Castle saw no reason to concern himself too much with this situation. After all, he had neither the ability nor the intention to get involved in such a complex international conflict.
Clashes between nations were never triggered by a single event. The undercurrents ran deep—so deep that diving in recklessly could get someone like him drowned before he even understood what was happening.
Now that this situation had escalated into a multi-nation power struggle, possibly involving four or even five countries, what role could a mere writer like him possibly play?
The best approach was to close his doors, sit in his living room, and simply watch the spectacle unfold.
As for what Japan was secretly planning with Turkey?
Castle was certain that if he passed this highly classified information to Moz—the sharp-minded political strategist who was far more adept at dealing with such matters—then Moz would handle it far better than he ever could.
Let the professionals do their jobs.
Having made up his mind to remain a bystander, Castle abandoned his curiosity about why Japan and Turkey were suddenly getting cozy. Instead, he instructed Jarvis to compile all the intelligence he had gathered and send it to Moz in Washington.
With just over two months left until his wife's due date, Castle didn't want any unexpected complications. His primary focus was on his unborn child and his wife.
As for the international dog-eat-dog drama?
It wasn't that he wasn't interested—it was just that, when compared to the importance of his family, it simply wasn't worth his time.
Moreover, Castle had complete confidence that once Moz received this intel, the shrewd little bald strategist—who had spent the past six months ruthlessly punishing Japan for their role in the White House attack—would ensure that whatever those two "chickens" were planning, it would never succeed.
Castle had to admit—he truly admired Moz.
This guy had spent the last six months making life miserable for Japan, all to help his new boss, President Benjamin Arthur, settle a score. And the most impressive part?
He had done it using just one move—Most Favored Nation trade status.
With a few strategic manipulations, he had completely tied Japan up in knots.
Now that was a born political schemer.
With his mind made up, Castle left his underground command center and immediately called Gianna.
It was time to arrange a meeting with the sales representatives from that Italian helicopter company to finalize the purchase of a helicopter.
With Beckett's due date fast approaching, securing an emergency transport option had become a top priority.
Castle's Long Island estate was quite a distance from the hospital he had chosen for Beckett's delivery. However, Beckett, being the tough New Yorker that she was, refused to check in early.
"I'm not that fragile," she had scoffed.
And so, despite her belly being so large that even driving was becoming uncomfortable, she continued going to work every day. She insisted on waiting until next month before taking maternity leave.
Since he had married such a stubborn woman, Castle had no choice but to be extra cautious and plan ahead.
That meant buying a helicopter was now an urgent matter.
Fortunately, Gianna had already contacted the Italian manufacturer, and they had helicopters available in New York. As long as the price was agreed upon, Castle could get a fully equipped model immediately. Even if he wanted to customize the interior, the modifications could be completed locally within a short timeframe.
Castle had already designed the custom interior layout and just needed to finalize the deal. Once the contract was signed, the helicopter would be ready in about ten days.
After scheduling the meeting for tomorrow, Castle—now with nothing pressing to do—strolled over to John's house next door.
There, John and his daughter were playing with their two massive Caucasian shepherd dogs—the same breed as the four behemoths Castle kept at his own estate.
With abundant nutrition and plenty of room to roam, these dogs had grown into absolute monsters in just over a year. Their shoulders stood at an astonishing 1.4 to 1.5 meters when on all fours. When they stood on their hind legs, they towered over Castle himself.
They were true giant dogs.
But no matter how massive or powerful these dogs were, none of them dared to defy little Onona.
This tiny girl—who wasn't even a meter tall yet—had been tormenting these six huge dogs since before she could walk.
By now, the dogs had completely given up resisting. They let her grab, squeeze, and climb all over them as she pleased. After all, she wasn't strong enough to actually hurt them, so they just accepted their fate.
No matter how many times Castle had seen it, he still found it hilarious—this tiny girl, barely able to stand properly, grinning with her toothless mouth while clutching onto a dog that was physically larger than she was.
The poor dog's face was filled with pure resignation.
"What are you doing here? Didn't Harry say you guys were looking into something?"
John, sitting on the lawn watching over his daughter, asked as Castle approached.
Castle plopped down next to him and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just some intel that Jarvis dug up—seems like Japan is secretly cozying up to Turkey, trying to scheme something together."
John, who had zero interest in politics, just stared at him blankly, waiting for the point.
Holding Onona in his arms, Castle playfully teased the little girl while continuing,
"Jarvis found that Japan is likely trying to form some sort of alliance with Turkey now that Turkey is considering leaving NATO. But you know me—I suck at analyzing political stuff…"
"…so Harry and I just had Jarvis send the entire report to Moz. We're staying the hell out of it. Beckett's due date is too close for me to get caught up in any of this nonsense."
John, a legendary assassin but a political idiot, fully supported his friend's decision.
The two men sat on the grass, casually watching Onona waddle around with her tiny legs, laughing as they discussed far more important matters—like what Castle planned to do after his child was born or when he was finally going to propose to Beckett.
By the time Beckett and Gianna returned home from work, they found the two men sitting in Castle's dining room, waiting for everyone to gather for dinner.
During dinner, Gianna and Beckett learned about Castle's latest discovery—that Japan had secretly reached out to Turkey amidst its diplomatic crisis with the U.S. and Britain.
Just as Castle had expected, Beckett didn't react much.
But Gianna—raised in a family deeply involved in politics—immediately frowned, lost in thought.
Castle had intended to warn her not to get too caught up in it, but before he could say anything, Beckett beat him to it.
"Forget it, Gianna," she said. "Didn't you hear Rick? He already sent everything to Moz. Given how much attention Moz has been paying to Japan lately, I'm sure he'll handle it just fine. There's no need for us to get involved in international affairs."
"If you have that much mental energy to spare, you should probably check on what your little girl is up to."
Gianna, momentarily stunned, followed Beckett's gaze—only to freak out when she saw her daughter sneaking out of the dining room.
John, who had been deep in conversation with Castle, hadn't even noticed his daughter escaping.
Both parents instantly panicked.
Why?
Because their tiny daughter had somehow crawled all the way to the glass door leading outside, trying to sneak out onto the lawn.
And waiting outside, as if helping her escape, was one of the giant Caucasian shepherds!
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