, since I am very anxious and if I could, I want to see Lennox immediately!

Thankfully, one of the people who greeted me shyly told me that Lennox was not in his office, but at his conference room instead.

As I made my way to the conference room, several subordinates of him were getting out one by one. Looking at their faces, it seems like a meeting just ended.

I sighed in relief. At least, I didn't have to wait any much longer and I can talk to him right away,

I smiled respectfully at his subordinates before finally entering...

Instead of seeing him distressed like I expected him to, the man in question looked pretty relaxed as he sat on his chair, looking at his laptop while drinking his coffee.

Seeing him like this relieves a lot of heavy feelings...

Maybe, that article was not really a serious threat for him?

Just thinking about it makes me boil in anger again. That Senator Banzon won't stop, huh? He even suggested this idea before to Zeus Costales! And now, he found a ridiculous reason to make it finally happen, even using his connections in that national agency.

But looking back on that memory, didn't Lennox say that he can handle it? Obviously, his family have good lawyers and they have a lot of influence. Then, why did he let it get to this point? He didn't block the threat right away and he even let the media publicise it.

"You... are you okay?" I asked softly.

Lennox looked a bit startled at my sudden presence, but he only gave me a teasing smirk.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" he replied in a relaxed manner.

I glared a bit at him, since I feel like he's being a bit too easy-going. What if they put false charges on him on top of that, right? I know that he is capable but I still could not help but worry for him.

"You were summoned by that national government agency..."

I pouted a bit as I made myself comfortable, sitting on the nearest sit next to him. I brought it closer so there would only be little space between us.

But he wasn't satisfied with just that. He pulled my chair and made sure that there was no space between us.

"Because of me, you got into trouble. Maybe, I really did turn you into a fatuous leader..." I murmured softly.

Lennox only looked at me as if he was really amused, before letting out a loud chuckle.

"Don't worry about it. Let them do their tricks." he said in a proud manner.

Suddenly, he left his gaze on me and put it back on his laptop. On instinct, I gazed over there as well.

"Look at the reactions of the people."

Following his words, I looked at his laptop screen and realised that he was browsing through a social media platform, reading the reactions of various netizens towards the sudden accusation that the national government had against him.

@happinoy: Not competent? Are you joking right now? He did his job properly during the typhoon calamity, unlike you, Banzon! This government is a big joke! More than ever, we need to unite and express our dissatisfaction with this government. Remember, we may not be part of the government, but we are part of governance. We have every right to criticise the government and we have every right to demand accountability. 

@AerynAlmonte: Don't worry, Mayor Lennox. We stand by you. We are proud that our future consists of young leaders like you, who stand out by doing what is right.

@lawfultita: Sen. Banzon was exposed by international media for apparently playing a role in that case where they tried to harm Miss Millen Yu. This is obviously just him trying to get back at Mayor Lennox! How childish could you be? Do you think we would turn blind forever to your injustices?

@KyleDiaz: To probe Mayor Lennox Zevallos is just ridiculous, inappropriate and so out of touch. The reasons are unjustified and to me, it seems like it is Senator Banzon instead who lets personal feelings mix with politics. Instead of probing him, why not let him continue doing his job as a mayor? Are you all that threatened, because his competence highlights that incompetence of the national government?

@LalaFerrer: How unbelievably embarrassing is our government? Probing on Mayor Lennox because a whiny senator threw tantrums? You know what, people are getting sick, tired and hungry. We are not blind. We can see the incompetence and poor leadership skills. Now, we are more vocal and ready to fight against this corrupt and incompetent government.

There were a lot more tweets than that, but they were all trying to get the same message across. I was startled and delighted to see some celebrities react, such as Aeryn Almonte and Lala Ferrer. With their influence and platform, there would be a lot more people who would be enlightened.

I also couldn't help but curve my lips into a smile when I saw Kyle Diaz' tweet, defending Lennox and criticising the government. Someday, I could really see Kyle as a political leader as well.

"I did not do anything about it since the people reacted this way. This is the last straw for them. They were disappointed with the government's incompetence during the typhoon calamity, and now that they put such a ridiculous accusation against me, the people could not help but be angered. More people are truly aware now."

