Manhattan Reborn 1978

a new day.

Europe, UK.

Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire.

After David and others enjoyed the sumptuous breakfast prepared by the cook Tenisha, they said goodbye to Deborah. .

Deborah wore a heavy, old woolen shawl closed around her body and watched the car that David and others were riding in gradually go away. The trace of reluctance and relief on her face eventually turned into a sigh and a smile.

Mr. Butler, who had been silently by his side, took half a step forward and whispered.

"The Earl and Countess of Swinton should be arriving soon~"

"Ok!"

Deborah glanced back in the direction of the kitchen of the big house and said with a smile: "Tilda and my sister Nancy have very similar personalities!"

"They are all the kind of people who won't regret their wrong choices~"

Mr. Butler pursed his lips, lowered his head slightly, and whispered softly: "It's cold outside, you..."

"Okay~"

Deborah tightened her shawl tightly, took one last look at the empty road in the distance, and joked: "I don't know how Tilda's cherry pie is doing..."

"We better get Tilda out before Tenisha feels completely broken!"

"...Okay, ma'am!" Mr. Butler held back his smile and opened the door.

----

Western suburbs of London, Heathrow Airport.

The car driven by the gardener slowly stopped on the side of the road a few hundred meters away from the airport.

After David stopped, he got out of the car, waved to Cohen and Rambo who were standing on the side of the road and said with a smile: "Hey guys!"

"What should I... call you?"

"Hahaha~"

Cohen and Rambo, wearing old hats and dressed like two greasy middle-aged men, opened their arms to David and laughed.

David stepped forward and hugged them respectively, and asked them in a low voice what they had gained from going to Italy~

Cohen tilted his head and looked at Rambo, and said with a smile: "That boy Oliver Sipple was sneaking around at the door of the training base office and overheard our conversation."

"In the end, no matter how much we tried to persuade him, the boy was unwilling to act like a deserter. He changed his name and left the United States~"

"Later, I was forced to have no choice but to do it. We both had no choice but to follow him."

"Ah~ So that's it!"

David asked with a smile, looking at the women who had come down together for some fresh air, and the middle-aged man who was chatting with the gardener not far away.

"That's...Fair?"

(Fair, who appears in Chapter 447, is an intelligence agent active in London and is an old acquaintance of Odis Parker.)

"Why is he here too?"

Cohen also followed his gaze, moved two steps, turned his back to the gardener and said, "That Fehr said that the gardener asked him to find us and come to meet you today~"

"So, last night we followed him to stay at the Ritz Hotel in London for one night, spending more than 2000 meters..."

"2000?"

David suppressed his laughter and joked: "Are you just staying for one night? Didn't you do anything else?"

"Uh...hehe~"

Cohen had a bunch of wrinkles on his forehead and said with a smile: "That Phil ordered me a table of Christmas dinner + red wine..."

"Then he invited four more beauties to play cards with us until midnight..."

"Wow~"

David's eyes quickly looked at the two of Cohen, and he asked in a low voice with a wicked smile: "Along with the beautiful woman...are you just playing cards?"

"Nothing else?"

"Yeah! It's just... playing cards!"

"Cut~"

David raised his middle finger to Cohen, who was still arrogant, and turned to the "honest" Rambo and asked.

"What about you?"

"Are you just playing cards with beautiful women?"

"Hehe~"

Rambo twisted his lips and shrugged, smiling: "What on earth did he do...I don't know~"

"Anyway, I ate well and slept well... and slept well!"

David gave Rambo a thumbs up and praised: "Your pause is very meaningful!"

"Hahahaha~"

The three men laughed in perfect harmony.

. . .

After joking~

Cohen threw a compliment at Rambo, put away his sympathy, and whispered in a serious voice: "All our expenses last night were paid for by that Phil."

"He said... We are old friends with you and Otis Parker. He warmly entertained us for one night. It's nothing~"

"But when we were having dinner with him last night, he always mentioned things in New York intentionally or unintentionally..."

