As soon as Castle stood up to leave, Mozzie quickly followed suit, also bidding Neal farewell and planning to leave as well.
Castle turned to Mozzie jokingly, "Mozzie, I'm going to take advantage of Neal discussing things with his FBI partner to go to the publisher and talk about my new book. Since you don't have anything else to do, why not stay here and help Neal explain our plan to that federal agent? You did say you didn't mind exposing yourself to the government, right?"
"Rick, you jerk, no one asked for your opinion…" Mozzie's exasperated voice lightened the mood, which had been heavy due to their discussion about confronting Vincent.
Castle didn't bring up the idea of finding the music box today because he needed a few days to come up with an excuse for discovering this clue. Besides, apart from Neal, another important person who knew the secret of the music box was Neal's ex-girlfriend, Alex Hunter. Her grandfather was the radio operator on the U-boat that sank off New York's coast. Alex had grown up hearing stories about the submarine from her grandfather. Neal had tried to steal the music box on Alex's suggestion, but they hadn't succeeded. However, the key to the music box, a small angel-shaped key, had always been with Alex.
Castle was fully aware of this but couldn't mention it now. Firstly, he had no plausible reason to know so much about the music box, as he only learned about it from Kate last night. Secondly, Alex was Neal's ex-girlfriend and still had an ambiguous relationship with him. Bringing her up while Neal's current girlfriend, Kate, was around could cause unnecessary trouble.
As Neal's friend, Castle wouldn't let him suffer unnecessarily. He decided to wait a few days until Neal had discussed the situation with his FBI partner before quietly informing him about Alex. This way, Neal could gain an advantage in the game against Vincent.
Thinking about these matters, Castle and Mozzie left Neal's place separately. Mozzie had his own business to attend to, while Castle needed to visit his publisher. The electronic manuscript he sent to Gina that morning had pleased her, and she was eager for Castle to come to her office to finalize the plans for the second book's writing and publication.
Although Castle had mentioned in the electronic manuscript that he needed a break, Gina was keen on pushing for the next book. Not only could she earn publishing fees, but she also wanted Castle to earn royalties quickly to pay this year's alimony. For Gina, this arrangement was a win-win, and she didn't want to waste any time.
Castle couldn't resist his persistent ex-wife and had to go to the publisher. However, Gina's desire for him to start writing the second book immediately was unrealistic, especially with Neal's side mission requiring his attention.
After a strenuous effort to pacify his money-obsessed ex-wife, Castle firmly rejected Gina's plan for him to start the next book immediately. He even resorted to threatening to switch publishers if she continued pressuring him. This finally made Gina, who was blinded by money, reluctantly agree not to push Castle to start writing the second book right away.
Exhausted from dealing with his ex-wife and publisher, Castle planned to go straight home and rest. However, just then, an unknown number called his phone.
"Hello, this is Castle."
Castle wasn't in the mood to guess who was calling. He figured the caller would introduce themselves.
"Hello, Mr. Castle. It's surprising to find a bestselling novelist with such skills and loyalty, helping Neal Caffrey, the notorious art thief and con artist, find his missing girlfriend?"
A casual yet domineering voice came through the phone, instantly making Castle aware of the caller's hostile intent.
Castle, however, wasn't fazed and responded with interest, "Agent Fuller?"
This remark made the voice on the other end serious, "Oh? You're well-informed. But I'm not that idiot Fuller. I'm his boss. You probably don't know me, but you should know you've disrupted my carefully laid plans, forcing me to waste more time and effort on Neal's problem.
Mr. Castle, you've gotten yourself into big trouble. You've dragged yourself and your family into a very dangerous situation. Tell me, do you regret interfering with Neal Caffrey's affairs? I'm willing to forgive your ignorance if you promise not to interfere anymore. Consider this a chance for me to let you off!"
The caller's high-handed tone and implied threat regarding Castle's family successfully triggered Castle's anger. "You say you're Fuller's boss? The Director of the FBI? I'm a law-abiding taxpayer; what can you do to me? Besides, I think you're not the FBI Director. You're just a Ponzi schemer, right? Vincent Adler?"
Castle had initially planned to play it coy with Vincent, but the latter's threats, especially involving his family, changed his mind. Ever since Santino had come to New York seeking revenge, Castle had arranged for top-notch protection for his mother and daughter through his father, Shawn. If Vincent dared to threaten his family, he'd find out what it meant to challenge a much more powerful organization.
Vincent's elaborate Ponzi scheme eight years ago had only netted ten billion dollars. In contrast, the resources Shawn could deploy for Martha and Alexis's protection were leagues above anything Vincent could muster. Castle had no doubt that if Shawn knew Vincent was targeting his granddaughter, Vincent would regret it deeply.
Castle's emotion-driven response completely stunned Vincent, who had intended to pressure Castle. The fact that Castle could name him outright left Vincent momentarily speechless.
Vincent's first reaction was that things were spiraling out of his control. Since the previous night when Kate had been taken from her apartment, the situation had been slipping away, and Castle's sudden appearance only worsened it. Worse still, Castle had identified him by name, exposing him.
Trying to regain his composure, Vincent realized he was on the phone and needed to maintain his facade of control. Desperately, he abandoned his previous arrogance for a more direct approach, "Mr. Castle, do you realize your actions have completely angered me? This is not a wise choice. I admire your intelligence-gathering skills but cannot tolerate your obstinate attitude. I'll ask you once more: do you really intend to keep interfering?"
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