Sex and the City Contract

Jie Xi placed Gabriel in the guest room, gave him a sedative, and allowed him to slowly regain his composure.Now he is wrapped in a blanket and curled up in a circle, shrinking inward with every touch, like a human mimosa.Jie Xi wanted to touch his face, but there was no room for it, so defensive and vigilant it was discouraging.

Jie Xi has always been a peaceful person, but what he saw taught him to want to reprimand and complain loudly to Lawrence.

Or, he looked at Gabriel, thinking in his mind that he could increase the dose of the sedative, make him completely relaxed, and then he could easily do whatever he wanted... Jesse pinched the bridge of his nose, he hated taking advantage of others.

Jesse continued to stand by the bed watching the sedative take effect, and Gabriel finally fell asleep in a relaxed state.Touching Gabriel's face, he no longer responds—in fact, he doesn't respond.Jesse sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Gabriel's cheeks and lips with his fingers, and stared for a long time.In the end, Jie Xi only kissed him on the forehead, sighed, and booked the room.

Leaning his back against the door, Jie Xi suddenly felt that wearing a crown of thorns and a cross on his shoulders was an unbearable torture.

Gabriel fell into a coma at Baoxi's home for two days due to the effects of the medicine.When Jie Xi is not at home, he arranges a temporary helper to keep an eye on him in case of any emergencies.At noon on the third day, Jie Xi went to PetSe as scheduled.The waiter led him to the Privete Room, and when he walked in, he saw that his dinner partner had arrived first.

Jesse waved, "Lawrence."

"...How is he doing?" Lawrence asked immediately after they ordered the vegetarian set meal recommended by the chef that day.After all, he and Jesse have gotten to know each other well enough that no nonsense politeness is needed.

"Sleeping all the time. I sedated him," Jessie said. "He was hit harder than you expected...Are you sure it was necessary to do that?"

"I'm doing it for his own good," Lawrence said slowly. "I want to protect him as much as possible."

"On the contrary, it made him suffer even more." Jesse disapproved, "Lawrence, he is an adult, what is 'good' is for him to decide."

"Jessie, trust me...I know what I'm doing." Lawrence was still stubborn, "I'm just very sorry to bother you for so long. But from now on, he can be placed in my place."

Jesse looked at him suspiciously.

Lawrence went on to explain: "The last time the FBI failed the plan was very successful. And thanks to that episode, I have already obtained a court restraining order: During the investigation of the bank fraud case, the prosecutors cannot approach anyone under my name. Within [-] meters of private property. He can hide in my apartment aboveboard without any disturbance.”

"Why didn't you make the plan clear to him from the start?"

"It's not safe. If there is any mistake in the plan, he will be an 'unaware' person, and there will be no chance for the prosecutors to arrest him for collusion, conspiracy or any other excuses, and there will be extra problems." Lawrence raised his eyebrows helplessly, " Furthermore, from what I know of him, he will not be obedient and will only complicate the situation."

"However, he might not forgive you..." Jesse took a bite of the artichoke salad, "Aren't you afraid?"

Lawrence was silent.After a while, he said lightly: "At least... I won't regret it because I didn't try my best."

Jesse looked at Lawrence for a moment, then smiled. "Lawrence, it's actually an impossible task for you to ask me to help you this time, you know." He suddenly changed the topic, "We have been good friends for so many years, and we know each other's tastes and preferences very well— —”

"so?"

"You know very well that the person entrusted to me to "take care of" happens to be the type I like."

While talking, both Lawrence and Jesse were eating peacefully, as if they were discussing the most ordinary things.

"...Indeed. But my gut tells me there's nothing to worry about."

"That's right, he's too young... I can't do it." Jie Xi raised his brows, "Otherwise, now is a good time to take advantage of it."

"I just happened to put the sheep into the lion's mouth." Lawrence said jokingly, "Age...although he is innocent, he is not childish."

"Aren't you encouraging me, Lawrence?"

"I'm encouraging myself," Lawrence said, with a hint of resignation in his tone.The romantic experience in the field of love let him know that experience is not an immune vaccine for emotions. On the contrary, the more knowledge you have, the more prudent your calculations, the more afraid you will be of falling.

He thought to himself, Gabriel, that brat, might never understand the bewilderment and anguish of a scheming person in the face of innocence.

"...The above are reports related to the Metropolitan Bank's fraud and deficit case..."

Cabello, head of the major financial crimes team of the FBI, turned off the TV in his office, turned to look at Bavel and Ribery at the desk, and flicked his jaw with his fingers, "The two said to themselves, what should I do with you?" manage?"