"So I guess the person he really wants to find and meet is you!"

"I?"

David turned to look at the gardener and Feier, pondered for a moment, changed the topic and asked, "Did your trip to Naples, Italy go well?"

"very smooth!"

Cohen tilted his head and glanced at Rambo, raised his eyebrows and said: "Judging from the experience of the two of us, David Romano's local power and financial resources in Naples are almost the same as Sidric's, who is smaller!"

(David Romano, who appears in Chapter 449, is a gang leader in Naples, Italy, and is very close to Malkin Sr. and Ludy.)

"Many congressmen, politicians, and generals are guests of David Romano..."

"So, after he learned that we and Sipur had arrived at Rome Airport, he sent someone to take us directly to Naples and received us warmly."

"Furthermore, he asked Siple about his wishes and arranged for him to work in the warehouse of a leather workshop."

"He also said that he would find a way to help Siple obtain a legal status in Italy and become a real Italian~"

"Italian?"

"Haha~" David put his hand on Rambo's shoulder, tilted his head and thought for a while, then asked.

"Any more?"

"Have!"

Cohen took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and was about to light it when he suddenly heard the laughter of women. He put down the lighter he had just raised. .

Seeing his hesitation, David smiled, grabbed the lighter, and lit a cigarette for him: "You go on~ It's okay!"

"..good!"

Cohen took a drag of the cigarette, took the lighter from David's hand, tilted his head and blew the smoke farther away, and then said.

"Before we set off, Polly told us some cooperation plans with David Romano~"

"But it wasn't until we were about to leave Naples that David Romano mentioned... Among the people who arrived in Rome on the same flight as us, there were representatives from the Sidrich family~"

"However, David Romano only met with that person once and did not reach a business cooperation with that person."

"So, he said before we left... He is very interested in leather raw materials for making luxury goods + craftsmen, fashion magazines + boutique fashion, international art trading and other businesses. He hopes to meet you in New York after the New Year and have a good chat. Chat~"

"As for the short video...the situation here in Italy is very different from that in New York~"

"The video recorders sold in the market here in Italy are all products of Philips. The video tape specifications and sizes used in the video recorders made in Japan in the United States are completely different~"

"If you want to do this business, you will need to purchase a large number of machines to transcribe tapes."

"Also, I don't know where he heard about it... You have a company under your name that is doing blind box business in the auction of unclaimed containers..."

"So at the beginning of the month, he had a cargo ship send a batch of containers to New York as an engagement, Christmas and New Year gift for you~"

"Based on time, this container should have arrived at the port in New York~"

"Um...container?"

"Didn't he say what was in it?"

"No~"

"He said... When you open a blind box, you have to leave some suspense so that you can feel the surprise..."

"Hey~"

David suddenly felt an urgency to meet David Romano, whom he had never met~

This guy must be a very interesting person!

. . .

After the three of them chatted.

David led Cohen and Rambo to the women and gave them a brief introduction.

Lilith, Xena, Maggie and Elena all know Cohen and Rambo.

Therefore, Zina smiled and asked them about their experiences and interesting things about their trip to Italy~

David walked to the gardener and Feier not far away with a smile and asked, "How much time do we have?"

The gardener lowered his head and glanced at his watch: "The original departure time is about four and ten minutes away."

"ok~"

David smiled and spread his hands to Feier: "Can we keep the story short?"

"Of course!"

Mr. Fair, who was wearing a dark brown coat, a top hat, and a red handkerchief in his suit pocket, moved his steps, looked directly at David and smiled.

"Mr. Coleman, the last time we met at the Langham Hotel, we mentioned the layoffs in CIA's overseas branches."

"Do you remember?"

David looked back at the women, shrugged and said with a smile: "Of course!"

"Toby Olga... didn't come this time~ Do you want to find her?"

"No! You misunderstood."