Hmm... indeed, he is right.

I was so nervous about it at first, but it turns out that the news wasn't so bad. As I browsed more through the social media reactions, I saw that the people could not help be political. With Lennox getting unjustly accused like this, many people are being more vocal, and opening their eyes to the wretched system of the government.

"Wow... what a beautiful piece." I murmured.

One of the viral social media posts was a literary piece that perfectly describes what the people felt.

"Don't you hear the voice of the people?

This is the voice of the people

Who will not be oppressed again

We will crush the darkness

The sun will blaze

And the hearts that has been restrained

Will flare up

Will you join the fight and not be discouraged?

Let's wake up the fanatics who choose to be blind to injustices

Are you just going to complain and ignore?

While the corrupt politicians are enjoying our riches?

Wake up your heart

Anger it until it flares up"

"Social media has worked well for me when I ran for the mayoral position. But ever since then, it was utilised by other politicians, but not in the same way that I did. They are abusing the power of it, by spreading fake news and propaganda that supports the national government..."

That's right. With the sudden accusation on him right now, I am reminded of the situation months ago, where he was bashed by trolls and attacked with fake news. Although a lot of netizens defended him back then, there were still common people who easily believed hose false allegations.

Lennox typed in something and showed another wave of social media reactions. Now, the topic was still about the sudden probing news, but specifically, it highlighted the malicious blog posts and troll accounts suddenly coming out to malign Lennox.

"Now see, people are also becoming more vigilant more than ever.  They understand that the trolls does not elevate political discourses at all. All it does is proliferate fake news, spread lies and hurl personal insults. They are being critical of what they read now, instead of believing something they see with no sources." he murmured in a meaningful tone.

So this is how it is, huh. He really was confident when he said he could handle it. But I did not expect that it would be in this kind of way. I do not know what he's exactly thinking, since I am not in his field, but I could roughly understand his ideas.

By listening to him like this, I can grasp the message that he's trying to get across...

"This news really triggered people to delve their selves more into politics, hmm? Finally, people are becoming more aware..." I couldn't help but say.

Lennox nodded at me at patted my head, as if what I said was truly right. He licked his lips a bit before speaking.

"Most importantly, maybe this will trigger them to vote properly next elections. I hope that they elect more competent leaders and not be swayed by the trapos' usual strategy, such as vote-buying."

Hearing him say those words with so much passion in his eyes, I couldn't help but smile and be proud of him.

I also hope that the people in this country will stop voting politicians who uses dirty manipulative tactics just to advance their selfish interests.

"I agree. After all, vote-buying has become an integral part of our politics, right? It is disgusting. How can they accept a mere 500 pesos just to vote for a leader who will serve them for the next years? Don't they understand where those politicians get that money from? The politicians will get that money back by robbing them of proper governance and platforms that they deserve..." I said, letting out a heavy sigh after.

Lennox's eyes looked as if they were glittering, waiting for what else I was about to say.

I've really improved, hmm? I've learned so much just from being with him. All the ideas that I'm saying actually came from the snippets of our conversations, whenever we discuss about politics.

"Mmm. Aside from that, I also hope that they would no longer vote politicians with no proper qualification to run. Many people are still swayed by movie actors and convicted plunderers even though they're clearly incompetent to run for a national position..."

When Lennox said that, I could not help but snicker a little. His tone was mocking, so it was pretty hilarious.

After all, by just looking at our senators, it really looked like a big joke. We have senators who are children of dictators, political dynasty products, showbiz personalities and athletes. Most of them do not even know the constitution and could not even properly draft a policy.

It's ridiculous, isnt? People get swayed easily by their political techniques, so they keep on electing them. The people in this country really love to settle for less...

So instead of being agitated with that sudden news, maybe this would really be a turning point for all these people.

Hopefully, they will really wake up and stop allowing this country to be run by incompetent leaders.

Besides, at this point, being apolitical is an illusion.

Being apolitical is either wilful ignorance or reeking privilege, especially in this political climate...