Lawyers and Police Officers

Outside New York's First Precinct.

Looking at Ms. Simpson and Foggy standing before him, Luca politely shook each of their hands in turn, expressing his gratitude.

"Thanks to Ms. Simpson, this time. You really are the brilliant lawyer my mother always praised. You've opened my eyes."

"You flatter me, Mr. Orange. It's my honor to be of service to you."

Ms. Simpson had long since heard more than enough praise and thanks. She merely gave a reserved nod, her professional smile never fading, and continued.

"I heard about your father. I'm sorry I couldn't attend the funeral. Ms. Gina and I were friends, too. If you ever need any legal help, please feel free to contact me."

Well, how to put it?

Ms. Simpson was being sincere.

The main thing was, although Luca's inheritance case wasn't particularly complicated or contentious, given that there was a clear will, the Orange Family's assets were substantial. The legal fees involved in settling the estate were no small sum, even for a large firm like Land Law Firm. It was still a major client.

Besides, a simple case meant less work.

At a time like this, Ms. Simpson certainly didn't mind earning Luca's goodwill and securing the business.

Luca knew exactly what she was thinking, but didn't immediately commit to anything. He simply smiled and returned the compliment.

"Then I'm grateful, Ms. Simpson. With your help, I'm sure I'll be able to put my mind at ease about any legal matters that come up."

After that, Luca turned to Foggy, who had been quietly following behind Ms. Simpson ever since she arrived, keeping a low profile and making himself practically invisible.

By now, Luca had already remembered who he was.

Foggy Nelson was Matt Murdock's childhood friend, close friend, and law firm partner in the TV series Daredevil.

He was an excellent lawyer in his own right, both adaptable and deeply committed to justice.

It was just that his appearance differed quite a bit from the character in the show, which was why Luca hadn't recognized him at first.

It wasn't until George Stacy—the father of the famous Spider-Woman, Gwen Stacy—showed up that Luca had put two and two together and remembered that George was a character from the story, too.

Yes, Chief Stacy was also a "supporting character," and a far more famous one than Foggy.

Today really was full of coincidences.

"Mr. Foggy, you're still an intern at Land Law Firm, right? Would you be interested in becoming my personal lawyer?"

At that, the other three present all froze slightly, unsure why Luca had suddenly thought of making such an offer.

Ms. Simpson was the first to catch on. She smiled and teased him.

"I'm still your boss, you know, Mr. Luca. Are you really trying to poach my staff right in front of me?"

Luca nodded. There wasn't a trace of embarrassment on his face as he continued, taking advantage of his status as a young man.

"I just have a lot of faith in Mr. Foggy's potential. If he's interested, I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting an intern go, would you, Ms. Simpson?"

At a major law firm like Land Law Firm, there was a considerable difference between an intern and an associate.

Both were at the bottom of the firm, doing odd jobs, but interns were generally law students at prestigious universities who hadn't graduated yet. Their ties to the firm weren't especially strong.

If an intern had the chance to become a wealthy person's personal lawyer, that was definitely a better prospect than working their way up at a law firm after graduation.

Besides, a personal lawyer could still be affiliated with a law firm. It wouldn't cause any friction between Orange Industries and Land Law Firm.

Still, when a fourteen-year-old boy—much younger than him—said he believed in his "future potential," Foggy couldn't quite keep his composure.

"Uh, I appreciate your confidence in me, Mr. Orange, but I'm still at the stage where I need to study and improve. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."

Luca simply nodded, not saying anything more.

Now Foggy was even more baffled.

In fact, Luca had made the offer not only because he felt warmly toward Foggy as a character from the story, but also because he knew about Foggy's abilities and personality.

At least in terms of character, this "hero's partner" was someone he could trust completely.

But a strong sense of justice also meant that people like him couldn't tolerate a speck of wrongdoing.

Luca knew that, given his own personality, now that he was in this "free" society and had gotten off to a good start, he would certainly enjoy the advantages that came with capital.

He might not become a heartless capitalist, but he was unlikely to be an exceptionally righteous, genuinely good person, either.

So he wasn't too disappointed by the rejection from someone so righteous.

After watching the two of them leave, Luca silently watched Foggy's retreating figure and pondered.

"Foggy's still an intern, about to graduate. That probably means Matt hasn't officially debuted as Daredevil yet."

"I wonder how many of the other street-level heroes are still lying low. And do they even exist in this parallel universe?"

If he got the chance, Luca would like to recruit a few street-level heroes who weren't so overwhelmingly committed to justice to work for him.

Unlike the Avengers, who all had one more powerful background than the next.

At least as Luca remembered them, people like the Punisher, Frank Castle, and Jessica Jones were not only capable, but before becoming street-level heroes, they weren't entirely the kind of pure do-gooders who couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing.

Characters from the original story whom he knew well were a much better bet than ordinary people, both in terms of ability and trustworthiness.

"Looks like I'll have to send someone to look into what those few are up to."

Just as Luca was thinking this, George Stacy hurried out of the precinct.

When he saw that Luca and the others were still there, he finally relaxed. He straightened his collar and walked over.

"Mr. Orange, this is the supplement to your police report."

As he spoke, George Stacy handed Luca a document.

Shamira stepped forward and took it on Luca's behalf.

Luca himself looked at Chief Stacy in confusion.

There was no problem mailing him something like this later. And even if it needed to be delivered in person, it seemed odd for the chief himself to rush out to bring it over.

"Is there something else you wanted to discuss with me, Chief Stacy?"

George Stacy studied Luca's face for a moment, then spoke again.

"Could I talk to you alone?"