Senator Charles Hahn, who had been closely following the developments in New York, was among the first to learn that his lackey, Johnson, had been killed. Through his intelligence network, he also found out that the killers were two elderly men. Given his knowledge of what he and Johnson had been up to, it didn't take long for Charles to realize that the ones responsible were likely the retired CIA R.E.D. agents Johnson had provoked into framing.
Though initially shocked by the continued prowess of these retired agents, Charles soon realized that Johnson's death was actually a blessing in disguise. With Johnson out of the picture, the intense pressure Charles had been under began to ease significantly.
The senator couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Johnson's death had greatly relieved the tension between him and the Democrats, who had been preparing for a fierce confrontation. With Johnson gone, Charles found himself with the perfect scapegoat to take the blame for everything.
Realizing this, Charles immediately launched a PR campaign in Washington to quietly downplay the entire situation. He felt secure in the knowledge that he held incriminating evidence of Vice President Andrew's involvement in a massacre in Africa. The Democrats wouldn't dare to push too hard against him, knowing he had the leverage to fight back. What had initially seemed like a risky offensive maneuver now appeared to be nothing more than an unsuccessful test, with Johnson conveniently taking the fall.
Vice President Andrew, too, was quickly informed of Johnson's death. He immediately suspected that the two elderly killers were likely the retired CIA agents Johnson had foolishly crossed. Although Andrew was furious, his chief of staff remained level-headed. After carefully analyzing the situation, the chief of staff regretfully informed Andrew that their best course of action was to de-escalate.
Charles Hahn still had the evidence of Andrew's involvement in the African massacre, and there was no way for Andrew's team to acquire it in the short term. The plan to use Charles Hahn's son, Congressman Robert Hahn of Montana, as leverage would take time. For now, Andrew had no choice but to swallow his pride and back off. His chief of staff suggested that Andrew could use this temporary truce to negotiate with the Republicans before the upcoming presidential campaign, leveraging his restraint in this situation as a way to prevent further attacks. At the same time, they could hint at a willingness to destroy Charles Hahn if necessary, hopefully intimidating the Republicans.
Andrew was far from pleased with this strategy. A man of strong character and ambition, he had twice been involved in civilian massacres during his military career, showing a long history of aggression. His chief of staff's recommendation to simply let things slide frustrated him deeply.
However, the chief of staff was far more pragmatic. He knew that now was not the time for Andrew to seek revenge, as their opponents still held the power to ruin him. So, after explaining the bigger picture, the chief of staff finally persuaded Andrew to sign off on a temporary "ceasefire" with Charles Hahn. Andrew insisted, however, that the negotiations must include a demand for Charles to hand over the incriminating evidence—though the chief of staff knew this was highly unlikely. Still, even if they couldn't secure the evidence, the demand would be made as a point of principle.
While these two political factions were working out a deal over Johnson's death, Castle was standing at the entrance to his estate, smiling as he awaited the arrival of his daughter's taxi. Alexis, carrying her "little white mouse" in its cage, hopped out of the car and linked arms with her father as they walked toward the lavish estate that Castle had flamboyantly named "Castle Manor."
"Dad, isn't the giant sign at the gate a bit too much?" Alexis complained. "None of the other estates have such huge signs. Even Aunt Gianna's estate doesn't do something like this. It's embarrassing!"
Carrying the cage with one hand and holding onto her father with the other, Alexis seemed unimpressed by Castle's over-the-top behavior.
Castle grinned proudly. "What's the problem? If no one else does it, that doesn't mean I can't! I thought long and hard about this. How about we just move here permanently?"
Alexis looked at her dad like he was crazy. "Are you out of your mind? I still have school. Do you expect me to commute for over an hour every day just to get to class? Even with no traffic, it takes at least forty-five minutes from Long Island to my school. If there's any traffic at all, it's more like an hour and a half!"
Castle, realizing his daughter was still in high school, reluctantly dropped the idea. "Okay, okay, maybe I'll buy you a helicopter instead? Or I could talk to the folks at Northrop Grumman and get you a decommissioned OH-58D Kiowa scout helicopter to get to school?"
Alexis, already well-versed in dealing with her dad's periodic outbursts of insanity, responded with exasperation. "Dad, while I am old enough to get my driver's license, flying a helicopter to school is a bit much, don't you think? Are you crazy?"
Faced with his daughter's growing frustration, Castle finally backed down. "Alright, no helicopters. Come on, let me introduce you to Uncle Neal. I know you've been really into art lately. Your Uncle Neal is an expert in the field of fine arts. If we add in Uncle Moz, you'll never have to take another art history class in school. Between the two of them, they know more than any professor."
Castle had another motive behind introducing Neal to Alexis—one he wasn't willing to admit aloud. He hoped that Neal's extraordinary looks and sophistication would influence Alexis's taste in men, steering her away from the hormone-driven boys at her school. Like any father with a teenage daughter, Castle was protective and didn't want her to be fooled by some immature high school boy.
Though Castle trusted Alexis, he knew that teenage girls could be unpredictable. To prevent her from falling for the wrong guy, he figured Neal, a reformed con artist and expert charmer, would be the perfect person to teach her how to spot a player.
When Castle had shared this idea with Neal and Mozzie earlier, they had mercilessly teased him. But, understanding Castle's fatherly concern, Neal had eventually agreed to give Alexis some pointers on avoiding the tricks boys use to manipulate girls.
When Castle finally introduced Alexis to Neal, she was immediately intrigued by how handsome he was. However, when she learned that her dad's charming friend was a master at forging paintings, bonds, and other high-value items, she shot Castle a skeptical look.
Neal and Mozzie exchanged knowing smiles, fully aware of what Alexis was thinking. Neal casually explained, "Alexis, don't underestimate the art of forging paintings. You can't create a convincing forgery without a deep understanding of the original works. Mastering oil painting techniques is essential to creating something indistinguishable from the real thing."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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