Chapter 36: The Meeting Gift

Seeing his own son constantly courting death with a smug look on his face, Sean, who had just met his biological son, was no longer excited or overly affectionate. All he wanted was to kick this good-for-nothing kid back to the USA.

"Enough, don't make any more moves. Even if you cover your tracks, there will always be slip-ups. You don't need to worry about it anymore. After all, this is the first time Brian has asked for my help in many years. Besides, you've already started it, and as my son, it's only right that I take over.

My people will handle the task of taking out Valmont. Even if the D'Antonio family finds out it was me in the end, Old Man D'Antonio won't say much.

But if you were to do it, given your relationships with John Wick and Gianna, it might lead Old Man D'Antonio to misunderstand the situation, making things worse. Understand?"

Richard was too deep in the game, blinded by his involvement. After his father pointed this out, he quickly realized that at the cusp of leadership change within the D'Antonio family, given his and John's relationship with Gianna, any move he made could potentially lead Old Man D'Antonio to suspect that Gianna was eliminating rivals prematurely, possibly disrupting her secure position as the head of the family.

"Damn, the old fox sees more clearly! I really am not cut out for these scheming games."

Richard had immense respect for his father's wisdom.

"I understand now, I really shouldn't make a move again! Even if it's for John and Gianna, I should remain behind the scenes!"

Both father and son, keen on being the power behind the throne, shared a laugh.

"Damn, you really are my son, you get it in a second! It must be in our nature," Sean mused proudly as he sat on the sofa.

Richard poured a glass of whiskey for Sean and then heard his father say, "Son, we've actually never met before, and since we have time today, shall we talk?"

Can I say 'no'? Richard rolled his eyes and poured himself a drink, leaning back on the sofa. "Sure, what do you want to talk about?"

"Rick, there are things I can't tell you. I can only say that when I left Martha and you, it was out of necessity. I don't expect your forgiveness, but I hope that you, Martha, and my granddaughter Alexis can always be safe—that has always been my wish!

Whether you believe it or not, I've been watching over you all these years and protecting you.

But I am puzzled about something. These past two months, you've seemed like a different person. Normally, even though you liked to fool around, you wouldn't court death.

But ever since the conflict with the Tanasov family started with John Wick, you've been acting out of character.

Later on, you even intensified your efforts. I'm curious, what do you plan to do with that arsenal you had Winston procure for you, enough to start a small war?"

Sean was indeed sharp, questioning his son so directly—a habit from years of ruling from the shadows, suspecting anything out of the ordinary. Since he had this chance today, he might as well clear up some doubts through his son.

Richard was surprised by the barrage of questions from his father, many hitting close to the core. It seemed the old fox wasn't lying; he had indeed been keeping a close eye on him, or else he wouldn't have asked such deep questions.

Richard knew that given his lack of an emotional reaction upon their first meeting—since he wasn't the original Richard—there were no resentful feelings to discuss.

"If I can't perfectly dispel Sean's suspicions, my secret of being a transmigrator might not be exposed, but it could lead to unnecessary trouble."

After pondering for a moment, Richard began, "Actually, I haven't changed as a person, or perhaps you could say I have. How should I explain this? You know, over the past decade, as my novels became more and more successful, my financial situation improved, and I grew tired of writing.

So, I decided to try a different life.

Take the situation with John, for example. You should know he's Alexis's godfather.

Especially in recent years, we've been very close. When he got into trouble, he called me immediately. As his best friend, in a moment when he was all alone, did I have a choice?

I had to stand by his side and face the sudden crisis with him.

And as it turned out, didn't we win unscathed in the end?"

"Oh? Even though you're not much of a fighter, you still rushed in without looking back?" Sean was intrigued as he looked at Richard.

"Who says I'm not a fighter

? I'm very capable!

Most people just think I'm weak, but I'm not. I'm good with guns, and my psychological resilience is also strong. Look at what happened today; wasn't that proof?"

"Right, I'm also curious. The first time you killed someone, you didn't even flinch. Why? Were you born a killer?" Sean wasn't really concerned about this; he had killed more people than he could count. After all, was it not expected for his son to be formidable too?

It must be said that Sean, having no experience interacting with his son, inadvertently fell into a trap led by his own assumptions.

"I'm a detective novelist; imagining how to kill people is part of my job. Plus, in the past month, I've been collaborating with the NYPD, visiting many crime scenes with detectives in charge of homicide cases. So, the discomfort of killing someone is not a problem for me."

"What about the arms you bought from Winston? What are you planning to do with them?" Sean knew his son's words were not entirely true, but still, having no experience dealing with his son, he couldn't just waterboard Richard; it was already good that his son was willing to provide some reasons.

"I use them for practice. How else do you think I acquired such proficient skills?"

Richard was prepared for this question but also had his doubts.

"How do you know Winston?"

Sean's father revealed a scheming smile, "Of course I know him. If it weren't for me, whether he could have gotten the Continental Hotel in New York thirty years ago would be another story!"

Caught off guard by his manipulative father's revelation, Richard was immediately interested.

"Wow, that's explosive! Tell me more!"

Ready to play and then run, Sean shook his head, "Forget it, it's been so long, there's not much to tell. I just wanted to let you know that Winston feels indebted to me, and for many years he has silently protected you and Martha. So, the next time you see him, be polite, understand?

Also, there's an underground king of information on Barry Street in New York called 'KING.' He owes me a lot too. If you ever need information or help, you can go to him and show him this; he'll help you."

With that, Sean handed Richard an original Lion's Head gold coin. Strangely, this coin had the Lion's Head design on both sides.

"What's this?" Richard asked curiously.

"This is the most original Lion's Head gold coin. There are only two in the world, one here with me, and the other with 'the Elder,' who sits above the High Table. Don't just show this thing around; it holds the highest status across the High Table and the Continental Hotels, understand?"

"Wow, is this your meeting gift? Damn, that's lavish!"

Richard was overjoyed and astounded, unable to stop his drool!

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