Cabello sighed, and looked at Bavel with a solemn expression, "I really can't imagine, you are the most experienced detective in the team, how could you make such a mistake? Deputy Director O'Brien even personally Call to "concern"! Now Brodys is going to sue us for illegal invasion of privacy, claiming 110 million... what a fucking figure!"

Cabello was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table several times, "The deputy director has said that the team must take all responsibilities and prepare for compensation. You must know that the current political situation is delicate, and the authorities attach great importance to image. It is best to pray that the other party is willing to settle out of court. !"

Rebery lowered his head and secretly yawned.Compensation is nothing, anyway, the money is not out of his pocket.

What he cares about is that Lawrence Brodys has applied for a court injunction to prevent the prosecutors from approaching any property under his name within [-] meters, which will increase the difficulty of investigation.

Cabello turned to stare at Rebery, "Rebery... I'm not surprised that this happened when you came here."

"Although this doesn't sound like a compliment, thank you." Ribery shrugged helplessly.

"Don't worry, it's really not a compliment." Cabello leaned back in his chair, "So... I decided to use you as a representative to apologize to the fucking Brodys of the Drakkar Group 'in person'."

"What?" Ribery bounced from his chair, "Why me?"

Cabello spread his hands, "Image problem. Ribery, there is no one better to apologize than you."

"Are you kidding me? Besides, we have been issued a restraining order, how can we apologize 'in person'?" Ribery continued to decline, "Satellite video? "

"I have a hunch: you're going to go to the restaurant where that guy eats, or find that fucking lawyer... Anyway, I'm sure you know what to do." Cabello said menacingly, "Rebéry, this It's an order. If you don't want to be transferred to the general affairs team and want to return to the crime team sooner, you'd better accept this task... Remember, be sincere when apologizing, and don't make the situation worse."

With a faint hope, Gabriel prayed that when he woke up, he would find himself still lying in the hospital ward, with someone clasping his hand by the bedside.What kind of contract, kicked out of the house, are just boring nightmares.

However, when he slowly opened his eyes, it was dark: he was in a strange room, lying on a strange bed, wrapped in a strange blanket.

It seems to be wandering in a long and never waking nightmare, unable to find an exit.Gabriel seemed to be trapped in the maze of Minos, and he could not escape the fate of being eaten alive by monsters—after all, he was not Theseus, and there was no true lover who left him a spool to get out of the maze.

He knew that everything was to blame for his stupidity and ignorance. He rushed into an uncontrollable game excitedly, and didn't know how to leave a way out.Now he really has nothing left, he can't even protect the last thing his mother left him.

What a complete loser, an incompetent and cowardly idiot, Gabriel blamed himself in his heart, and curled up a little more.

...No matter what happens, you have to face it yourself, otherwise it will always be a shadow in your heart.

This sentence suddenly appeared in Gabriel's mind.Who said it, he no longer remembered, and it didn't matter at all.

"Don't be defeated."

Gabriel subconsciously grasped the bamboo bracelet on his wrist.Once upon a time, I became such a coward and a useless one?

He sat up with a swish, forcing himself to think rationally: the contract.He hadn't signed any contracts, so the signature must have been forged.He must prove that he was framed by others, and he should find a way to solve and fight back, instead of being depressed here.

He wanted to take back what belonged to him, and made the person who hurt him pay the price—double, no, or even triple the painful price.

Gabriel jumped out of bed and saw his own reflection in the full-length mirror, unkempt, no different from a tramp.Decided to clean himself up first, and then go to lawyer Mel to discuss the best solution.

After walking out of the room, Gabriel hesitated for a moment. He had no idea about the spatial planning of Jie Xi's house, and he didn't know his exact location.He vaguely heard voices, vacuum cleaners and other noises. He followed the direction of the sound and came to the door of the living room. He found that the LCD TV screen was on. It must be the helper who was cleaning it. He turned it on because he was afraid of being bored. There is a Latino woman in the garden talking on the phone.

When he was about to turn his head to leave the living room, he was suddenly attracted by the images on the TV. The people on the screen were very familiar, and he had only seen them not long ago.

"No way..." Gabriel couldn't believe what he saw, because the person on the screen was himself: Gabriel Gusman.

"...Next is the latest news about the Metropolitan Bank's fraud and deficit case." The news channel's broadcast sound came from the TV: "After the home search and company search, the important person involved in the case: Gabriel Gussman is still His whereabouts are unknown, and the police said that it is not ruled out that he will be listed as a defendant by a related person, forcing him to show up and explain to the case..."