Feir's smile was very candid, he shook his head slightly and said, "You know, I'm in the intelligence business..."

"Ever since the decision to lay off employees at the CIA headquarters slowly spread~"

"Many agents from the CIA's overseas branches are starting to feel insecure..."

"This has also made the originally calm intelligence market gradually become chaotic and disorderly~"

"In fact, I can say without exaggeration that the current European intelligence market is completely disrupted by the CIA agents who are about to be laid off and return to their countries to find another way to make a living. They are releasing all kinds of true and false information..."

"Hehe~"

Feier smiled bitterly and spread his hands, saying helplessly: "I'm sorry~ I can't find a good adjective to describe the current situation..."

"In short, ordinary businessmen like us who never touch sensitive information from various countries have completely lost their business and can only live on their laurels..."

"Forehead.."

After listening to Feier's "bitter water", David felt that this kind of bad thing was almost inevitable. .

In order to "downsize", the CIA headquarters carried out small-scale layoffs in overseas branches, which caused agents to seize all kinds of information in their hands and sell them in exchange for compensation. .

Is there anything wrong with this?

Agents are human beings too!

They don't think about themselves or money. .why! ?

David felt that if he had valuable information in his hands and received a layoff notice, he would definitely want to sell it secretly and exchange it for money to take home. .

As for whether this information will have a bad impact or bring unpredictable consequences. .

All my jobs are lost~

Whoever wants to take care of it should take care of it.

. . .

David turned his head again and glanced in the direction of Zina and others. After pondering, he asked the gardener beside him.

"Do you think we can be friends, Mr. Fair?"

"Forehead.."

The gardener felt like he was being beaten to death without even thinking about it. .David would actually ask such a question in front of Feier. .

Under Fei Er's surprised + expectant + slightly nervous gaze, he lowered his head and thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't have much contact with Feier, and we know very little~"

"But I once heard Odis Parker say that Fell is one of the few pure businessmen in the European intelligence circle."

"As long as you give him a fair price, he will definitely make you very satisfied!"

"Oh ~ businessman?"

"good!!"

David looked at Feier who was obviously "relieved" and smiled: "Mr. Feier, what I like most is businessmen!"

"You just mentioned...not to touch the particularly sensitive information of various countries~"

"I think this is very good!"

"In the future, I hope we can have more cooperation opportunities in the business field!"

"What do you think?"

Feier let out a long breath, looked at David with a wry smile, shook his head with a sigh and said, "You really make me feel..."

"Hehe~"

David smiled and shrugged, stretched out his right hand and said: "So...Mr. Fair, I wish us a happy cooperation?!"

"..ok!"

"Cooperation, happy!"

"Hahahaha~"

. . .

Mr. Fair, walking briskly, left~

David put his elbow on the gardener's shoulder, rubbed his chin, and whispered: "Look at this guy's dress, walking posture and tone of voice..."

"Tell me... is he the kind of guy who has no interest in women but secretly likes men?"

"Forehead.."

The gardener twitched the corners of his mouth again in a speechless manner, tilted his head and looked at David who was "thoughtful", suppressed the thought of complaining, and said in a solemn voice.

"I...don't know~"

"Hahahaha~"

David showed a "you've been fooled" expression, raised his eyebrows at the gardener and laughed: "You will know..."

"When you go back, tell Odis~Fel that this intelligence line will be your responsibility from now on!"

"I.."

"Okay~ This matter is settled!"

"Is our time almost up?"

"Let's go home now!"

"..."

The gardener looked at David's "relaxed" back and swallowed back the words he just wanted to say.

Because according to the rules set by Odis Parker, anyone who handles intelligence transactions can get a very generous bonus from the transaction~

money. .

The gardener has no grudge against it!

Not in my previous life, and even less so in this life!

----

Astor Hall Manor, Oxfordshire.

in the living room.

Deborah looked at the butler and said with a smile after serving black tea and small desserts to Sir Swinton and his wife.

