7:30 p.m., Washington D.C., a temporary detention prison.
In a cramped interrogation room, Joseph donned an orange prison jumpsuit, yet his pompadour hairstyle remained unchanged, meticulously combed as ever.
"Good evening, Luo An."
With his hands cuffed and sitting in the chair, Joseph looked across the interrogation table at Luo An, suddenly smiled, and asked:
"Could I have a cup of coffee? I'm finding it rather strenuous to stay alert at my age."
"Of course."
Luo An didn't refuse. He got a coffee pot from the prison guard, poured a cup for Joseph, and one for himself, then said with a smile:
"The taste of coffee in prison, I'm afraid, is not as good as what you're used to."
"It's alright; a few sips just to perk up is all I need."
Joseph took a sip of the coffee, the bitter taste accentuating the lines on his face, then set down the cup, raised his eyebrows at Luo An, and chuckled:
"My lawyer has convinced the prison to provide me with high-quality coffee; it's just temporary detention that's a bit rough."
Wealthy people always manage to get certain privileges in federal prison, Luo An was no longer surprised by this, and he went straight to the point, bypassing this topic:
"Mr. Joseph, you said before that you knew my father well."
"I knew it, you came for this matter after all."
Joseph crossed his arms over his abdomen, leaned back in his chair, and with a smile upon his face and a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, said:
"Thinking about it, it's been over twenty years. Time really flies."
Joseph shared that his company had encountered quite a bit of trouble with tax issues more than twenty years ago.
At the time, Luo An's father, Charles, had already earned his doctoral degree in accounting and was conducting exchange studies at a university in Pennsylvania.
By a twist of fate, the two met, and Charles spent more than a month helping Joseph resolve his tax problems, after which Joseph hired Charles as a tax consultant for his company.
Later on, Charles married Beverly, and they bought a villa in Boston where Luo An grew up. The funds for it partially came from the salary of that consultancy job.
"Charles was a very competent accountant and a good friend—honest, diligent, smart..."
Joseph's face was full of fond memories as he listed a host of praise for Luo An's father, then looking down with a smile, he turned his gaze to Luo An and added:
"And he was very popular with the ladies. You bear a strong resemblance to him; you must feel that too."
"Indeed, I do."
Luo An nodded, casually accepting Joseph's compliment. Joseph was slightly taken aback, then chuckled:
"But back then, he wasn't as thick-skinned as you are."
Luo An finished his coffee in one gulp, and then asked:
"Since you've guessed why I came to see you, do you have anything you want to say?"
"Unfortunately, there's nothing."
Luo An was direct, and Joseph didn't waste words, spreading his hands and saying:
"I was quite shocked when I learned of Charles' death by gunshot.
However, my connection with Charles was mostly work-related and business-oriented; I didn't know much about his personal life.
Afterwards, I personally attended the funeral to offer my condolences. Your mother, Beverly, was devastated, and it wasn't appropriate for me to ask too much, so I left Boston after the funeral."
Luo An's eyebrows twitched:
"That means you don't have any clues?"
"Not exactly."
Joseph crossed his legs and looked quietly at Luo An, saying:
"In addition to my company, Charles was a consultant for many other companies.
Once during a casual conversation, I asked him why he did that, and Charles told me he needed money because he wanted to provide Beverly with a superior life.
At the funeral, Beverly asked us, his friends, to help investigate who exactly killed Charles. I also sent people to look into it, but, ultimately, the investigation turned up nothing."
At this point, Joseph gave Luo An a deep look and said gravely:
"In the Federation, there are not many things that can elude the scrutiny of us tycoons."
"..."
Luo An's eyes narrowed slightly, and he understood the implication in Joseph's words.
Thoughts raced through his mind, and after pondering for a while, Luo An looked up and asked:
"Mr. Joseph, do you have any suggestions?"
Joseph smiled, reached up to touch his hair, and said:
"I'm fifty-nine this year, almost sixty. Two-thirds of my life is behind me. Coupled with the money I made in the earlier part of my life, I have the capital and the capability to avenge my son.
You are not even thirty years old yet and have already become the head of the Special Investigation Unit; your future is undoubtedly bright.
To reach that future, the primary thing to ensure is that your own body is without problems, don't you think?"
Joseph's words were not hard to understand. He was suggesting that Luo An should hold back for now and not investigate; once his position was secure and he had accumulated enough, it would still not be too late for revenge.
Luo An did not express his own opinion about Joseph's suggestion. After making some small talk, he called over the prison guard to take Joseph back to his cell.
Before being led away, Joseph gave Luo An a deep look, flashed him a slight smile, and then left with the prison guard.
Watching Joseph's figure slowly disappearing, Luo An was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly cracked a smile and turned to leave the temporary detention prison.
"I'm back."
Half an hour later, carrying several bags of vegetables and beef and other ingredients, Luo An returned to the villa and shouted at the door:
"Mona, come help out!"
"Coming!"
Mona, who was in the upstairs bedroom, called out and hurried down to help carry things, putting Luo An's purchases into the refrigerator. She asked with a smile:
"Are you planning to eat at home tonight?"
Luo An was washing his hands to one side, and looked puzzled when he heard the question:
"What do you mean?"
"We're going out to eat tonight, my treat!"
Mona stood with her hands on her hips, a proud expression on her face, and said:
"Do you remember that 'Rose's city' restaurant in Southern Washington D.C.? We're eating there tonight!"
Rose's city, a very famous creative restaurant located in Washington D.C., was lauded by some media as the best restaurant in the entire Federation.
The restaurant was bustling but did not accommodate many people each day. Ordinary people could line up in the morning to secure a spot for an evening dinner on the first floor;
Wealthy people, however, could make reservations through a referral to secure a spot for an evening dinner in the VIP hall on the second floor, and the menu differed between the two floors.
On past holidays, besides traveling and taking pictures at various places, Luo An and Mona enjoyed visiting various restaurants to eat, drink, and taste gourmet food.
With such a great reputation, Luo An naturally wanted to experience Rose's city for himself, but even after half a month's attempts, he hadn't managed to book a spot in the VIP hall.
"Wow."
Hearing that Mona had successfully reserved a spot, Luo An was quite surprised and asked with raised eyebrows:
"How did you manage that?"
"Secret, I'm not telling you."
Mona giggled, patted Luo An's shoulder, and said with her head held high:
"Hurry up and change your clothes, we'll drive there in a bit to have dinner. I want to see what's so good about this restaurant!"
Luo An dried his hands, wrapped an arm around Mona and pecked her on the corner of her mouth, then asked with a smile while looking down:
"I change quickly, but what about you—are you ready to decide which dress to wear?"
"Of course, the one I just bought."
Mona stated matter-of-factly:
"All other dresses are over a month out of fashion."
Luo An: "..."