Chapter 200: A Promise to Set Up Friends
In the dining room, the candles were lit, and an elaborate dinner was set on the table. It didn't look like something that could be prepared quickly, and the suspicion that had just arisen was shaken again.
Maybe it really was just a coincidence of names?
"Aren't these only used for special occasions?"
"Yes, today is a special day." Mrs. Smith took the decorative cherry from his wine glass, popped it into her mouth and ate it, as if to say, look, it's really non-toxic.
But even so, Mr. Smith secretly slipped a steak knife into his jacket while she went to the kitchen to bring out more dishes.
But soon, as the main course of prime rib was served, Mrs. Smith had a longer and sharper carving knife to cut the meat.
It could be used to slice the beef on the platter, but he believed it would be even more effective for slicing through the tender flesh of a human throat. Mr. Smith shuddered, immediately standing up and saying sweetly, "Let me handle that, honey. You've been working hard all day."
"Thanks, babe," Mrs. Smith readily agreed, stepping aside. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then...
With a swift motion, Mrs. Smith pulled out an even longer, sharper bread knife and began slicing the sourdough.
Mr. Smith's face went pale. The more tense the situation became, the more weapons she seemed to produce to intimidate him.
Fortunately, after they finished plating the food, they looked at each other, put down their knives simultaneously, and returned to their seats at the dining table. The tense atmosphere finally eased.
"How was work today?"
"Actually, we had a small issue with a contractor. Would you like some green beans?" Mrs. Smith approached him with a serving dish.
"Absolutely, thank you."
Although everything had seemed normal so far, Mr. Smith still felt uneasy as he looked across the table at his partner, who had been by his side for six years, smiling sweetly.
"Would you like some wine?" Taking the opportunity to pour the wine, Mr. Smith approached his wife.
"Sure,"
he said, still somewhat skeptical, but decided to make one final test. Just as he finished filling the glass, he pretended to accidentally drop the bottle.
However, something extraordinary happened: just before the bottle hit the hardwood floor, a delicate hand caught it.
This was superhuman reaction time! Especially since that hand had just been holding the glass and then immediately caught the bottle, giving her less than half a second to react!
Mrs. Smith realized she shouldn't have caught the bottle at all, and quickly let go, allowing it to crash to the floor, spilling red wine everywhere.
However, her previous lightning-fast reflexes had already been noticed by Mr. Smith.
"I'll clean this up!" "I'll grab some paper towels."
The two quickly excused themselves from the dining room, but neither headed for cleaning supplies. Instead, they went straight for their hidden weapons caches throughout the house.
Moments later, Mr. Smith emerged with a suppressed Glock in hand, calling out his wife's name.
But it was clear that his wife was smarter than him and had already peeled out of the driveway in her BMW.
Rule 111 of the assassin's handbook: Never marry someone from a rival agency. Clearly, they both broke that cardinal rule.
So there was only one way out: fight to the death.
Of course, Ron's arrival could lead to another scenario: they could join forces to take down their respective agencies and use the seized assets to pay off the back taxes owed over the years.
And what was Ron, their potential savior, doing?
He was playing Texas Hold'em with his scientist neighbors.
"I still can't believe she's with me." After walking Penny to the door, Leonard's smile stretched from ear to ear.
"Actually, we still can't believe it either." Ron threw his cards on the table. He had lost again.
Compared to the scientists, his mathematical ability was indeed far inferior.
Howard suddenly remembered something and stood up with a mischievous grin. "I have an old debt to collect from you regarding this situation."
"What?"
"You and I made a deal. Whoever gets a hot girlfriend first has to have his girlfriend set up the other guy with one of her friends."
Ron's heart skipped a beat. Was Howard's sharp-tongued Jewish girlfriend finally going to make her appearance?
"I don't remember making that deal," Leonard lied with a glare. He didn't want the girl he'd finally landed to dump him over this.
"June 30th, 2004, Spider-Man 2 premiere at the AMC Theater in Pasadena," Sheldon, the human database, reminded him.
"Okay, fine, I remember."
"You and Penny have been together for days now, but where's my girl?"
"Howard, you can't seriously expect me to do that."
"Why not?"
"Because when we made that deal, I never expected to actually get a beautiful girlfriend. I thought you would be the one to score first."
Ron couldn't help but chuckle. These two were unbelievable. They were actually scheming against each other's love lives, trying to exploit one another.
"Ron, you see what I'm dealing with!" Howard complained to Ron.
"Hey, it's not that big a deal," Ron mediated. "I'm sure Penny has plenty of single, attractive friends in her circle."
"The thing is, I don't know how to bring this up," Leonard said helplessly. "What am I supposed to say to her?"
Ron joked, "Maybe you could ask her if she has any friends she can't stand? Or anyone she never wants to see again?"
"Come on, I'm intelligent, I have a respectable career, and I'm only 3% body fat, so I'm in excellent physical condition!" Howard listed his supposed strengths.
Rajesh chimed in, "Yeah, I saw you at the beach once. You looked like a human-shaped chicken wing."
"Alright, fine, I'll go ask Penny if she has any single friends," Leonard said reluctantly.
"They have to be gorgeous and tall. I want our future kids to be able to ride all the Disney attractions before they turn twenty."
Some Disney rides have height requirements, and short children can't participate. Clearly, this had been a lifelong source of trauma for Howard.
"So you're the kid who couldn't ride all the rides at Disneyland until he was twenty?" Ron hit the nail on the head.
Howard protested, "Hey, man, have you ever heard of a twenty-year-old being called a kid?"
"You. I just heard your mother call you 'sweetie pie' on the phone. She also told you to come home early and not stay out too late at your friend's place."
Ron pointed at Howard mercilessly.
"I've told her a million times that you guys are colleagues! Colleagues!"
"Maybe in mothers' eyes, their children are always their babies, like Sheldon here. Who wants to grab a beer with me?"
Ron shrugged. Leonard had already snuck away while they were talking, slipping off to the apartment across the hall. No need to guess what he was up to. Ron didn't want to go back so early and listen to them going at it.
(End of this chapter)
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