Luke laughed. The girl was quite alert, her looks and figure weren't bad either, but with Daisy, who had more charm and beauty, in front, Luke wasn't too interested and lazily explained.
He stared out the window for a while, then closed his eyes to relax.
At the same time, he began to consider issues with informants. It's a double-edged sword; informants can help Luke handle inconvenient matters, but they themselves have all kinds of issues. They're in the business and inevitably attract trouble, requiring Luke's help to resolve.
Expecting informants to turn over a new leaf wasn't very realistic. If they could change, they wouldn't be informants.
Besides, some informants need to scout the black market for information. If they don't mix around, how would they gather intel?
Does Luke expect a nine-to-five office worker to dig up the info he needs? Not realistic.
Luke currently has three informants, with two in Los Angeles and one in New York. It's relatively easy to manage for now, but he will need more comprehensive management methods as the number of informants grows.
The flight was smooth, with only some turbulence during take-off and landing.
The white girl sitting next to him barely spoke to Luke further, keeping her head down as she took her luggage and left, seemingly afraid Luke might ask for her contact.
Well, seems she thinks I'm a bad guy.
A bad guy, then. It was just casual conversation on a plane; in this vast sea of people, it's unlikely they'll run into each other again.
It takes a total of six hours to fly from New York to Los Angeles, but with a three-hour time difference, only three hours had passed. It's now past two in the afternoon, and Luke was riding the airport bus back into the city, getting off near the Inno community.
"Beep beep…" A car horn sounded beside him.
Luke turned his head to see a black Volvo parked by the roadside, the second-hand car he and his uncle had co-funded.
The driver's door opened, and Val got out, "Hey, my dear nephew, long time no see."
"Uncle, please open the trunk for me."
"Why so much luggage, gifts for us?" Val helped with a suitcase.
Why does this sound so familiar?
Luke opened the car door and glanced at the back seat, "Where's Anlek Raul? Didn't you bring him? Didn't bail succeed?"
Val sat inside the car and released the handbrake, "Bail succeeded. But I dropped him halfway."
Luke closed the front passenger door, "Did you have a conflict?"
Val countered, "Do you know why that bastard was caught?"
Luke's nostrils twitched, "Seemingly for theft. I was on the plane then, with too many people around, so I didn't ask thoroughly."
Val was somewhat angry, "That bastard was zero-dollar shopping at the supermarket, and because he took goods exceeding 950 US Dollars, they reported him to the police and got him caught.
What's more absurd is he talks about this incident with a face of grievance, as though he's the victim.
You know, I hate people like that."
Val still felt uneasy, "I even regret bailing him out; he should just stay in jail.
Why do you have such friends? Was he once a cop as well?"
"NO, he's my informant."
Val curled his lip, "Can't you find a better informant?"
Luke retorted, "Would excellent people become informants?"
"Anyway, I don't like that guy," Val started the car, driving towards the Inno community.
Linda had invited everyone to a gathering to welcome Luke back.
As the car drove into the Inno community, Val saw a familiar bulky figure ahead, parking on the roadside and rolling down the window, "Hey, kid, hop in."
The chubby kid glanced and exclaimed joyfully, "Bro, you're finally back. I thought you were staying in New York for Christmas."
Luke shook his head with a wry smile, "Could you be any more exaggerated? I was there to sort things out, not to play."
The chubby kid got in the back, tossing his backpack aside, looking around, "Bro, what gift did you bring me back?"
Luke felt a bit helpless, was it that direct?
He shook his fist, "Brought two sandbag-sized fists, take your pick."
The chubby kid pouted, muttering softly.
The car soon arrived at Linda's doorstep.
The chubby kid got off the car, shouting, "Mom, your beloved eldest son is back."
Linda heard the commotion and came out from the house, still wearing an apron, smiling, "Luke, welcome home.
Your stay was longer than we imagined."
"Great to see you, dear mom. I brought you a gift this time," Luke opened the car trunk, pulling out a large suitcase.
The chubby kid also came over, "Bro, don't tell me you only bought a gift for mom. You promised me earlier."
Luke handed him the suitcase, "Let's get inside then we'll see."
The chubby kid, sensing an opportunity, eagerly dragged the suitcase into the house.
Luke had left his Mercedes at Linda's before going to New York, so after dinner, he could drive back home directly.
Inside the house, Luke opened the suitcase and distributed gifts to everyone.
Bringing gifts isn't faulted; it's practical. No matter the closeness of the relationship, the feeling is different with or without gifts; who doesn't like some surprises?