"Tilda has prepared a Christmas gift for you, I hope you like it~"

"Oh?"

Sir Swinton, who had a three-quarter hairstyle and a meticulously trimmed beard, looked at his wife with a slightly surprised look, picked up the teacup and asked.

"Didn't she leave with that kid?"

"No~"

"... Huh~"

Sir Swinton, taking the opportunity of gently blowing on the cold tea, breathed a sigh of relief and stopped talking~

Mrs. Swinton put her hand on her husband's arm and smiled at Deborah: "When Tilda came back yesterday, she didn't even say a few words to us..."

"Hehe~"

Deborah chuckled, picked up the teacup, and said, "I invited her over for dinner."

"Last night, we almost ate all the Christmas dinner prepared by Tenisha..."

"By the way, I also talked about some topics that may be of interest to you."

"Eat all?" Mrs. Swinton blinked and whispered.

"Yes~"

Bora Cai raised the teacup to her lips and said with a "bright" smile: "It takes a lot of energy to finish the Christmas dinner..."

"..." Mrs. Swinton was speechless.

At this time, Sir Swinton's eyes seemed to be attracted by something, looking in the direction of the restaurant.

Deborah slowly put down the tea cup, stood up, made an invitation gesture to the two of them, and said with a smile: "Let's go over and look at the gifts~"

"...Okay!" Sir Swinton and his wife responded, following Deborah towards the restaurant.

. . .

in the restaurant.

Deborah invited Sir Swinton and his wife to sit down.

Tilda Swinton held a tray with thick gloves on her hands, walked slowly to her parents, and whispered.

"This is...the tree stump cake I made..."

"I deliberately added more chocolate and less sugar..."

"The result...I failed again~"

Sir Swinton looked at the black charcoal-like "stump cake" on the dining table with a very complicated expression, pursed his lips and said nothing.

Mrs. Swinton, with a smile of surprise + surprise + doubt + curiosity on her lips, asked: "... again?"

"..Um!"

Tilda looked down at her "masterpiece" and took two steps to the side.

The cook Tenisha cheerfully held a plate of cold "meat pies" and placed it in front of the Swintons and explained.

"Tilda originally wanted to make you a meat pie dessert with dried apples + raisins + nuts, cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, etc. as fillings."

"As a result, the kid was so busy that he forgot that he was inexperienced... and he accidentally put in a lot more syrup..."

"Hehe~"

Cai Bola smiled and rolled her eyes at the "talkativeness" of the cook Tenisha, reached out to take the failed "meat pie", took a bite with a small fork on the plate, and nodded with a surprised expression. .

"Hmm~ It tastes pretty good!"

"It's just not that sweet. The fruity + spice flavor is more intense."

"Do you want to try it too?"

The Swintons stared at their daughter's "masterpiece" for a few seconds. .

Tilda was very anxious and wanted to step forward to take back her "gift" and throw it away~

But her mother, Mrs. Swinton, stretched out her hand, stopped her daughter's arm, and said with a smile: "They... are gifts to us, right?"

"..Yes!"

"Then the right to dispose of them should also belong to us...right?"

"..."

Tilda bit her lip, "reluctantly" retracted her hands, took a half step back, and looked at the table quietly.

"Whoo~"

Sir Swinton sighed softly, nodded slightly to Deborah and the cook Tenisha, picked up a small fork from the plate, tried to taste the "stump cake", pursed his lips and said nothing. .

Mrs. Swinton took the fork from her husband's hand with a happy expression, tasted it, and nodded.

"I put too much chocolate, it's a bit bitter..."

"But for you, it's already a very successful first time..."

"..??"

Tilda blinked, feeling incredible, staring at her smiling mother, with a big "what?" written on her face~

Deborah smiled and waved to Emma, ​​who was hiding behind Tenisha, and said with a smile: "Come on, get us more cutlery and plates!"

