Outside the NYPD 1st Precinct.
Looking at Ms. Simpson and Foggy in front of him, Luca shook their hands gently one by one, expressing his gratitude politely.
"Thanks to you, Ms. Simpson. You truly live up to the praise my mother often gave you. It was an eye-opener."
"You flatter me, Mr. Aurantius. It's my honor to be of service."
Ms. Simpson, accustomed to praise and gratitude, simply nodded reservedly. Her professional smile remained as she continued.
"I've heard about your father. I'm very sorry I couldn't attend the funeral. Ms. Gina and I are friends of sorts. If you have any legal needs in the future, please feel free to contact me anytime."
Well, how to put it?
Ms. Simpson's words were sincere enough.
Primarily because, although Luca's inheritance wasn't legally complex or controversial thanks to a clear will, the sheer size of the Aurantius family's assets meant the legal fees involved in the probate process would be substantial. Even for a large firm like Landman & Zack, it was a significant contract.
Moreover, a simple case meant easy money.
At a time like this, Ms. Simpson certainly didn't mind doing Luca a few favors to secure this business.
Luca, fully aware of what she was thinking, didn't make any explicit promises. He just smiled and offered a polite compliment in return.
"Then I thank you, Ms. Simpson. With your help, I think I can rest easy regarding legal matters."
After finishing, Luca turned to look at Foggy, who had been silently following Ms. Simpson like an invisible man ever since she arrived, trying to lower his presence.
By now, Luca had fully recalled his identity.
Foggy Nelson—childhood friend, best buddy, and law partner of the protagonist Matt Murdock in the TV series Daredevil.
He was an excellent lawyer in his own right, possessing both flexibility and a strong sense of justice.
However, because his appearance differed somewhat from the show, Luca hadn't recognized him immediately.
It was only after George Stacy—the father of the famous Spider-Woman, Gwen Stacy—appeared that Luca's train of thought branched out, reminding him that Foggy was also a plot character.
Yes, Captain George was also a "supporting character," and arguably more famous than Foggy.
It really was just too coincidental today.
"Mr. Foggy is still just an intern at Landman & Zack, right? Would you be interested in becoming my personal lawyer later?"
Hearing this, the other three people present were momentarily stunned, unsure why Luca would suddenly have this idea.
Ms. Simpson reacted first, joking with a smile.
"Your boss is still standing right here, Mr. Luca. Are you planning to poach my staff right in front of me?"
Luca nodded slightly, showing no embarrassment whatsoever. Relying on his youth as a shield, he continued.
"I just see great potential in Mr. Foggy's future. If he agrees, I assume Ms. Simpson wouldn't begrudge losing an intern, right?"
In large firms like Landman & Zack, there was a significant difference between an intern and an associate lawyer.
Although both were at the bottom of the food chain, interns were mostly law students from top universities who hadn't graduated yet, so their ties to the firm weren't very strong.
If an intern had the chance to become a personal lawyer for a wealthy individual, it would certainly be a much better start than grinding away in a firm after graduation.
Besides, a personal lawyer could still be affiliated with the firm, so it wouldn't cause a rift between Aurantius Industries and Landman & Zack.
However, hearing a 14-year-old boy—much younger than himself—praise his "future potential" made Foggy's expression crack a little.
"Uh, thank you for your high regard, Mr. Aurantius. But I'm still in the stage of learning and improving myself, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
Hearing this, Luca just nodded indifferently and didn't say anything more.
This left Foggy scratching his head, utterly confused.
Actually, Luca chose to extend the offer partly because of the goodwill associated with Foggy's character identity, and partly because he knew Foggy's capabilities and personality.
At the very least, as a "hero's partner," Foggy's character was absolutely trustworthy.
However, a strong sense of justice also meant such people couldn't tolerate moral ambiguity.
Luca knew himself well. Since he had come to this "free" society with a good start, he definitely planned to enjoy the conveniences capital provided in the future.
He wouldn't become an evil capitalist, but he wasn't likely to become a morally spotless saint either.
So, he didn't feel too much regret over being rejected by a paragon of justice.
Watching the two leave, Luca stared at Foggy's back, lost in thought.
Right now, Foggy is just an intern about to graduate, which means Matt Murdock probably hasn't officially debuted as Daredevil yet.
I wonder how many other street-level heroes are still in their dormant phase? And do they exist in this parallel universe?
If given the chance, Luca would actually like to try recruiting a few street heroes with less rigid moral compasses to work for him.
Unlike the Avengers, who all had deep backgrounds...
Characters like "The Punisher" Frank Castle or Jessica Jones came to mind. Not only were their abilities decent, but before fully embracing heroism, they weren't exactly puritanical justice seekers who couldn't tolerate a speck of dust in their eyes.
Recruiting these known characters, whose abilities and trustworthiness he could gauge, would be much more cost-effective than hiring ordinary people.
Looks like I'll need to send someone specifically to investigate the current status of these guys from my memories later.
Just as Luca was thinking this, George Stacy walked out of the police station quickly.
Seeing that Luca and Shamila were still there, he breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his collar, and walked over.
"Mr. Aurantius, here's a copy of your police report."
As he spoke, George Stacy handed a document to Luca.
Shamila stepped forward and took the document for Luca.
Luca looked at Captain Stacy with confusion.
This kind of thing could easily have been mailed to him later. And even if they had to hand it over now, it shouldn't require the captain himself to run out in a hurry.
"Is there something else you need from me, Captain Stacy?"
George Stacy looked intently at Luca's face, then spoke again.
"Can I have a word with you alone?"