Winston's Goodwill

Standing by the window, watching the departing figures under the streetlights, Winston Scott poured himself another glass of whiskey, pondering the conversation that had just taken place.

Charon, the black concierge he trusted most, came in and helped clear the glasses from the table. His movements were so quiet that he made no sound at all, and his presence was almost imperceptible.

Winston Scott suddenly said, "You heard the whole conversation, didn't you?"

Of course, Continental Hotel don't install listening devices everywhere; surveillance cameras are only placed at key points of activity in public spaces for focused monitoring.

However, although the pneumatic transmission pipes originally used by various departments to transmit messages are no longer in use, the pipes have not been removed. These pipes have thus become natural eavesdropping devices.

Charon's presence at the hearing was ordered by Winston Scott, and he simply replied, "Yes, sir."

What do you think?

Although the two men were of different ranks, Charon played a crucial role in Winston Scott's acquisition of the Continental Hotel in New York. Without this lowly black receptionist as an inside man, the previous hotel manager would not have been able to be overthrown.

Therefore, the two can actually be considered equals today. However, Charon adheres to the boundaries of being an employee and never oversteps them, which makes Winston Scott respect him even more.

In situations like this, when Winston Scott was unsure, he would listen to Charon's ideas. This African American, who had illegally immigrated to the United States from Nigeria, was a highly educated and cultured man in his home country and often offered insightful opinions.

"Just as you thought, Mr. Mooney Fisher botched it. And getting involved with Tony Stark, even now that Henry Brown has left Stark Studios, he's not someone you can control with Gold Coin."

With a sigh, Winston Scott said, "Yeah, I really don't understand these Mafia families, always using those underworld methods to control people."

"Secretly create trouble for others, then step in as a savior to resolve it. You gain someone who owes you a favor, and you also want people to be grateful to you."

"Once things come to light, the favors done to them will become leverage, allowing them to continue controlling that person. So many betrayals happen because they play with people's hearts so carelessly, only to backfire in the end. Doesn't anyone understand this?"

Charon chimed in, "I think it's because nobody expected Tony Stark to give him so much support. And he's achieved unimaginable results."

"This means we can no longer view this person from the perspective of a typical contract gunman. The value he can bring far exceeds that of a hotel service provider."

He swirled the whiskey glass, the ice cubes clinking against each other. "That's right," Winston Scott said. "This is the biggest difference between Henry Brown now and before."

"While generals can still go to the battlefield and kill enemies, to use them like common soldiers, throwing them onto the battlefield and expecting them to kill as many enemies as possible before they are killed, is a shameful waste."

Charon, in his usual calm tone, said, "Even if Henry Brown has greater value, he seems to only want to keep his distance from the Continental Hotel. In this case, we can't really exploit him."

"No, we have a good contact."

"John Wick?"

Winston Scott said with a hint of excitement, "Yes, you see how many messengers we sent out, but only John was able to meet him and successfully deliver the invitation."

"And can you imagine a film company CEO with a multi-million dollar annual salary leaving his job to become a caregiver for a washed-up actress? This proves we weren't wrong about him."

Following up on the conversation, Charon said, "A man who values relationships a lot. Although I've had that suspicion before, is it possible that this is just a cover for him? Getting close to Catherine Hepburn is merely a way to maintain his relationship with Tony Stark?"

"It doesn't matter," Winston Steker explained. "Even if his attitude is feigned, as long as he wants to maintain this performance, it means that his behavior has certain principles and patterns."

"This is our chance. Anyway, I don't expect to be able to control this man. He's too dangerous, don't you think? Just keep in touch. Sooner or later—"

Charon expressed his confusion. "Sooner or later?"

"Sooner or later he'll need us." Winston Scott turned on the office television with the remote; the news channel was broadcasting a report on Mutants crimes.

Recently, there has been a lot more news like this. We hear or see it almost every day, about what heinous things Mutants have done.

The unusual wind direction was enough for anyone with a keen sense to detect something ominous. Charon hadn't noticed it before, but after being reminded, he remembered that the man's greatest asset was his Mutants ability to be invulnerable to bullets and blades.

After thinking for a moment, Charon said, "Perhaps when he runs into trouble, he'll go to Tony Stark for help. Given his cautious nature, there shouldn't be any trouble he gets into that young master can't handle."

Winston Scott chuckled, "But you also have to consider the cost of use. We can't just leave something as trivial as parking to Tony Stark. And we won't be going to the High Table elders for every little problem."

"I understand." Charon nodded, then asked, "But what can we do? What If...? he doesn't come to the Continental Hotel, we won't be able to show goodwill even if we want to."

"Although I feel a little bad about this to John, please inform John of any recent movements of the Mutants that might affect him. I think John's attitude towards Henry Brown is quite good; if he's in trouble, John won't stand idly by."

"Won't this cause trouble for Mr. Wick?"

"This is tantamount to giving John an opportunity to do someone a favor, to someone who has the ability to save a life. I believe it should be a good deal for John."

"I understand. But if we do this to emphasize our contributions, won't it seem deliberate and ultimately cause resentment?"

Shaking his head, Winston Scott said, "Emphasis? No, we don't need to emphasize it. Nor do we need to deliberately have John tell him that this information came from our side."

"Given Henry Brown's cunning in repeatedly outmaneuvering the police and the FBI, he can see our goodwill. After all, John wouldn't have gotten this information for no reason."

Charon nodded and said, "I know what to do. So, what about Ms. Mooney Fisher, the announcement that the Tinkerer has left Los Angeles and might be coming to New York?"

"Deny it. Just say we don't have any relevant information. Unless the Tinkerer business on his own initiative, we don't know where he is. Even if she were to reveal that the Tinkerer is Henry Brown, she would have to take the blame."

"Yes, sir."