Gabriel froze in place in astonishment.

"Earlier, Drakkar Group's special lawyer Mikael Vernessy accepted an exclusive interview with this station..." The anchor continued: "The following is what he said..."

"...I want to use a few false transaction documents to explain that the whole fraud and deficit case was caused by one person covering the sky with one hand. It is a statement that shirks responsibility, and it is unacceptable. We demand the "truth"..."

When the camera turned, a man with light brown hair and green eyes appeared on the screen. Gabriel recognized that it was the man he had seen in Lawrence's apartment before, and he was even more surprised.

"...The most shocking thing is that the prosecutors did not investigate the counterfeit transactions within the bank, but went to the home of my client, the president of the Drakkar Group, to carry out a meaningless illegal search without reasonable grounds..." Mikael Continued: "...Not only does it not help to clarify the facts of the case, but it also causes a serious and unreasonable violation of the privacy and personal freedom guaranteed by the Constitution. We have applied to the court for an injunction, and filed a complaint with the Bureau of Investigation and demanded compensation... ..."

"My God..." Such a big event happened, and I didn't know it at all, I only knew that I felt sorry for myself.Gabriel couldn't help feeling ashamed in his heart.

"If the fraud case was really planned and led by Gusman Jr." At the end of the report, the reporter did not forget to tease, "Perhaps the motive was revenge for his father: the old Gusman, the former chairman of the bank. "Prince's Revenge"..."

Gabriel couldn't help being dumbfounded, he really didn't know what ghost maze he accidentally broke into.

After reading the news report, Gabriel rushed out of Jiexi's house without thinking, his mind was in a mess.Calm down, he told himself, groping all over his body for a while, and found out the wallet, which still had some cash in it; it would be safer to turn off Wang Yu's mobile phone temporarily.Then he found a key in his trouser pocket: Lawrence's apartment key.

"..." Gabriel felt disgusted and annoyed. He threw the key out angrily, but then he thought: He needs a place to stay and change his dirty clothes, so he gritted his teeth and took his hand back.

Walking on the road, Gabriel deliberately lowered his head and hunched over, not wanting to attract any attention.He bought as many newspapers as he could. He must first understand the ins and outs of the matter before he can further study the countermeasures.

He sneaked into Lawrence's apartment building through the security door, dared not take the elevator, and climbed the stairs to the top floor on foot.When he came to the door, Gabriel hesitated for a moment, and after taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked in.

Stepping into the door, Gabriel couldn't help but feel his heart tighten.Inside, it remains as it was during his last visit, and a newly purchased Piranesi etching is still lying obediently on the table, where he placed it casually before.

He clenched his fists subconsciously, resisting the urge to smash everything into pieces.

He went straight to the bathroom and quickly cleaned himself up.After that, he sat on the toilet seat blankly, not daring to go to the closet in the bedroom to get clean clothes to change into. There were really too many memories there, and they were slashing his body bit by bit.

After a while, Gabriel walked into the bedroom almost tremblingly, opened the closet with difficulty, and immediately saw Lawrence's clothes hanging together with his, which instantly made his legs weak.

So he closed his eyes, grabbed a few clothes randomly, and closed the closet door.When he opened his eyes and was about to put on his clothes, he realized that he had taken Lawrence's shirt by mistake. His scalp was numb with fright, and he threw the clothes on the ground in a panic; he stepped back a few steps and walked slowly along the wall. Sitting down slowly, she didn't realize she was shaking until her bare skin touched the cold floor.

Leaning against the wall, closing your eyes, it feels like a tomb-like silence around you.Gabriel suddenly realized that at this moment, if he died like this, probably no one would mourn for him, and no one would even support his soul for the funeral.

Ribery held a glass of white wine awkwardly, walked through the gorgeously arranged and flower-decorated dining tables, carefully walked around the men in dark dresses and the gorgeous ladies, and looked around for Brodie. traces.

Not long ago, with the help of his former partner in the crime team, Rebery found out about Broadis's itinerary, and learned that he had a senator's charity fundraising dinner that day, so he went to the big hotel where the dinner was held to find him. he.

"Sorry... Excuse me..." Rebery tried his best to put a smile on his face, but the fact that he couldn't find anyone had already worn down his meager patience.