"We have to destroy them all! We can't let it go to waste~"

"Ok!"

Tenisha's daughter Emma, ​​showing six white teeth, trotted around and entered the kitchen, took out several sets of cutlery and placed them on the dining table.

At this time~

The butler, who had been watching with a smile, stepped forward to take the knife from Tenisha's hand and said with a smile: "This is my territory!"

"Do you want to be a lame pirate?"

"...Hahahaha~" The cook Tenisha laughed and shrugged. She gave the knife to the housekeeper, gave a slight salute to Mr. and Mrs. Swinton, and led her daughter into the kitchen. .

Deborah took a "dessert" from Mr. Butler's hand with a smile, threw an "encouraging" look at Tilda, and ate it.

Seeing her look like this, Mr. and Mrs. Swinton also took the "dessert" plate from the butler and ate it without any hesitation. .

Tilda clasped her hands on her chest and looked at the three of them a little "at a loss". Two clouds of mist slowly rose in her eyes, and she whispered.

"..sorry!"

"...Hmm!" Sir Swinton didn't raise his head or look at his daughter. He just ate the dessert and grunted.

Mrs. Swinton, chewing the dessert in her mouth, put down the tableware in her hand, stood up and slowly walked to her daughter, opened her arms and said warmly with a smile in her eyes.

"My little robin has grown up~"

"Thank you for your gift, my child!"

“We love it very much!”

"...Yeah!" With tears in her eyes, Tilda threw herself into her mother's arms and responded with a trembling voice.

Deborah stood up gently and exited the restaurant with Mr. Butler, leaving this unforgettable moment to them.

. . .

Ten minutes later, in the living room.

With a relaxed look on his face, Sir Swinton walked up to Deborah, nodded slightly and said, "Thank you..."

"No!"

"The person you should thank more is David!"

"..he?"

"Yes!"

Sir Swinton was silent for a few seconds, turned to look at Deborah, and said as if pointing: "It seems that we will have an American son-in-law who is already engaged?"

Deborah invited Mr. Jazz to sit down and smiled at him: "Haha~ This is not much!"

"At least...you no longer have to worry about her marrying into the royal family but not being happy~"

"Or, one day, she suddenly and silently runs away with some bad boy, leaving you with no place to look for..."

After Sir Swinton frowned and sat down, he said seriously: "My daughter... does not make deals!"

"Hehe~"

"What we are talking about is not business~"

Deborah adjusted her sitting posture, facing Mr. Jazz, and said in a very soft voice: "That band called The Beatles made many girls crazy? Do you know?"

"Do you know what kind of idols young people like in Oxford and Cambridge universities now?"

“When Tilda went to Cambridge University, she became obsessed with stage performance and poetry, you know?”

Sir Swinton said with a dull expression: "No!"

"I only know...the business of bookstores has been getting worse and worse in recent years~"

"The bank is full of people withdrawing money every day."

"On the street, there are many women working or on their way to work..."

Deborah tilted her head, raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Don't you think... they should shout some slogans on the way to work?"

Sir Swinton asked "meticulously": "Like what? Free your hands?"

"..Haha~"

Deborah was amused by Mr. Jazz’s cold humor~

Sir Swinton also smiled after saying this.

He sat back on the sofa, spread his hands and asked, "Can you... help us again?"

"help?"

Deborah also sat back on the sofa and smiled: "I'm not a businessman!"

"The sunlight outside the window is too dazzling~"

"This winter also makes me feel extremely cold..."

"..."

Sir Swinton nodded silently, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Sorry!"

"If I make a similar mistake again, please tell me a lie to make it go away."

"Hehe~"

"There is nothing that you definitely need my help for."

"The first step is to take the right step~"

"Will the pace behind you be chaotic?"

Sir Swinton tilted his lips, smiled and nodded.

Deborah smiled very satisfied, looked outside from the window, and let out a sigh of relief.

David, that bad boy, should be flying in the sky by now! ?