Hughes picked up his suit and walked towards the director's office. This matter still needed to be tackled from the top; even a bad situation could be turned into a good one.

Jimmy received Hughes' face-to-face reminder, and he completely gave up on his plans to slack off. Returning to his office, he made himself a fresh cup of tea and comfortably sat on the sofa to watch the TV news.

Jimmy was not even willing to look at historical cases anymore. The more he looked, the more he thought, and the more he thought, the easier it was to make mistakes. Yesterday he received a text reminder from Ruiz, and today a face-to-face reminder from Hughes. If this backfired on him, he might as well dig a hole and bury himself.

In the mornings, he timed it just right to leave for lunch, and in the afternoons, timed it just right to go home. He didn't even go to the bar, stayed obediently at home, and even ordered takeout for dinner, keeping his phone nearby, waiting to see what would happen from above.

For several days, there was still no news from Hughes' side. However, the usual case briefing hadn't been held, which was unsettling. Fortunately, time was up, so Jimmy set aside his department matters for now, called Hughes, and went home early to focus on his personal affairs.

He pre-ordered a birthday cake from a bakery next to Nia's place in the Upper East Side. Nia had mentioned this shop several times. Her family ordered cakes from there for birthdays and often bought desserts there too.

When he got home, he half-emptied the fridge and stored the cake box inside. After a while, Woody arrived, bringing a box with him.

Woody: "Boss, why did you have me bring alcohol over?"

Jimmy: "Of course, it's for something important. Alright, leave the drinks here, I'll handle the rest myself."

Woody nodded and was about to turn around and leave when someone knocked on the door again. Jimmy went over to open it, and the restaurant staff came with a thermal box. Jimmy even ordered takeout for dinner.

Woody watched the restaurant staff set up the dining table, thoughtfully nodded, glanced at his watch, "Boss, I'll take off now."

Jimmy: "OK, thanks, Woody."

After seeing Woody out, and the server finished setting up and left, Jimmy called Nia: "Nia, are you off work? How long until you arrive?"

Nia: "I'll be there soon, why?"

Jimmy: "Nothing, I'm waiting for you at home."

Nia: "Okay, about ten minutes."

-----------------

Nia opened the door with her keys, "Jimmy, why aren't the lights on?"

She casually placed her keys on the table beside her, hung her bag on the coat rack by the door, and flipped on the living room lights.

"Happy Birthday to You,…"

Jimmy stood in the living room clapping and singing. The moment Nia turned on the lights, she was startled by Jimmy's voice. She really wasn't expecting him to act like that; the surprise almost turned into a fright.

When they dated before, they usually just went out to a restaurant for her birthday and then out for a night of fun. This time, she thought Jimmy merely wanted to personally cook her dinner.

Nia came over and patted Jimmy, "You scared me to death. Why suddenly such a ceremonious occasion? This is clearly not like your usual self!"

Jimmy chuckled, "It's your birthday today. See, I have the birthday cake ready. Come make a wish."

Jimmy took out a lighter and lit the candles, pulling Nia to stand beside him. Nia clasped her hands under her chin, closed her eyes and seemed to think about something, then opened her eyes and blew out the candles in one go.

Jimmy pulled out a chair for Nia to sit down. Then he kneeled on one knee beside her. Nia was evidently surprised and realized something, showing delight and biting her lip slightly.

Jimmy took a box out of his pocket and opened it, "Nia, we've been together for a long time. You know me, and I know you. You're my best friend and my soulmate, the love of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you marry me?"

Nia nodded joyfully, "I will."

Jimmy took out the ring from the box, and Nia extended her left hand. Jimmy took her hand and placed the ring onto her left middle finger. Nia reached out both hands to hug Jimmy, and they kissed profoundly. With a "thud," the chair Nia was sitting on toppled over, and she fell right on top of him.

Once they calmed down, Jimmy tidied up and came to the dining table where the food was cold, "Uh, the food's all cold, we can't eat it now. Should we go out to eat?"

Nia laughed and said, "Sure." She then wrapped her arms around Jimmy again from behind.

Jimmy: "Alright, go freshen up."

After they finished washing up, just as they were about to go out, Nia suddenly paused, "Hold on."

She went over to the table, cut a small piece of the cake, and shared it with Jimmy, wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth, and then they went out to eat.

After dinner, Jimmy and Nia directly headed to the bar.

Woody saw Jimmy and Nia approaching together and raised his eyebrows at Jimmy, nodding towards the ring on Nia's hand, "Boss, congratulations, you're finally settling down."

Jimmy laughed heartily, wrapping his arm around Nia's shoulder, "Jealous, huh? Drinks are on me today."

Woody nodded and clapped his hands to get the attention of the bartenders, "The boss successfully proposed, folks, get a round ready for everyone." He went over to the bar counter, where there was a bronze bell, rarely used.

Woody picked up a small hammer and gave it a ringing sound, "Ding." "Hey, folks, this generous gentleman just proposed to the lady beside him, and she said YES, so they want to buy everyone a drink to celebrate. Let's congratulate them!"

The bar erupted with congratulatory voices, and the bartenders started lining up glasses, pouring Whiskey.

Jimmy raised his glass, "Thanks, everyone! Cheers!" He drank from his glass, hugging Nia and smiling as he glanced around at the jubilant crowd in the bar.

The bar manager, Isaac, heard the cheers from outside and came out of the back office. He thought there was some commotion, but saw Jimmy sitting at the bar instead.

Isaac: "Boss, what brings you here?"

Woody: "Isaac, the boss proposed."

Isaac: "Wow, congratulations, congratulations. Woody, get me a drink."

Isaac raised his glass and toasted Jimmy and Nia, chatted briefly, and then returned to the office.

Jimmy watched Isaac leave and asked Woody, "What's up with Isaac? He doesn't seem well."

Woody leaned on the bar, getting close to Jimmy, "He hasn't been in great spirits since his divorce; it's been ongoing for a while now."

Jimmy nodded, "Keep an eye on him, don't let him overwork."

Woody: "Got it, we work well together, I'll keep an eye on him."

Jimmy glanced at Nia, "This bar is yours too now, you can invite others over to hang out, especially Chuck and the others."

Nia: "They haven't held back. Especially once Chuck found out it was your bar, he's been here more often than me."

Jimmy: "That's not bad either, with them around, it's a bit safer here, fewer troubles."

After spending some time at the bar, Jimmy and Nia bought another round of drinks before leaving, received a bunch of well-wishes, and happily went home to rest.

Come the weekend, Nia went home wearing Jimmy's engagement ring, which naturally elicited some gasps. Though Jimmy had only visited once, he left a good impression on the family, except for Nia's dad.

Nia's mom was already discussing with her when to set up the engagement ceremony, seemingly eager for her daughter to marry.

Jimmy wasn't wrapped up in too many things, and when he went to work, he finally received a notification. The OPR officially filed for an investigation into their shooting case, starting an inquiry process with all personnel involved and reviewing all reports.

The OPR's review was an internal office procedure, a bit over-the-top, but no one could accuse them of breaches, so they had to comply with the investigation.