"I understand what you mean. I'll describe you as a hero who sacrifices himself to save a beauty. Maybe you'll gain a few more admirers."

"Are they all as pretty as you?"

"You'll know when you come. I'll send you the address. If you change your mind, let me know. My party always welcomes you."

"Got it. Have fun at the party."

The phone disconnected not long after, and Luke's phone rang. The bank account showed a transfer, which was his share from the treasure hunt.

Luke calculated his assets. The treasure hunt brought in $2.6 million after taxes. Pinkerton Detective Agency paid a commission of $200,000 after taxes.

Luke now had funds totaling over $2.8 million.

However, he still had some debts. First, he withdrew $150,000, plus David's $50,000, and transferred it to the Zhang Brothers Construction Company's account. The contract became effective, and he also became a shareholder of Zhang Brothers Construction Company, holding 10% of the shares.

David didn't have that much money on hand, so he borrowed $50,000 from Luke, promising to pay it back when he had the money.

Secondly, the construction contract cost amounted to $1.42 million. Luke had already paid $1.1 million, with a remaining balance of $320,000.

Finally, when Luke bought the house, he ran short of money and took a loan of $1.4 million. With surplus cash in hand now and no good investment channels, he decided to repay the loan. He still preferred the feeling of being debt-free.

This way, he was left with nearly $1 million.

Additionally, Luke had invested $1.25 million in the stock market, which now had a market value of $1.32 million.

Once the mansion was completed, its value ranged between $11 million and $12 million, making his net worth exceed $13 million — a surefire success story.

A few days later, the mansion in Palisades Community was officially completed.

Originally, Luke planned to bring John for the inspection. But now that he was a shareholder of Zhang Brothers Construction Company, they were like family. Doing so would be inappropriate.

Finding fault would be unnecessary. If there were issues, who should Luke trust? It would make everyone uncomfortable.

After some time, Luke planned to invite John over. Even if John found any issues with the house, Luke could still have Zhang Brothers Construction Company repair them.

The mansion had a land area of 40,000 square feet, surrounded by dense trees offering excellent privacy. There was a green lawn in the front yard and a swimming pool in the backyard.

The villa had two floors above ground and one underground, with five bedrooms, six toilets, and six bathrooms, as well as a dressing room, home theater, wine cellar, and five parking spaces.

Luke was very satisfied with the villa. He felt an urge to move in immediately, but it lacked some essential furniture.

In the coming period, whenever Luke had time, he'd go to furniture stores to shop for beds, wardrobes, coffee tables, sofas, and appliances. Though busy, he found joy in it.

...

Los Angeles Police Department, West Division.

A black girl walked out of the police headquarters building, looked up at the sun hidden by the clouds, and muttered, "Freedom feels great."

Beside her, a black man wearing a white shirt and black trousers reminded, "Aisia Alse, behave yourself during this time. You're just out on bail, not exonerated."

"I know. Making my grandma pay such a large bail is like cutting her flesh. Even without your reminder, she would keep a close watch on me."

The black man nodded, "OK, get in the car; I'll take you home."

"No, I want to walk alone."

"Sorry, your grandma instructed me to personally take you home to her. Only then would she pay the remaining attorney fees."

Aisia Alse pouted, "That's just like her style."

"Yeah, a very 'lovely' old lady. But at least she loves you; otherwise, she wouldn't have taken out so much bail to get you out."

"And your attorney fees."

The black man opened the rear door of a black Mercedes, "Come on, get in the car."

Aisia Alse didn't move, instead staring at a young man with black hair approaching her, "Wow, sir, are you here for me?"

"I heard you were bailed out, so I wanted to talk to you." The black-haired young man was Luke.

The black lawyer stood between them, looking at Luke and asking, "I'm Aisia Alse's attorney. Do you have business with my client?"

"You can ask your client afterwards, but I don't wish to talk to you." Luke looked at Aisia Alse again, "I'm very sincere."

"OK, I'm also curious about what you want with me?" Aisia Alse told the black lawyer, "You can leave; I'll return home myself."

"But I promised your grandma..."

"That's your problem." Aisia Alse waved her hand and got into the front passenger seat of the Mercedes G500.

Luke drove away from the police station and parked on a secluded road, getting straight to the point, "How would you like to be my informant? I can offer you a decent plea deal."

"I hear you're a big shot?"

"Not really, but I can at least help you."

"Why do you want me to be your informant?"

Luke said, "Your lock picking skills are so good, you must have been involved in several major cases before. Turn on your accomplices; I'll make meritorious contributions, and you'll earn a substantial informant fee."

Aisia Alse's face turned serious, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm self-taught. I told you, the last time was my first crime."

"I've investigated your family situation. Your family has no income, but your grandma managed to come up with $20,000 for bail. If I'm not wrong, that money was likely your stolen gains, right?"

Aisia Alse extended her hands, "If you have evidence, arrest me. If you don't, excuse me, I'm leaving."

Luke nodded, "You're right, I don't have evidence now. You can get out."

"Are you really letting me go?" Aisia Alse was taken aback. Luke's straightforward agreement made her uneasy.

"Of course."

Aisia Alse opened the car door, hesitated, her expression changing several times before closing the door again, "Sir, why are you so fixated on me?"

Luke retorted, "Isn't this your first theft? So what are you afraid of?"

"I... I've done some wrong things before, but that was just to survive. If I tell you about my past, and those people find out, they will certainly retaliate against me and my family. I don't want my family to get hurt. I'm begging you; I really can't do this."

"So, you admit it's not your first theft."

Aisia Alse took a deep breath, said nothing, just nodded.

"Ever killed anyone?"

"No, I'm just a thief trying to provide for my family, nothing more."

Luke looked at her face, "Hope you're telling the truth."

"I swear to God."

Luke shrugged, "Sorry, I didn't consider your and your family's safety from your perspective."

Aisia Alse showed gratitude, "Thank you, thank you for understanding. I don't want to oppose you. I can help as long as it doesn't affect my family."

"Actually, I want you to be my informant not only to get case information from you but also to learn lock picking skills from you." Luke had a Lock Opening Skill learning card. Seeing Aisia Alse effortlessly pick the handcuffs and escape, he wanted to learn from her.

Lock picking isn't much use to the police, but if you can use it when needed, it could even save lives at crucial moments.

Finding such talent, Luke didn't want to miss the learning opportunity.

Aisia Alse was somewhat surprised, "Sir, are you serious? Why would a cop learn lock picking?"

"The Chinese have a saying, 'Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will never be defeated!' I'm honestly hoping to learn from you. You won't refuse me, will you?"

Aisia Alse "..."

Can I really say no?