The Ex-Wife Strikes Back By Queena Laurie

Chapter 38 

Meanwhile, adjustments regarding Michael’s position in Nuthana were quietly being scheduled. 

Fabian MacNeil, the deputy director of the State Council Office of Civil Service Commission, was currently facing at headache. He was unsure how to arrange Michael’s new position in a way that would satisfy Jacob. 

To remain in Navarre County, he couldn’t be promoted to Nuthana or transferred to Xandenia, the state capital. Simultaneously, he needed to avoid getting caught in the crossfire between the speaker and sheriff. It meant that this adjustment could only be upgraded, not downgraded. 

But the problem was that Michael’s position in Navarre itself was already not low–the chief deputy sheriff, Navarre’s fourth–in–command. Moving up from there, the only options for him would be to become the county council speaker, sheriff, or council deputy speaker. 

If he were to be promoted to the position of deputy speaker, there would still be a power balance between the first and second–in–command. However, he would still have to choose sides and face the challenge of being caught in the middle. 

But if he were to be demoted and transferred to a less prominent position, it would not only involve facing the dissatisfaction of the first and second–in–command, but he would also potentially encounter challenges from other subordinates. It could result in an uncomfortable and embarrassing situation for him. 

Therefore, Fabian found himself in a dilemma. While Christopher’s term was coming to an end, it would be impractical to create a vacancy by directly retiring Christopher to the county’s Congress. 

Moreover, even if he actually did it, it wouldn’t hold any weight simply because a deputy director said so. If there was a need for an adjustment in the county council speaker position, Nuthana would undoubtedly convene a meeting with the councilman. It was not a decision he could make on his own. 

It was even more impossible to transfer Yves, the sheriff. He was originally a member of Druobridge’s executive department, and his family had a large background in Druobridge. Besides, considering that he had just taken up the position not long ago, it would be inappropriate to make such a move. 

Even without considering the stability of the officials, the opinions of higher–ups must also be taken into account. After all, this position involved the county sheriff, and it couldn’t be easily changed with just a few words. Politics was far from child’s play and allowed no room for ambiguity. 

“But in such a case, where things are all untouchable, what should be done about this Michael? It’s indeed surprising that Michael has such influence that he could involve State Governor Miller’s son to help facilitate this repositioning for him,” Fabian pondered. 

Fabian was also considered a veteran from the Miller family. Although he was just a deputy director of the Office of Civil Service Commission here, whenever a list of inspections was submitted, as long as it reached his desk, even the person in charge of the Office of Civil Service Commission would not dare to ignore it. 

After all, everyone knew that behind Fabian was Nuthana’s top boss. 

Of course, when it came to significant reassignments, Fabian didn’t have to worry. Damian would personally communicate with other speakers and councilmen to reach a general consensus. Only after the general direction was agreed upon, the speaker meeting would be convened for voting. 

Michael’s matter could be considered neither too big nor too small. 

Jacob approached him directly without involving Damian, clearly indicating that Damian was unaware of Michael’s 

relocation. 

But since Jacob dared to approach him, it was evident that he was equally confident that even if Damian found out. he would certainly approve. It was just inconvenient for Damian to personally bring it up, so Jacob compromised by approaching him instead. 

After figuring out the intricacies that couldn’t be openly discussed, Fabian found himself in a situation where he couldn’t 

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seek help from Damian nor fail to accomplish this matter. In his mind, he certainly didn’t hold back in cursing Michael, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

As several days had passed since Jacob gave his instructions regarding this matter and with Fabian failing to come up with at solution, he was starting to feel anxious and frustrated. 

Just then, Fabian received a phone call from higher–ups, informing him that an heir of a rich political family with strong connections to Druobridge would be temporarily assigned to Nuthana. Not only did this individual hold a prominent position, but they were also under 41 years old this year. 

The intention of the higher authorities was to give some responsibilities and provide opportunities for the younger generation to gain experience and grow, even though it was a temporary assignment. 

Indeed, compared to many individuals in their fifties who were still struggling to hold on to the position of deputy sheriff, a deputy chief executive under the age of 41 was considered remarkably young. 

The idea of ‘shouldering responsibilities” and “developing young talent” was essentially an implicit suggestion from higher- ups to provide a relatively influential position for this individual. 

If this individual was already coming in as a deputy chief executive and there was a need to create a position with real authority, it would at least require arranging a county–level or council deputy sheriff position. However, finding a vacant position in the entire Nuthana that met these criteria would be quite challenging. 

It was a situation where there were limited positions available, and many qualified individuals were vying for those positions. In some cases, there might even be several individuals waiting in line for a single position. 

Indeed, it was a headache–inducing situation when everything became clustered together like this. 

“Wait!” Fabian’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Isn’t this Michael the chief deputy sheriff of Navarre?” 

Considering that Michael didn’t want to get caught in the middle and was seeking a position where he could avoid any trouble, coupled with the need to arrange for the assignment of an heir of a rich political family, Fabian came up with an idea. I’ve got it! Yes!” 

Fabian quickly retrieved Michael’s file, studied it carefully, and after several reviews, he picked up a document and headed. toward the office of the director of the Office of Civil Service Commission. 

Two days later, a formal appointment letter from the county office was issued and sent to Navarre County Council Office. 

The appointment clearly stated that as of that day, Michael would be resigning from his position as chief deputy sheriff of Navarre and would be transferred to Navarre Senate to assume the position of Speaker. 

Meanwhile, the former Speaker of Navarre Senate had retired due to illness. 

This appointment sent shockwaves throughout Navarre, leaving everyone perplexed as to what had transpired. They were completely unaware of the circumstances that led to the sudden reassignment of Michael’s position within Nuthana. 

The position of Senate Speaker, in terms of rank, indeed appeared to be one level higher than that of a chief deputy sheriff. However, in terms of actual authority and power, the difference between the two positions could be significant. 

At the administrative level, the deputy speaker of Senate in the county was already at the chief executive level, let alone the Senate Speaker. 

Michael used to be a councilman of the council and chief deputy sheriff, at the level of deputy chief executive. 

However, due to his status as a local cadre with many years of experience, he was granted certain benefits similar to those of a chief executive. It was still far from being the same as a genuine chief executive in terms of its core aspects, though. 

Most of the time, many chief deputy sheriff’s found themselves stuck at this level and unable to progress further. Eventually, they had to transition to the County Congress or the County Senate to become a councilman and spend their remaining years there until retirement. 

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Chapter 38 

If Michael had not heeded the advice of Aurelia and promptly aligned himself with the sheriff, Yves, the ultimate outcome would have been that not only would he have missed out on a Senate position, but he might have also ended up in prison. 

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