Chapter 443: The Deal

Beckett returned home quickly after Castle received her call. She seemed a bit exhausted as she walked into Castle's Upper East Side Manhattan home.

Seeing her come in, Castle immediately approached her with concern, ready to ask about the results of bringing William Bracken and his associates back to the station. However, Beckett shot him a sharp look, "Castle, how many secrets are you keeping from me? Why didn't you tell me sooner that the evidence you had was stolen from Captain Montgomery's house?"

She continued, "Do you have any idea how awkward it was when Montgomery brought this up today? If I had known that the evidence was something Montgomery kept to protect me from Bracken's people, I could have at least given him a heads-up before we launched an official investigation!"

Castle, seeing Beckett's frustration, smiled and shook his head lightly, "You're overthinking this…"

Beckett wasn't satisfied with Castle's dismissive attitude, "What do you mean I'm overthinking this? Explain yourself!"

Castle didn't want to argue with Beckett about this matter, nor did he want to betray the promises he had made to Montgomery. So, he calmly explained the difficult circumstances Montgomery and Beckett had faced at the time, and then quickly shifted the conversation, "You haven't told me yet—did Bracken give in when you brought him back to the station?"

Beckett perked up at the mention of this, "Of course, he didn't! He's still putting on a tough front, even now. Since he's still a senator, we couldn't do much more than ask some superficial questions. But Nick Coonan has already been brought back to NYPD by the Donkey Party, and he's under tight protection. Tomorrow, we and the DA will begin verifying Coonan's testimony, along with that of Vulcan Simmons and the four dirty cops. Once their statements are confirmed, Bracken will be done for, no matter how powerful he is!"

She added, "But we had to let him go for now. He's still a New York State senator, and even though he's been suspended, his influence in New York and the power behind him are not to be underestimated. Starting tomorrow, I'll be going head-to-head with him, so I might not have time for you. Sorry…"

Castle agreed with Beckett's assessment but was well aware of how difficult it would be to fully bring down someone as entrenched as Bracken. So, he reminded Beckett to be thorough in securing the evidence and then suggested she take some time to rest and prepare for the busy days ahead.

With Christmas just around the corner, Castle realized that the timing of this clash with Senator Bracken meant that his police officer girlfriend wouldn't be spending the holiday with him. He could only hope that the police and DA, who had a wealth of evidence, could work swiftly enough to allow them to enjoy some downtime together before the New Year.

The next morning, Beckett hurriedly left for NYPD headquarters, while Castle took his time preparing breakfast for his daughter before gathering the materials for his meeting with Northrop Grumman and heading to their office as scheduled.

Upon arriving at the building, Castle found Moz, his lawyer and legal advisor, already waiting in the lobby. Castle greeted him with a smile, "Moz, sorry to drag you into this today."

Moz sighed, "Rick, why didn't you tell me earlier that you'd scheduled the negotiation with Northrop Grumman for today? Do you know I had to spend all night preparing the necessary documents after you called?"

Castle knew his impulsiveness had caused his friend some trouble, so he grinned sheepishly, throwing an arm around Moz, "Sorry about that. I just remembered it suddenly yesterday. And you know we're currently in the middle of a battle with the Republicans' political star, Senator Bracken. I figured it was a good idea to finalize the deal with Northrop Grumman quickly so we'd have a giant backing us. After all, the defense industry has always been the Republicans' biggest financial supporter. If I can leverage this drone design and its semi-autonomous flight control system to get a stake in their company, I won't have to worry about retaliation from the Republicans, right?"

Moz was convinced by Castle's reasoning. Even if he hadn't been, Moz wouldn't have abandoned Castle in his time of need. So, with a resigned sigh, he followed Castle upstairs.

Mark, Northrop Grumman's aerospace technology development director, was already waiting at the elevator for Castle. Mark wasn't the main player today; the board had sent a heavyweight executive to meet with Castle after learning that he wanted shares in exchange for his drone design.

Given that Castle's semi-autonomous flight control system had passed internal tests and could be adapted to Northrop Grumman's flagship MQ-4A Global Hawk UAV, the company's interest in Castle's technology skyrocketed. Furthermore, Castle's innovative drone design, featuring embedded propellers for vertical takeoff and landing, had caught their attention. Upon hearing from Mark that Castle didn't want much cash but rather a small stake in the company, Northrop Grumman dispatched a senior vice president to New York to personally handle the negotiations.

The senior vice president had the authority to agree to any deal as long as Castle's share demand didn't exceed 2% of Northrop Grumman's total stock.

However, when the meeting began and Castle made his opening statement, the senior vice president was taken aback, as were the other participants, except for Moz and the vice president himself. "I'm not a businessman, nor do I want to haggle over every detail. My offer is simple: I'll give you my drone design and, more importantly, the semi-autonomous flight control system in exchange for 1% of Northrop Grumman's stock. Take it or leave it."

Castle's straightforward approach stunned everyone in the room. This wasn't how negotiations were supposed to go. Who lays all their cards on the table right from the start and then acts like they're ready to walk away if the deal doesn't go through? Castle truly wasn't cut out to be a businessman.

Moz knew what Castle was thinking, but what surprised him was that the senior vice president wasn't taken aback by Castle's unorthodox approach. Instead, he smiled, "Mr. Castle, we understand your position, and Northrop Grumman's other shareholders are eager to welcome you as part of our company. I'm authorized by the board to grant you the 1% stake you requested. However, we have one condition…"

Castle noticed the strange smile on the vice president's face and immediately understood that Northrop Grumman was fully aware of his conflict with Senator Bracken. They had likely guessed his intentions, which explained their willingness to agree to his terms. After all, Castle's flight control system was the most advanced in the world, and a defense contractor like Northrop Grumman couldn't ignore its potential.

Castle remained silent, waiting for the vice president to state their condition. "We need the source code for your flight control system. Unlike the Italian company you licensed, we require full access, including the ability to modify the code. If you agree, the 1% stake will be transferred to you today.

"And please understand, Mr. Castle, that Northrop Grumman has the resources to handle any challenges that might arise for our shareholders…"

With these words, the senior vice president made it clear that Northrop Grumman was well aware of Castle's current battle with Bracken and the Republicans. They subtly assured him that by handing over the source code, he would gain not just a financial stake but also powerful allies ready to stand by him. What more was there to consider?

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