"...Damn it." Rebery drank the wine in his glass, took another shot of whiskey, and was about to curse everything to go to hell, when he saw a superior figure from a distance, talking and laughing with the protagonist, the senator.

"Mr. Brodys..." Rebery tried to approach, but two people immediately appeared beside the senator to block his way.Without looking at the documents, Ribery would bet that these two were his colleagues. "FBI Special Agent Rayberry." He immediately pulled out his identification card.

"Sorry, we haven't received any notification from the General Administration that we need to deploy additional manpower." One of them said blankly.

"Indeed, I'm here for another case," Ribery said. "I'm looking for Mr. Broadis, and I don't want to bother the Senator."

The two looked at each other, "What's the matter?"

"The affairs of the heavy money group..."

"I have to admire your perseverance. It's really lingering." A voice interrupted Ribery coldly, "Or should we apply to the judge for a restraining order?"

Rebery turned his head, "Attorney Vannessy, I don't want to cause trouble. I just want to apologize to Mr. Broadeis on behalf of the team." He tried hard to force out a smile that he thought was kind.

Mikael's mouth twitched slightly.Ribery had always had a very bad impression of lawyers, but he had to admit that this lawyer Vernesse gave people an elegant and natural comfortable impression, which made him a little ashamed.

"Mr. Broadis can accept your organization's apology." Mikael said slowly: "However, we will not revoke the complaint. The amount of compensation from your organization is only a symbolic number, and your organization cannot protest against your organization in any name. Restricting the expansion of authority and invading the privacy of citizens.”

The fucking lawyer slipped his tongue, Ribery frowned, and stared at Mikael with disdain.No matter how much the appearance is modified, it can't change the bloodthirsty nature of a lawyer in his bones. "Why, barrister, do you have to plead with me to be willing to raise your hand?"

"It's nothing personal, it's just business. And, even if you do this, I will sue you until you lose." Mikael said with a smile: "So, instead of wasting your time here, why don't you go and have a good time?" Or—” He spread his hands and said half-sarcastically: “Being transferred to the heavy gold team, which you are not good at, makes you unable to perform, feel depressed?”

"How do you know..." Rebery's face sank when it came to the pain point.

Mikael smiled contemptuously, "Know yourself and the enemy, and win every battle. We know exactly how many important characters we are dealing with."

Rebery's face turned blue with embarrassment, "Okay, barrister, I will definitely find evidence of your self-stealing, snobbish... bastard, just wait and see!"

Lawrence watched Ribery leave angrily from the side, and then asked Mikael with his eyes, Mikael nodded, indicating that everything was under control.

Lawrence smiled, and suddenly felt a vibration from the inner pocket of his suit. It was a mobile phone.He took out his phone and looked at it, "Jessie, what's wrong?"

Lawrence frowned, blushed, apologized to the senator and hurried to the aisle, "What, he's missing?"

Andre looked at his watch. It was eleven o'clock in the evening, which was about the time the coffee shop closed.There were no customers in the store, the boss settled the bill at the cash register, said please take care of the aftermath, and left.

So he first turned off the lights under the "RiveGauche" signboard, turned the number plate on the glass door to "rest", and began to tidy up the bar: cleaning the steam coffee machine, putting away the last batch of cups and plates in the dishwasher, wiping Glass for countertops and dessert cabinets.

After tidying up the bar, Andre began to sweep the floor, reclined the chairs and aligned the tables by the way.Suddenly there was a jingle and someone opened the door.

"Sorry, the store is closed." He said without looking back.

"I know it's late... But, for the sake of regular customers, can you give me a cup of coffee?"

Andre turned his head suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief.At the door there was a man wearing a slightly too big shirt with rolled up cuffs, a pair of Levis and Timberland, carrying a schoolbag and wearing a Yankees cap;

"Gabriel?"

Gabriel responded with a faint smile.

As if suddenly remembering something, Andre looked around alertly for a while, and then lowered the blinds so that no one could peep into the store.

"Why... no, what are you...wait." He faltered and didn't know how to speak, and finally had to shrug his shoulders, "Anyway, I haven't seen you for a while."

"It is said that my 'whereabouts are a mystery', of course it must be more mysterious." Gabriel smiled wryly to himself, "I hope that my coming here will not cause you any trouble..."

"What are you talking about?" Andre immediately interrupted him, "I believe in you. Don't worry, the incident will be investigated and the truth will come to light, and you will be cleared."

"Thank you for your encouragement." Gabriel smiled helplessly, and then turned serious again, "Andre, in fact, I need your help... May I borrow your place temporarily?"