Castle looked at Gianna, who seemed deep in thought, as if she were listening to a subordinate's report. He didn't feel uncomfortable; instead, he laughed and said to Gianna and John, who was pouring milk for Gianna, "Hey, wake up... Now's not the time to worry about these little things. Your main task is to take good care of yourself and have a baby for our Mr. Night Demon. You're going to be a mom, so don't worry about such trivial matters. Are you really concerned that Moz and I can't handle it?"
Castle's playful tone made Gianna burst into laughter. She glanced playfully at Castle before turning her loving gaze to John, who was handing her a glass of milk. She then laughed softly, "Rick, you have a big heart. According to your earlier estimate, the art and jewelry on that submarine are worth tens of billions of dollars. Is that a small matter to you?"
Moz chuckled too. He knew how many valuable artworks Castle owned. Don't forget that he had appraised those priceless items in Adam's house for Castle. After selling King Tutankhamun's scepter, Moz had received a brokerage fee of twenty million dollars from Castle. So, Castle genuinely didn't care much about the treasures on that submarine.
However, what amused Moz wasn't Castle's indifference to the submarine's treasures but rather the thought of the notorious Night Demon, known for his deadly prowess, dealing with everyday trivialities. It was even funnier to imagine this fearsome marksman, who would soon be tending to his baby with a bottle in one hand and diapers in the other. This was what made Moz laugh despite his usual composure.
Castle, puzzled, looked at the laughing Moz, who, having become quite familiar with Gianna and John over the past month, didn't hesitate to share his amusing mental image.
Everyone, except the helpless John, burst into laughter. Gianna laughed so hard she almost couldn't sit up straight. Being teased by close friends was a rare but sweet experience for her. At this moment, she truly felt that managing a massive family and being famous in the underworld didn't compare to the joy of casual banter with a few close friends.
Of course, this feeling might have been amplified by her pregnancy hormones, but it was undeniable that Gianna was genuinely happy at this moment.
The only person not particularly happy was the protagonist, Mr. Night Demon, John Wick. He had never considered this scenario until Moz mentioned it, and even his usually stoic face showed a moment of surprise, which made Gianna laugh even harder.
Castle continued to paint the picture for John: "Buddy, imagine it. The hand you used to hold a gun is now holding a baby bottle. Your belt no longer holds Glock 17 magazines but diapers. The hand that could fire multiple shotgun rounds in three seconds is now holding a chubby, adorable baby..."
"Rick, stop it! I'm going to die of laughter..." Gianna was laughing so hard at Castle's vivid description that she almost fell off her chair. Her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey. Yes, the man she had loved for ten years was finally captured by her tenderness. Of course, she also remembered Castle's contribution as a matchmaker and decided to put more effort into helping Castle deal with Vincent.
John, caught between laughter and tears, looked at his friends, while Moz laughed heartily. Castle, however, continued earnestly, giving John advice on fatherhood: "How about it, buddy? Want some tips on dealing with babies? I personally raised Alexis. Look at her now—she's outstanding among her peers, isn't she?"
Moz teased Castle, "Rick, are you sure Alexis didn't mature quickly because she found her dad unreliable?"
Castle retorted, "Who says I'm unreliable?"
Gianna, having finally calmed down from laughing, joined in, "Rick, I heard from Alexis that you set an unbreakable record in high school by getting expelled from every high school in New York City?"
Castle, pretending to be proud, said, "Yes, so I could clearly demonstrate to my precious daughter what not to do to avoid getting expelled."
John, amused by his friend's antics, finally said, "Gianna, our child must stay away from Rick."
"Hahaha..." The breakfast atmosphere became incredibly joyful.
Meanwhile, on the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, Vincent Adler stood in the cockpit, laughing heartily as he approached his destination. For over fifty years, since he could remember, his always-serious father had told him the legendary story of the treasures on that submarine. As a child, he didn't understand their significance or value. It was only after his father's death and his own maturation that he realized the immense wealth those treasures represented.
Driven by his father's dying wish, Vincent had spent years gathering the necessary funds, even orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that netted him ten billion dollars from Wall Street. Although this made him the FBI's most wanted, he didn't care. The ten billion was just a means to fulfill his father's dream. Compared to the submarine's treasures, ten billion was nothing.
Despite many challenges, including the loss of his most reliable aide, Larson, to a writer named Castle, Vincent persevered. Now, he was on the verge of achieving his goal. Standing proudly in the cockpit of the salvage ship, he felt an immense sense of pride and accomplishment.
Unbeknownst to Vincent, a drone was steadily following his ship from 3,500 meters above, and another, 'Peeping Tom No. 2,' was on its way to replace the first drone, which had been flying for nearly twenty hours and was low on fuel.
Back at the small building, it was no longer the chubby kid who had worked the night shift at the drone control station but Castle himself, the creator of these drones. The chubby kid, after breakfast, was sent to his room by Gianna to rest. Castle teased Gianna, saying she was practicing her maternal instincts on the chubby kid. Gianna, unfazed, just smiled, while John and Moz chuckled along.
To accommodate the pregnant Gianna, Castle connected the drone control station's feed to a large LCD TV, allowing her and John to watch the situation unfold from the comfort of the sofa. Moz, meanwhile, mentioned he needed to return to Manhattan to update Neil on the latest developments and prepare for the upcoming surveillance on Vincent. He had rushed over the previous night without any change of clothes.
Once Moz left, Gianna remembered her earlier thought in the dining room. With only close friends around, she felt free to discuss her idea with Rick.
"Rick, John and I didn't do much in this operation. When you retrieve the treasures from the submarine, we don't want any of it. We don't want to make things difficult for you..."
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