Justin took the glass from in front of Jimmy and poured him another whiskey, "No matter where you go after this, since everything is fine now, just take a good rest tonight."
Jimmy: "Yeah, I've got a few days of holiday left, need to really rest up."
Justin gestured to Jimmy toward the lounge, and Jimmy picked up his glass, left the bar, and walked directly into the adjacent lounge.
After a while, Justin came in and got straight to the point, "Jimmy, still interested in continuing our cooperation?"
Jimmy: "I'm not even in Little Rock anymore, what's there to cooperate on?"
Justin: "No, I'm talking about higher-level cooperation. I've told you before that we are just partners with the Continental Hotel, providing services for them. And in New York, there happens to be a Continental Hotel, right in the Manhattan Financial District."
Jimmy: "That's pretty close, tell me more."
Justin: "The New York Continental Hotel is the largest gathering place for organizations on the east coast of the United States, and it's also the safest place. Only members of the Organization can enter and use the services there. They have various channel service providers offering all sorts of services, covering everything from clothing to food, accommodation to transportation, and you can get weapons, intelligence, and medical services at the Continental Hotel. If you're interested, I can put you on the list to be reported to the intelligence providers, and if they approve, you'll be like me."
Jimmy was somewhat surprised, "You're saying the service providers at the Continental Hotel offer all kinds of services, including clothing, food, shelter, and transportation?"
Justin: "Of course, the Continental Hotel is much stronger than my little bar. Everything you can find here, they have there, and they also have what I don't have."
Jimmy rubbed the sparse stubble on his chin, looking at Justin, "I remember last time you said you had a top tailor in Rome, I was actually planning to ask you for his contact this time I came back."
Justin: "Then you don't need to come back to Little Rock to find him. Over there in New York, the partner can provide it, absolutely top-notch handcraft, and they have British, Italian, American, French styles—you name it. How could someone I know compare to them?"
Jimmy: "Can you give me the contact of the service provider over there? If you can, that would be the best. I don't want to join the Continental Hotel just yet. I just got assigned to the FBI, and nothing should go wrong at this point. But I think I might need their services, it's time to improve my life. I..."
Justin cut Jimmy off, "Wait, what do you mean it's time to improve your life? Weren't you already sitting on several hundred thousand in assets a long time ago? I was the one who found people to help you handle the corporate structures, and that money should've been laundered into your account by now. Don't tell me you haven't been spending it and you've been keeping it in the bank all this time? You're not really doing that, are you?"
Jimmy leaned on the couch, looking at the ceiling light, "Hmm, I had planned on buying a house in Little Rock last year, but then 9/11 happened, and I joined the FBI, so I gave up on that.
Right after that, I spent six months training at the FBI, and I've only just been transferred to Manhattan in New York for a mere two weeks, I've had no time to look for a house in New York; as of now, I'm just renting a bachelor apartment.
As for daily necessities, come on, I used to wear a uniform every day, and now that I've switched to suits, I've realized I really don't have any decent clothes or accessories.
So this time I came back wanting you to introduce me to that top tailor in Rome you told me about before, planning to fill out my wardrobe a bit."
Justin pointed at Jimmy, tapped a few times, and then gave up on scolding him.
Justin: "You are... never mind, let's drop it. You already have enough money to splurge. New York real estate is expensive, but an average apartment in a regular building costs around 300,000, and a nicer location won't exceed 500,000. You could pay it off in full any time, and yet you're still renting? Are you out of your mind? Do you not realize that your behavior is practically writing 'Grandet' on your face for everyone to see?"
As for clothes, even if you don't have custom-made high-end clothes, suits that cost a few thousand dollars each are available everywhere. Even if you don't know which tailors are good, you could easily find out and get something decent just by asking around.
Look at the clothes you're wearing now, your watch, your shoes. I initially thought you dressed this way for an FBI case. Who would've guessed you simply haven't bought anything better?
Please, even if you hate to spend money, you can't be like this. Can you at least try to match your appearance with your net worth, or at least not make it look so low-class?"
Jimmy looked askance at Justin, lips twisted, and didn't utter a word of retort, because what Justin said was indeed the truth.
When he was notified to go to the office in Manhattan, Jimmy specifically chose a mid-range watch costing a few hundred dollars to present himself as an ordinary person. But during this undercover operation, he inquired about various brand prices and suddenly realized he was actually very rich. Updating all of his belongings to mid-to-high-end products wouldn't cost much, especially in cash—he had hundreds of thousands that could be spent directly via card, and more clean funds continuously flowing into his account.
A small idea gradually expanded, which led to Jimmy seeking Justin for contacts, planning to stock his wardrobe with a few top handcrafted suits, purchase some accessories in New York like hats, sunglasses, watches, belts, lighters, and such to put himself together properly.
Jimmy: "I just hadn't thought of it, you know how I was always just scraping by, I didn't consider all that."
Justin: "My God, I'm not your nanny, you can't expect me to teach you everything.
Earning money, enjoying life, enjoying your career, enjoying everything—that is our goal. You make me seem to have poor judgment, okay? How could I have picked someone like you, a Grandet, as a collaborator? My brain must've been having issues then."
Jimmy: "Alright, alright, I've realized the problem, and I'm trying to solve it now. Just give me a contact, and once I'm back in New York, I'll be busy with these matters."
Justin: "Forget it, I don't have their direct contact. You'll have to go to the Continental Hotel and ask them or consult with a local service provider in New York."
Jimmy: "So what do I do?"
Justin: "I'll try contacting the New York Continental Hotel. Or, there's another way. Remember that card you have? Bring it along. When you see a shop with a shield emblem, they're usually within the system, and they might be willing to accommodate you because of the affiliation."
Jimmy: "Alright, got it. But don't register me just yet; I really don't have time to deal with a part-time gig right now."
The two left the lounge, and after finishing his drink, Jimmy went out to look for a hotel.