In the end, Ray relented and grabbed a first aid kit from his vehicle.
Blake carefully applied ointment to both Lawson and her father. When applying it to Lawson, she was incredibly gentle, but when she got to Ray, she rubbed it in with everything she had.
The pain made Ray yell and curse. Good thing the apartment had solid soundproofing, otherwise the neighbors would have had wild ideas about what kind of games Lawson and his guests were playing.
"Stop yelling! Who told you to start a fight anyway? Look at Lawson, he's barely making a sound!"
Ray's mouth twitched, but ultimately he couldn't form a response. He could only stare at Lawson, who was clearly struggling to hold back a smirk.
Unfortunately, even after finishing with the first aid, Blake wasn't allowed to stay.
Ray absolutely refused to let his daughter spend the night at Lawson's apartment. That was his hard line.
Seeing the apologetic look in Blake's eyes, Lawson had no choice but to accept it.
However, before Ray left, Lawson issued a final warning to the reckless, bald-headed agent.
"Mr. Gaines, I expect this to be the last time you break into my home uninvited. Consider this a formal warning!"
Lawson delivered the warning with a heavy, serious tone. As an agent for the Diplomatic Security Service, Ray fully understood the weight of those words.
"You're Foreigner?"
"No, just a regular undocumented immigrant. It's completely normal you couldn't trace my background. I only got my official papers a few months ago."
Ray shot Lawson a deep, piercing look before dropping one last line.
"I will figure out exactly who you are!"
With that, Ray dragged Blake out of the apartment.
Lawson rubbed his temples. A dull headache was setting in—likely from taking a fist to the head earlier.
He already had enough massive headaches to deal with lately, and now this DSS agent had painted a target on his back.
Sigh. Nothing he could do about it now. Time to sleep!
Once the adrenaline completely wore off, Lawson's entire body flared with agony. Ray's punches were no fucking joke.
If it weren't for the Iron Man Trump Card, Lawson would have been completely incapacitated.
But Lawson was absolutely certain Ray was in significantly worse shape. Given how mangled Ray's face looked, the guy wouldn't be able to show himself in public for days. At least Lawson's face was completely intact.
Even so, the pain made it impossible for Lawson to sleep. He eventually dragged himself out of bed, popped a handful of painkillers, and finally managed to pass out.
In America, every household keeps a massive stash of painkillers. To American doctors, painkillers are the universal cure for literally everything.
Lawson had no idea how long he slept before his phone ringing jolted him awake.
Just reaching for the phone sent a sharp jolt of pain through his body.
"Fuck! That hurts! Shit!"
Gritting his teeth, Lawson grabbed the phone and checked the screen.
It was Blake. The time was 12:00 PM.
"Sorry, Lawson! I wanted to sneak out and see you during lunch, but my dad caught me right at the campus gates!"
That left Lawson completely speechless. Did the Diplomatic Security Service really have that much free time?
The guy was literally camping outside Caltech to block his daughter!
Lawson figured if he ever wanted Ray to change his attitude, he needed a highly legitimate, bulletproof cover identity.
"It's fine, Blake! Your dad can't stake out your school forever. Just focus on your classes for the next few days. We'll find a chance to see each other soon!"
"Okay! Lawson, does it still hurt?"
"Much better! Couple more hours of rest and I'll be good as new."
That was actually the truth. Thanks to the Iron Man card, Lawson possessed insanely fast recovery capabilities. The pain had already dulled significantly since he went to sleep.
He figured he'd be nearly 100% by tonight.
"Then I'll let you rest! I love you, Lawson! Mwah!"
"Love you too, Blake! Mwah!"
After hanging up, Lawson went straight back to sleep, completely skipping lunch.
He didn't wake up again until evening, when his phone rang for the second time.
"Lawson, where the hell are you? We need to lock down the plan for tonight!"
"What the fuck! Is it already 8:00 PM? I'm on my way!"
Getting out of bed, Lawson still felt a slight ache, but it was basically negligible and wouldn't restrict his movement.
Just to be safe and ensure peak performance during the operation, he popped a few more painkillers before heading out.
"My bad. Haven't eaten all day, so grabbing food delayed me a bit. You guys mind if I talk while I eat?"
Seeing Lawson walk in carrying a massive bag of burgers, Dominic let out a sigh of relief, though he still looked curious.
"Lawson, what happened? How did you not even have time to eat?"
"Long story! Where's Brian?"
"Brian already headed to the Korean restaurant. Before he left, he sketched out a floor plan of the interior."
"Time is tight and the job is heavy. I'll lay out my plan while I eat."
Malibu, Bonanno Estate, Study.
"Alberto, is everything handled?"
"Mr. Ricci, all the capos will be in attendance tonight, except for Sonny Black, who is still in FBI custody."
"And Johnny Tran's side?"
"Everything is proceeding normally."
"Excellent!"
A surge of excitement hit Francis. He aggressively twisted the massive jewel ring on his finger until he managed to force himself to calm down.
Taking a deep breath, Francis stared at Alberto. His eyes practically glowed with a burning, undeniable ambition.
"Alberto, tonight is absolutely critical. I will not accept a single mistake! If we execute this plan flawlessly, I swear I will fulfill my promise and make you my Underboss!"
"Mr. Ricci, I will dedicate everything I have to ensuring your plan succeeds!"
"Go. Finish the preparations. Tonight is going to be incredibly long!"
Alberto bowed and exited the study.
Francis felt too restless to stay in the boss's chair. Tonight meant everything to him, making his blood boil and his body run hot.
"Dammit! It's only June, why the hell is it so hot?"
Yanking at his tie, Francis couldn't take the stifling heat of the study anymore and headed out to the balcony for some fresh air.
Coincidentally, Sofia was already out there. Francis caught sight of her stunning, melancholic profile.
No matter the time or place, Sofia always carried that faint aura of sorrow. She was the wife of the Bonanno family Don, living a life of unimaginable luxury that the poor in downtown LA couldn't achieve in ten lifetimes.
Francis found her eternal sadness completely baffling, but it didn't stop him from heavily appreciating her beauty.
That fragile, sorrowful aura completely ignited Francis's dark desires, triggering an overwhelming impulse to break and destroy her.
Right now, Francis felt that impulse becoming dangerously uncontrollable.
Lost in thought on the balcony, Sofia suddenly heard soft breathing right behind her. She turned and found her stepson standing entirely too close, eyes closed in deep intoxication, as if he were inhaling her scent.
They were incredibly close—less than a fist's width apart.
"Francis, what do you think you're doing?"
Caught in the act, Francis showed zero embarrassment. Instead, he leaned his face even closer to hers.
"Godmother, I'm simply admiring a beautiful object."
Hearing Francis refer to her as an "object" instantly filled Sofia with disgust.
"Francis, remember your place!"
With that, Sofia immediately left the balcony and returned to her room, leaving Francis behind with a drastically darkened expression.
"I will absolutely own you. I swear it!"