John and Donovan agreed to meet at Paradise Hill Ranch outside Washington. This small ranch of about 500 acres is located close to Baileyville (a small town in West Virginia that has many politicians and wealthy people bought their estates because of its scenic proximity to Washington) and was originally part of the high-society racetrack of Washington and Virginia.

In the 1990s, John's father, George, bought it and built a beautiful three-story granite villa on a gently sloping hill. For decades to come, Paradise Hill Ranch was the family's private retreat and horse farm, where John learned to ride horses as a child. It wasn't until 1937 that he sold it to Donovan in order to raise funds for FedEx.

It was not yet five o'clock in the afternoon when John drove to the Paradise Hill Ranch when Donovan's eldest son, David, greeted him at the door. "Good afternoon, Mr. Vanderbilt." David, who was not much different in age from John, rubbed his hands stiffly, and said to John: "Dad just called back and said that he is still in the White House, I'm afraid, I'm afraid I can't rush back to have dinner with you, let me be sure to entertain you......"

"Don't be so polite, David, just call me John." John patted David on the shoulder, "Is Lady Ruth here?" ”

"Mom went to New York last week, to Patricia [Donovan's little daughter]. Now, now it's me and Mary (David's wife) on the ranch. John's affectionate attitude made David more nervous than relaxed.

John had long heard that among Donovan's twin children, the eldest son, David, was more introverted and shy because his parents sent him to boarding school at a very young age. It is said that Donovan initially sent him to Harvard to study law, hoping that his son would follow his father's footsteps and enter the legal or political circles in the future. But David, who is shy by nature and doesn't like to deal with people, dropped out after two years of study (Harvard University euphemistically called it "honorary severance"). Later, he transferred to Cornell University to study agronomy.

Although in words, Donovan is not very satisfied with this timid and wooden eldest son who only wants to be an ordinary farmer. But deep down, he still loves his children very much. Otherwise, he would not have spent a lot of money to buy the Paradise Mountain Ranch from John and hand it over to his son to run it.

In contrast, Donovanne's most favored baby bump, 22-year-old daughter Patricia, inherited more of her father's passionate, adventurous and challenging personality. After graduating from girls' school, she often took the place of Ruth, who was suffering from chronic illness, and accompanied Donovan to various social occasions.

"By the way, how is Patricia recovering?" Half a year ago, Patricia was in a car accident in New York and suffered serious injuries and is still undergoing rehabilitation. At that time, the incident was very big, and Donovan, who was furious, teamed up with Dewey to almost uproot the family of the perpetrator (the perpetrator was a high-ranking member of the Tammony Society). As far as John knows, at least six key members of the family have been sent to prison on various charges.

"It's much better. In the summer, Mrs. Roosevelt invited her to the hot spring town for rehabilitation, and the results were very good. Speaking of his precious sister, David is finally a little more talkative, "The doctor said she would be able to throw away her crutches in a few months." Although it will be a little inconvenient to move in the future, this is already a blessing in misfortune. ”

"That's good. Patricia is still young, and it should be easier to recover. John was also genuinely pleased with this.

In her previous life, Patricia died in that car accident, and in the end, she was not even found. As a result, Lady Ruth suffered a nervous breakdown and later suffered from severe mental illness. Donovan himself was also deeply affected and fell into a slump for a long time. In John's opinion, Patricia's escape from death this time may also be one of the butterfly effects caused by his crossing. In a way, he can also be regarded as Patricia's "savior".

"It's been a long time since I've been to Heavenly Mountain, anyway, it's still early for dinner, so you can walk around with me. I heard that the batch of Angus cattle you raised is of very good quality? Walking into the pasture, John couldn't help but feel good about the blue sky, white clouds, turquoise meadows and the cool breeze blowing from the valley in the distance. From early in the morning until now, his brain has not rested. It's just a good time to take this time to relax a little and change your mind.

"Yes, Mr. Vanderbilt. A batch of Angus was just slaughtered today, and you can taste the freshest steak in the evening. I think you'll love it. David proudly led John towards the stable.

After riding around the ranch for more than an hour and enjoying a delicious steak meal, it was not until nearly 8 p.m. that John saw Donovan, who had returned from Washington.

"Good evening, John." As soon as they met, Donovan hugged John warmly, "Well, David has run this place well." I dare say you can't find a better pasture around Belliville. ”

"That's right, David is very capable! The Paradise Mountain Ranch was blind in my hands, but fortunately I found a good owner for it. John smiled and complimented.

"He just has a good hand in dealing with cows, sheep and whatnot, how can he compare with you." Donovan smiled even brighter when he heard John compliment his son, "I heard that Roosevelt asked you to be his military adviser." ”

"It's temporary." John hurriedly humbled and said, "Isn't it true that I don't have a bottom in my heart." Now that Washington is your most well-informed, I came here mainly to ask what is the tone of this negotiation with the British? ”

"I knew you must be looking for me for this. Come, let's go inside and talk slowly. With that, Donovan took John to his study.

Entering the study, Donovan did not beckon John to sit down, but opened a secret door hidden behind the bookcase in his astonished gaze, and led him into a secret room.

"Huo, you don't have a hole here." John looked curiously at the hidden office.

"It was just remodeled at the beginning of this year. Mainly to make it easier for me to deal with some confidential documents while I'm at home. There is also a secret passage that leads to the servant's room at the foot of the mountain. Donovan smirked, "I'm absolutely safe here, and you're the first to come in besides me." ”

"As for making it like this, no one dares to eavesdrop on you these days?" John was puzzled. In this life, Donovan can be much more nourished in history. After the fall of Hoover, he had successfully sat in the first position in the US intelligence community. Even if the military's intelligence department is still a little unimpressed with him, they can only complain. When Donovan asked them for information under the banner of the White House, they still didn't dare to grind foreign workers.

"There should be no domestic ones, but not necessarily foreign ones. Now not only the Germans, but also the British, French, Japanese, and even the Russians have extended their tentacles. Especially the British, I regret that I chose to work with them in the first place. "When Donovan's grass team was first formed, it was supported by the British Special Operations Committee, and the first batch of instructors were almost all British intelligence officers. It is not easy to cut and purge the influence of British intelligence agencies now.

"Come on, don't talk about that." Donovan bent down and pulled a document out of a safe. "You take a look at this first, I think it should help you."