"Will simply returning custody to Don Quixote be enough?" Elizabeth asked suddenly. "Are there any other options?"

"Yes," Laura, as always, did not disappoint. "Our family’s trust company was recently conducting its year-end internal audit, and we discovered that a senior vice president named Robert Anderson has been engaging in serious misconduct. He embezzled approximately 4 million USD in company funds to cover his gambling debts from Atlantic City. Our legal department has already prepared to file charges, and he’ll likely spend the rest of his life in Federal Prison."

What Laura didn’t tell Elizabeth was that arrangements had already been made within the prison. Robert would most likely not live to see another Christmas in Federal Prison.

’Then again, Elizabeth has only just become an adult and hasn’t been initiated into the family’s business. There’s no need for her to know certain things.’

"Robert Anderson... that name sounds familiar," Elizabeth said with a frown. "He seemed rather respectable, if I recall."

"Yes. He has a refined appearance and a charming way with words. He spends at least 30,000 USD a year on skincare and fitness. He was in charge of our high-net-worth client accounts for a while and is very good at winning over women."

"My Plan B is to make a deal with him. We’ll delay his prosecution for six months. During that time, we’ll leave some of his assets unfrozen and even provide him with a ’relocation stipend’ to maintain a respectable lifestyle. In exchange, he will approach Don Quixote’s ex-wife."

"Isn’t requesting a ’relocation stipend’ a bit of a hassle?" Elizabeth mused. "Keep the budget under 200,000 USD. Otherwise, the family office will start asking questions. I don’t want Li Wei on the family’s radar just yet. He’s a potential asset I scouted myself."

"Understood," Laura said, quickly taking notes. "Don Quixote’s ex-wife is greedy and short-sighted. Once she meets Robert, she’ll be forced to abandon her ’baggage’ because of his little ’quirks.’ We’ll instruct Robert to get her to relinquish custody and voluntarily sign away any right to alimony. Then, a few months later, after they’ve settled down in California, Robert will be arrested by the FBI for his crimes, and his assets will be seized."

’Robert originally thought he was a dead man,’ Laura mused. ’Now he might try to use this as leverage to negotiate for his life.’

She added a note on her tablet: Coordinate with the prison beforehand.

She ranked its priority just below feeding Elizabeth’s cat.

"Fine," Elizabeth said with a wave of her hand. "Make sure the arrangements are solid. I don’t want his ex-wife to be able to bother them in a few months. Tell Robert to be careful when he has her sign the agreement. Don’t give her any opportunity to exploit loopholes."

Laura smiled and nodded.

"One more thing," Elizabeth added, as if suddenly remembering. "Once everything is arranged, book a table for me at Nobu. I want to take Li Wei to dinner and explain the whole situation to him."

Nobu was New York’s hottest new upscale restaurant, famous for its high-end Japanese cuisine. Countless celebrities and socialites considered it an honor just to get a reservation there.

"Of course," Laura said. "And for when?"

"Just keep an open reservation for the next month," Elizabeth said after a moment’s thought. "We can extend it if necessary."

"Understood," Laura nodded. "I’ll see to it today."

...

「Three days later.」

Li Wei returned home after finishing his tutoring session with Travis.

To his surprise, Lily was there.

"Li Wei!" She dropped the Barbie doll in her hands the moment she saw him walk through the door, ran over, and threw her arms around his waist. "Hee hee, did you miss me?"

"Of course I missed you," Li Wei said, lifting her into his arms. "But I thought you weren’t coming until next weekend."

At the mention of that, Lily’s lip trembled. She launched into a complaint about the new man Catherine had met, explaining that her mom had dropped her off today just so she could go on a date with him.

From her story, Li Wei gathered that Catherine had recently met a wealthy bachelor who worked for a family trust on Wall Street.

"He’s all slick and smarmy," Lily said, trying out a new phrase she’d learned. "I don’t like him."

"I don’t know what that bit—" Don Quixote started as he walked out of his room, but he caught himself when he saw Lily. "I really don’t know how Catherine got so lucky. Do all finance guys go for her type?"

Li Wei smiled. Catherine had a respectable job of her own, and the assets she’d received in the divorce from Don Quixote weren’t insignificant. This left her with plenty of spare cash for anti-aging treatments. Even though she was nearly forty, she still had a great figure and the unique charm of a mature woman, so it was no surprise she attracted some admirers.

"Isn’t that a good thing for you?" Li Wei asked, still holding Lily. "You two get to spend more time together."

"Yeah," Don Quixote said, scratching his head. "And it’s time we moved."

The apartment they were living in, provided by Susan, was a three-bedroom converted into a two-bedroom. Li Wei and Don Quixote each had a room, which made things very inconvenient whenever Lily came to stay for the weekend.

It was manageable for now, but Lily was a girl in her pre-teens. She needed her own room.

"So, have you given it any thought?" Li Wei asked as he played with a toy with Lily. "Where would we move?"

"You know I’ve been working on that Christmas decoration project in Dyker Heights, right?" Don Quixote said. "I took the opportunity to look at some houses over there."

"And?" Li Wei asked, curious. "Are we finally going to live in a house?"

Dyker Heights is just south of Bei Ling Ridge, but due to the topography, it’s positioned as a more upscale community. It’s somewhere between middle and upper-middle class, mostly consisting of small townhouses with garages.

"Something like that," Don Quixote mused. "Susan told me that if we move out of Bei Ling Ridge, she’ll give me an extra 3,000 USD a month for rent. After running the numbers, it looks like we could just about manage it."

"Wow," Li Wei said, surprised. "She’s being that generous?"

"Of course she is," Don Quixote said. "Do you have any idea how much that building in South Brooklyn is worth now? After clearing out the surrounding trash and fixing the plumbing, it’s valued at over 2.7 million USD."

"Meaning, I made her 1.5 million USD in just a few short months," he said, pointing to himself with considerable pride. "Of course she owes me a little something."

"Plus, I still get that 1,000 USD a month subsidy from the child welfare agency, right?" Li Wei added after a moment. "And I have some scholarship money. If you think the house is really that great, you should just rent it."

"Speaking of your subsidy," Don Quixote said, looking at Li Wei, "how long until you’re an adult? I remember the payments stop once you come of age."

"Three more months," Li Wei said. "February 12th."

"So we can still collect for three more months," Don Quixote said, slapping his thigh. "It’s not every day you get to pry some money out of the New York Government’s hands. Too bad we’ve only been getting it for half a year."

"True," Li Wei agreed, also feeling it was a shame. "But it can’t be helped."

At first, Don Quixote and Li Wei thought Lily being dropped off today was a one-time thing.

But to their surprise, she was dropped off three or four more times in less than a week.

Two weeks later, with less than a week to go until Christmas, Lily was dropped off again. Except this time, Catherine came with her.