Laughing heartily, Richard Castle hung up the phone after speaking with the chubby hacker. True to his word, Castle immediately transferred a million dollars to the hacker, who had always supported him quietly from behind the scenes without expecting anything in return, even before Castle had received his hacker skills from the System. The transfer was made through an overseas account previously used when selling off Adam's collectibles. Castle also left a message telling the hacker to spend it freely and to contact his Uncle Rick if he needed more, assuring him that more money would be transferred as needed.
Having finally dealt with all the troublesome matters, Castle hailed a cab and headed home.
On the way, Castle decided that once he got home and Martha and Alexis were resting, he would contact Vincent. He planned to use the excuse of handing over the music box they had discussed with Neal to negotiate with Vincent, aiming to stop him from harassing Neal and cancel the bounty on Castle himself. By shifting Vincent's focus to the submarine he was so interested in, Castle and Neal would have the time they needed to strategize in New York.
Castle figured that since the submarine was sunk off the coast of New York, even with Vincent's extensive connections, he couldn't possibly retrieve and transport it abroad in one piece. The most likely scenario would be Vincent renting a large warehouse at the New York harbor to store it once salvaged. If that happened, it would be like delivering the prize directly into Castle's hands!
With the benefit of a System reward providing him with a portable space of a thousand cubic meters, Castle was ready to give Vincent a huge surprise. If it weren't for needing to divert the FBI's suspicion from Neal, Castle wouldn't even need Mozzie's fake art to switch out the real ones. He could simply sneak into the warehouse alone and make everything disappear without a trace!
Resolving to call Vincent and pretend to submit to him as part of his plan, Castle decided that if Vincent refused to cooperate and insisted on pursuing him, he would personally fly to Argentina to give Vincent a hard lesson.
Upon arriving home, Castle briefly informed his mother and daughter about his discovery of Martha's rejuvenation pill scheme and handed the case over to the police for investigation. After Martha and Alexis went upstairs, Castle retreated to his study and dialed the satellite phone number Vincent had left him.
In his estate outside Buenos Aires, Vincent Adler was feeling smug. He had issued a bounty on Castle across Europe and imagined that all the skilled assassins there were now preparing to head to New York to eliminate Castle. So, he was quite surprised to receive a call from Castle. Did this guy know about the bounty? And if so, what could he possibly do? Could he reach South America from the USA? Or was this a desperate plea for mercy?
With a sense of triumph, Vincent answered the call in a mocking tone, "Well, well, if it isn't the mighty Richard Castle, causing storms in New York. What's the matter? Have the killers driven you to beg for mercy?"
Castle couldn't fathom how such a flippant individual like Vincent had managed to organize a Ponzi scheme large enough to defraud all of Wall Street. Were they all idiots? If someone as arrogant as Vincent could scam Wall Street, maybe he should try it someday too?
"Hello? Are you there? What's wrong? Are you too scared to speak?"
Castle snapped out of his reverie. Vincent's continuous taunting brought him back to the moment.
"Vincent Adler, have you gotten a little too full of yourself? Who told you I'm begging for mercy? Have you been drinking, or are you still half-asleep?"
Castle's sharp retort left Vincent speechless for a moment.
"Kid, I admire your courage to call me at this time. Don't you know that I've put a bounty on you across Europe?" Vincent fired back.
Despite wanting to retaliate against Vincent's arrogance, Castle knew he had to play this carefully. To get Vincent to act as a 'tool' and stop the bounty, he needed to swallow his pride.
"Mr. Adler, I'm not calling to argue. I'm aware you've put a two-million-dollar bounty on me. I'm calling to negotiate a truce.
If you agree to lift the bounty and promise not to bother me or Neal in the future, I'll ensure you get that music box within seven days. How does that sound?"
Vincent was taken aback. "You have the music box?"
"Yes, we do. How about it? Are you willing to consider a truce and get the music box in seven days?" Castle confirmed.
Vincent, enjoying the upper hand, wasn't about to let go of this rare opportunity to humiliate Castle, who had previously humiliated him by disrupting his plans in New York. He was enjoying the feeling of control again and dismissed Castle's proposal with disdain.
"You think we can just call a truce because you want to? After you ruined my meticulously laid plans and forced me to retreat from New York in disgrace, you think it's that simple to make peace?"
Realizing Vincent was still stubbornly holding onto his pride, Castle felt exasperated. Damn, if it weren't for the need to use Vincent to recover the sunken submarine, he would show Vincent exactly what it meant to cross him!
Determined to shift tactics, Castle dropped his conciliatory tone. It was time to give Vincent a reality check.
"Mr. Adler, to be honest, I don't see how I've grievously wronged you. I simply helped my friend Neal retrieve his girlfriend Kate from your lackey Fuller. We even agreed to let the matter rest when you called me back then.
But you, being petty, sent hitmen after me even after we made peace. You think you're safe in Buenos Aires? You're naive. Do you know that I stopped John Wick, aka 'The Boogeyman', from visiting you with a gun tonight?
You think you're the only one who can put a bounty on someone? Are you sure you don't want a truce and would rather go to war with me?"
Castle's words plunged Vincent into silence. He knew Castle wasn't bluffing. Given his past, Vincent understood the reputation and the formidable connection between Castle and John Wick. He realized he needed to weigh his options carefully.
As Vincent considered his next move, he had to admit that his obsession with the submarine, instilled by his father, outweighed any personal grudge against Castle. The submarine's exact location, now seemingly known by Castle, was crucial. And with the submarine near New York, any conflict with Castle would jeopardize his plans to retrieve it.
Though always a businessman at heart, Vincent saw more value in Castle's proposal. Letting go of his grudge seemed more beneficial.
As Castle waited in silence, sensing Vincent was weighing his options, the quiet on the other end of the line spoke volumes. After a few moments, Vincent's subdued voice came through.
"You're saying that if I agree to your terms, I'll get the music box in seven days?"
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