Upon hearing Neil's teasing question, Castle puffed up like a proud rooster. "Ha! There are many things you don't know about me. Impressive, right? I had to design and build those two drones myself to better monitor Vincent and his group's movements, especially since he's preparing to take the Panama-registered salvage ship out to sea. To keep a close watch on his every move, I dedicated myself to this project."
Castle reveled in the opportunity to boast, especially among his close friends. Gianna listened with keen interest, while the other three men looked exasperated, familiar with Castle's tendency to flaunt his achievements. This confirmed for John, Neil, and Mozzie that the man before them was indeed their friend Richard Castle, known for his shameless self-promotion.
After discussing the main issues, they shifted to casual conversation. Unfortunately, Neil had to leave due to an urgent call from his partner, Peter Burke, the head of the FBI's elite investigative team in New York. This left Castle, Mozzie, and John to continue chatting. Castle soon excused himself, understanding that Gianna, being pregnant and having flown in from Rome that morning, needed rest.
Castle arranged to visit again later, reminding John to ensure the safety of the little chubby guy, an important technical member of their team. He and Mozzie then headed to the back building to fetch Alexis and go home.
Mozzie, initially planning to return to New York City with Castle, decided to stay at the estate for a few days to learn more about the drones Castle had designed. Mozzie, tasked with negotiating with Northrop Grumman, felt he needed a thorough understanding of the drone's features. Castle agreed, seeing this as a chance to integrate the reclusive little chubby guy into their group. He instructed the little chubby guy to give Mozzie full access to the drone's flight control system source code, hoping Mozzie, skilled in computers, might gain new insights.
With everything settled, Castle and his daughter Alexis headed home. The day's revelations left Alexis in awe; her usually unreliable father had proven to be a skilled craftsman and engineer. In the car, she kept glancing at him with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. Castle, sensing her scrutiny, sighed and asked, "Is there something you want to ask, sweetheart?"
Alexis nodded. "Yes, Dad, how did you suddenly become so skilled, even building a drone? I knew you liked remote control planes, but designing a new model with a completely different technology—it's beyond what I knew about you!"
Castle, ever the braggart, replied, "Of course, sweetheart. I've always been a 'man of hidden talents'..."
Alexis, rolling her eyes playfully, remarked, "I knew you'd start bragging again..."
While Castle was driving home with his daughter, a vice president from General Atomics in an office in Manhattan was furious. This executive, who had flown in from California, was listening to a report from his subordinate.
"Our team arrived at Harry Mitnick's house this morning just as he was being escorted by a group of bodyguards, moving those two drones and the control console. We followed them to an estate on Long Island, which is owned by the Dantonio family, an old Italian aristocratic family. Gianna Dantonio, the family's heir, arrived at the estate this morning. To our surprise, she was accompanied by a technical director from an Italian aircraft manufacturing company. Additionally, we discovered that Mark, the aerospace technology director from Northrop Grumman, spent at least two hours observing a drone demonstration at the estate, alongside the writer Castle and his team."
As the report continued, the subordinate showed video footage taken from a MQ-9 Reaper drone operated by General Atomics. It captured scenes from the estate, including Northrop Grumman's Mark looking intently at the drones controlled by the little chubby guy.
Seeing Mark's keen interest, the General Atomics vice president was incensed. His company's board had foolishly rushed to kidnap the little chubby guy, thinking him the mastermind, only to alienate the actual developer, Castle, pushing him towards their biggest competitor, Northrop Grumman. This blunder could give Northrop Grumman an edge in the competition for future military drone contracts.
The presence of the Italian aircraft company's representative did not concern the vice president much, as European companies were not direct competitors for U.S. military contracts. However, Northrop Grumman's involvement was alarming, given their close ties to the U.S. military and significant influence, especially in naval aviation.
The vice president, feeling a headache coming on, cursed the situation. His company's rash actions had not only failed to secure the technology but had also possibly handed it to their rivals. Now, recovering from this setback seemed almost impossible.
Realizing that the situation was beyond his control, the vice president reluctantly picked up the phone...
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