Chapter 165: The Trouble Stirrer

Seeing the smile on Castle's face, Winston became displeased. He took a big puff of his cigar, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke, before preparing to give Castle a piece of his elder's mind.

However, before he could say anything, Castle, who had repeatedly reminded himself to respect Winston before entering, spoke first. "Winston, this time it really wasn't me who provoked Vincent Adler. Let me explain, it went like this..."

Castle then detailed how Vincent, for the sake of a Tsar's music box, had orchestrated a plan that led Neal Caffrey's girlfriend to break up with him while he was in prison. Of course, Castle omitted the part where he already knew Vincent's primary goal in finding the music box. He only explained to Winston that he and Neal were good friends, much like he was with John Wick back in the day. Neal had even served as a consultant for his books. So, Castle couldn't just stand by and let Vincent bully his friend.

Castle, however, shifted all the blame onto Vincent. He candidly admitted to Winston that he personally intervened to rescue Neal's girlfriend from Vincent's lackey, Fowler.

Moreover, when Vincent directly called to threaten him, Castle had promptly expressed his unwillingness to be his enemy and reached an understanding with Vincent. But to his surprise, Vincent had gone back on his word and arranged an assassin to ambush him this morning. Fortunately, Castle's vigilance allowed him to preemptively strike and kill the assassin sent by Vincent.

To prove he wasn't lying, Castle revealed that after killing Vincent's assassin, he had immediately called the Continental Hotel to send cleaners to handle the aftermath.

Winston didn't interrupt Castle's story. In fact, whether Castle's tale was true or not didn't matter to Winston. Without Shawn's help back then, he wouldn't have been able to reclaim the ownership of the Continental Hotel in New York from the high table members ready to take over. Since then, Winston had vowed to repay Shawn. Shawn hadn't asked for anything in return, so Winston took it upon himself to protect Shawn's son, Castle, and Shawn's wife, Martha, as a way to repay Shawn.

Castle, unaware of Winston's intentions, didn't realize his elaborate concealment of Vincent's plan to salvage the sunken German submarine was redundant. Winston had summoned him not to reprimand him for causing trouble but to understand the conflict between him and Vincent better. This was so that Winston could protect Shawn's family when Vincent made another move against Castle or perhaps even send a team to eliminate Vincent preemptively.

While thinking about how to protect Castle, Winston remained silent, listening to Castle narrate how he discovered someone tailing him this morning and led the pursuer to Central Park where he turned the tables. When Castle finally finished bragging, Winston, with great interest, asked, "So you're saying, because of Jonathan's training, your handgun quick draw is now on par with his?"

The question stunned Castle for a moment before he realized Winston was referring to John Wick by 'Jonathan.' He glanced at Winston, puzzled by his interest in his quick draw skills rather than his conflict with Vincent.

However, Castle, eager for a chance to gossip about John Wick, set aside his confusion and began spreading rumors enthusiastically. "Of course! I even had a match with John at the CBQ shooting range his girlfriend Gianna built for him on Long Island. I won that time! Oh, and Winston, you probably don't know this, but John is going to be a father!"

"What did you say?"

The usually composed Winston was so shocked by Castle's news that he sat up straight.

Castle, pleased with Winston's reaction, grinned. "You heard me right. John's going to be a dad. Gianna is pregnant, almost two months along!"

Winston was genuinely astonished. He hadn't expected that amidst all the chaos caused by Castle and John, Gianna would solidify her position as the heir to the D'Antonio family and kick Santino out of the succession. Now, with John being the father of Gianna's child, he was essentially hitting the jackpot.

Realizing the significance of Gianna's pregnancy for the D'Antonio family, Winston understood why they kept it secret. If not for Castle's penchant for gossip, even he, the head of the New York Continental, wouldn't have known.

Reflecting on the surprises brought by the younger generation, Winston placed his cigar in the ashtray and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. Meeting Castle had not only helped John avoid being used by Santino but also led to John becoming romantically involved with Gianna, reclaiming his marker, and ultimately gaining his freedom.

Furthermore, Castle's meddling had already toppled the Tanassov family, ousted Santino, and now he was tangling with Vincent Adler?

Winston couldn't help but feel old as he realized how much he had underestimated Castle's capacity for stirring up trouble.

After carefully considering his words, Winston proposed his initial plan: to send his team to eliminate Vincent and end the trouble for Castle, sparing any potential mishaps.

Castle was taken aback by Winston's proposal. Was this how aggressive the older generation had become? If Vincent were eliminated by Winston, who would help him salvage the sunken submarine? Would he have to fund the entire operation himself?

Castle quickly rejected his uncle Winston's idea, swearing that he wouldn't let Vincent succeed. He explained he was planning to sell Vincent, a wanted fugitive, to the FBI to gain a huge favor from them, so there was no need for Winston to worry.

He assured Winston that his mother and daughter were protected by bodyguards arranged by his father, ensuring their safety.

After Castle's refusal, Winston wasn't offended. He earnestly advised Castle to inform him immediately if anything beyond his control happened to avoid unnecessary losses.

After receiving a lecture from Winston, Castle left the Continental Hotel, bewildered by Winston's uncharacteristic clinginess. He failed to consider that his recent involvement in almost every major incident in New York had pushed even the composed Winston to the edge, prompting him to warn Castle to keep a low profile.

Upon exiting the Continental Hotel, Castle quickly understood the true purpose of Winston's summons. Winston was reminding him that Vincent was becoming desperate and advising him to stay low-key to avoid unnecessary attention.

Castle could only smile bitterly at the realization. It wasn't that he sought trouble; trouble found him.

Feeling frustrated, Castle drove home, silently vowing that if Vincent continued to target him, he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.

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