Chapter 1342: On Women
It was useless even if the two women followed his orders without hesitation.
As long as he relaxed for a few days, they would subconsciously think about breaking out of his control.
The brainwashing effect on Elektra, in particular, disappeared at twice the rate compared with Angel.
These two could only be used as temp goons! Thinking that, Luke wasnât disappointed.
It was impossible for life to always be smooth-sailing, and accidents and difficulties would often happen.
On this peaceful day, it was 18 June.
It was Lukeâs 20th birthday, and the systemâs official two-year anniversary.
As a low-key person, Luke naturally wouldnât do anything.
He never celebrated his birthday in his previous life. At most, he would go home and ask his mother to make his favorite braised pork and a bowl of longevity noodles.
Other friends might send him birthday greetings by text.
As for those who didnât remember, it was even simpler. That meant that their birthdays werenât something he needed to remember either.
But Dustin didnât let it go so easily.
Using this as an excuse, his boss suggested a small, private party, which they hadnât had in a long time.
Dustin was rarely at home, and only rented a small apartment in Manhattan.
He and Jennifer could barely live together there. It was definitely impossible to have a party there; the kitchen couldnât even fit two people.
Ultimately, Elizabethâs place was decided as the venue.
Since Elizabeth had volunteered, nobody had any objections.
The house Elizabeth was talking about wasnât in Manhattan, but New Jersey.
It was just that this house was a little further away from the Hudson River, and it would take around 40 minutes to get to HQ from there.
Everybody was amazed when they arrived.
But Luke and Selina were only pretending, since the multifaceted intelligence system already had this information.
Dustin and Jennifer were a little surprised, but didnât think too much of it.
Elsa was the most surprised, because she had been to Elizabethâs âhouseâ a few times. It was a single unit in Manhattan. It was rather spacious, but still an apartment.
She was quite surprised that Elizabeth had bought a house in New Jersey without saying anything.
What surprised her even more was that there was a âbig bathtubâ at the back of the house that was more than 200 square meters in size. It was the same as the one in the backyard of a certain Los Angeles villa, except that it had a more feminine style and functions.
Apart from the environment, the house was similar to the L.A. villa.
After Luke and Dustin set up the barbecue for dinner, the four women changed into swimsuits and went to the big bathtub to enjoy themselves.
Dustin sat in a deck chair not far from the grill and drank a bottle of beer.
It wasnât like he was slacking off, but the things he barbecued didnât cook all the way through, and were completely below standard.
Luke decisively told him to go away.
Dustin glanced at the four women and coughed.
Seeing Luke look at him, he said in a low voice, âAlthough I shouldnât interfere in the affairs of you young people, weâre friends, after all. A word of advice: Donât fool around too much.â
Luke:?
I never thought you were like this, Dustin!
âYour words are based on the premised that I am indeed âfooling around.'â Luke lowered his voice as well. âHowever, Iâve never met Elizabeth in private. Youâre overthinking it.â
Dustin frowned. He didnât doubt Luke. There was no need to lie about this, since it could cause trouble in the future.
Pondering for a moment, he said, âThen, what Elizabeth thinks of you⊠hm?â
Looking at the âyou know what I meanâ look in his eyes, Luke sighed. âIâve mentioned a few times that I have a certain lady friend, but thatâs all. I canât make the first move to shut her down directly, right?â
Dustin knew that meant that Elizabeth had never said anything.
What basis did he have to think that Elizabeth had to like Luke?
He couldnât help but scratch his head. âThis⊠you should pay more attention. Itâs best if it doesnât develop to the point of no return.â
Luke snorted. âNothing happened at all. Do you think Iâm like you, sticking to Jennifer when I have the chance? When are you getting engaged?â
Dustin was surprised. âNext month? Wait, I havenât told Jennifer yet. How did you know?â
Luke shrugged. âI guessed. But youâre not young anymore. Jennifer is a nice person. Donât miss the chance. Only one thing needs to be said for a man: Donât cower, just do it.â
Jennifer didnât receive an engagement ring from Dustin that night, but Luke received birthday gifts.
Following Selinaâs lead, everybody rubbed his head and said kindly, âKid, youâve finally grown up.â
Luke could only accept it.
In most places in the United States, 18 was an important age. Many people who didnât go to college officially entered the workforce, and could be considered adults.
20 years old, on the other hand, was the age when they were considered mature enough to get married.
Of course, there was still the age of 21, where one could buy alcohol.
So, alcohol was more dangerous than women, a driving license, or guns.
Did that mean that from today onward, women werenât the most dangerous thing to Luke?
After dinner, Luke looked at the four women who were flushed from drinking, and felt that it was better not to let down his guard so soon.
So, he told Gold Nugget to watch them while he and Dustin hid far away and talked about the commissioner and the sheriff.
So far, it seemed that the higher-ups were still up to no good.
There was no telling whether the mayor would be staying, so NYPD couldnât make a decision.
And NYPD would likely be in this limbo for several months.
However, the people at the mid- and lower levels who actually did the work werenât that affected, and law and order in New York wouldnât suddenly collapse.
Most of the time, Luke just listened. Then, he casually told Dustin about how Chief Nelson had been set up in the Soderbergsâ villa.
They hadnât had time to discuss the incident in detail before, but now that they were free, they didnât mind engaging in their usual line of work as they speculated on the case.
âIt should be Brad,â Dustin sipped his beer and said casually. âIf there are no leads until now, itâs probably his handiwork.â
Luke asked, âIs he that good?â
Dustin had rarely talked about Brad in the past.
Firstly, Brad and Luke were a little distant in status, and secondly, Brad had no intention of âacceptingâ Luke.
Dustin was really worried that Brad would piss Luke off.
If it was a year ago, he wouldnât think that way, but after understanding Lukeâs temperament, he knew that he was a person who was outwardly hot but inwardly cold.
Or rather, this so-called âheatâ had always been a disguise.