Reborn as an American Writer

After renting the warehouse with the factory using cash, Castle left his new workshop quite satisfied. This place would soon become Castle's drone modification workshop. He was fully aware that it wouldn't be long before Vincent, who hated him to the core, would send people to monitor his every move to prevent interference with Vincent's upcoming submarine salvage operation.

By openly renting this warehouse with a factory, Castle aimed to confuse Vincent's judgment. His spies would report that the writer Castle had suddenly become obsessed with handmade crafts, which would undoubtedly make Vincent less wary of Castle.

Vincent could never have imagined that his carefully hidden secret was never a secret to Castle, who knew the storyline inside out. Even worse, Castle had firmly aligned himself with his friend Neil from the start and had even exposed Vincent's hidden secrets.

If it weren't for Vincent's spite and his attempt to have his subordinate Larson quietly assassinate Castle, Castle wouldn't have wanted to clash with Vincent, the mighty crocodile, before the submarine even appeared.

Fortunately, after some maneuvering by Castle and Vincent's reluctance to blow up the matter, which would affect his ultimate plan, both sides had temporarily entered a relatively stable state.

However, both Castle and Vincent knew that this temporary peace was just an illusion. Sooner or later, they would clash again, and the next battle would only end with one of them falling. Of course, Castle was confident that he would be the one to have the last laugh.

Since Winston had not yet delivered the batch of weapons Castle had ordered, Castle obediently went home after leaving the rented warehouse. He planned to visit the precinct tomorrow, as his trip to Brazil had taken almost twenty days, and he wondered if Beckett had any interesting cases that could help him temporarily put aside his scheming with Vincent and change his mood. He'd find out tomorrow morning at the precinct.

Moreover, both his agent and the publisher, as well as the NYPD, were going crazy over his first "Nikki Heat" novel suddenly landing in the New York Times Best Sellers list. With such great support from the NYPD, why not take advantage of it?

And it had been almost a month since he last saw Miss Beckett. His favorability with her must have stagnated. Why not use this excellent opportunity to increase his favorability with Beckett? Besides, pretending to be ignorant of Vincent's surveillance, where better than to work alongside Beckett? It would allow him to both pursue her and dispel Vincent's suspicions.

So, having assigned the task of monitoring Vincent to Harry, and all the scheming and planning to Neil and Moz, Castle arrived at the Twelfth Precinct the next morning, radiating energy. He carried a box full of various souvenirs from Brazil for Beckett and a tray with two cups of coffee.

The first person to see Castle was Esposito, who was hurrying out of the records room with a report in hand. He cheered upon seeing Castle: "Hey, writer, you were in Brazil for quite a while, almost a month. What, did the hot Brazilian girls make you forget to come back?"

Castle smiled and handed the gift box to Esposito, responding to his teasing: "If it weren't for picking out these gifts for you guys, I'd have been back sooner."

Without hesitation, Esposito rummaged through the box for something he liked: "I'd be a fool to believe you. Save those excuses for Beckett. Only she might believe such obvious lies. But since you brought us gifts, I'll give you a heads-up: Beckett's not in a good mood. She's troubled by a case involving a victim's wife and fiancée."

Castle's eyes lit up at the mention of a case: "Tell me about it. What case?"

As they talked, they walked into the precinct's main office. Esposito placed the box on his desk and called Ryan over to pick gifts. He then casually explained: "Last night, we received a report. A man named Sam Park from Connecticut was shot and thrown into a trash chute in an Upper East Side apartment. But this morning, while his wife was identifying the body in Lanie's lab, a woman claiming to be his fiancée, named Jack Holland, also showed up. Both women are now in separate interview rooms, heartbroken, while our victim, this life-winner, lies in the cold morgue with two bullets in his chest."

Ryan, happily examining the gifts Castle brought, added: "We've confirmed the victim is indeed Sam Park. He used to work at an environmental company in Connecticut. About six months ago, he resigned and moved to New York, using the name Jack Holland to join a local company that claims to have the world's most advanced battery recycling technology. His fiancée, Sarah Reed, works at the same company as the chief researcher. They got engaged recently. But it turns out this seemingly honest man had a wife and two kids in Connecticut. We're verifying the alibis of both women for last night, but I suspect one of them discovered his double life and shot him."

Castle's enhanced memory from the system let him know the ins and outs of Beckett's current case. However, Castle no longer intended to showcase his abilities to stay close to Beckett. Now, he planned to play it safe. He would only step in if Beckett and her team had no leads or were heading in the wrong direction, instead of outright pointing out the killer as he did before.

As Castle chatted with Esposito and Ryan, Beckett walked over, looking annoyed. Seeing Castle at her desk, she asked irritably, "Why are you here? I thought you wouldn't bother me anymore."

Knowing Beckett's current frustration with the victim who led a double life, Castle didn't say much. He simply smiled and handed her the non-fat latte she loved, trying to appease her: "I brought you gifts from Brazil!"

Esposito and Ryan, sensing Beckett's mood, wisely slipped away. Beckett reluctantly took the coffee, grumbling, "Men are all the same."

Castle, feeling both amused and helpless, watched the emotional Beckett. This wasn't her usual character. She was supposed to be sharp and capable. Was she letting her guard down around him? Did this mean his efforts to win her over were paying off?

Excited by this realization, Castle quickly shifted Beckett's focus back to her case, fearing she might become embarrassed about showing her vulnerable side. "I just heard from Esposito and Ryan about your new case. I have some different thoughts on it. Want to hear them?"

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