Jimmy stood outside the courthouse, his thumb nervously pressing the pinky ring on his little finger. A new opportunity lay right in front of him—Clifford Main, the lawyer collaborating with Howard, was present. As long as Jimmy agreed, he could work at Davis & Main. But Jimmy couldn’t think of any reason to keep working as a lawyer, except for Kim. Yet Kim seemed unwilling to mix work with their relationship; accepting this job had nothing to do with whether there would be substantial progress between them. Disappointed once again, Jimmy turned down Clifford’s offer and drove away from the courthouse. At the parking lot entrance, he couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t split the $1.6 million back then. Mike’s answer meant nothing to him—he only knew he wanted to live the life he desired from now on.
Mike, however, couldn’t be as impulsive as Jimmy. He had to keep taking side jobs to plan for his granddaughter’s future. Daniel, who had hired Mike as a bodyguard before, had grown complacent after closing several deals with Nacho and bought a flashy Hummer with the money from selling drugs. When Mike saw Daniel planning to drive this car to the transaction, he flatly refused to accompany him. From his experience, he knew this eye-catching vehicle would bring trouble to Daniel. Daniel didn’t understand Mike’s good intentions and drove to the transaction alone. As Mike had expected, Nacho decided to end future transactions as soon as he saw the car, to avoid getting involved. Since they wouldn’t meet again, a malicious thought crossed Nacho’s mind—why not rob Daniel and steal all his stock at home? He was sure Daniel wouldn’t dare call the police. While Daniel was counting the money behind the car, Nacho took the chance to “check out” the vehicle, found Daniel’s driver’s license in the glove compartment, and secretly memorized his home address.
Two days later, Daniel returned home to find it ransacked. Not only were all the drugs hidden in the baseboard behind the sofa stolen, but even his most cherished set of baseball cards was gone. Furious, Daniel called the police without thinking. The police who came to investigate were immediately suspicious when they saw the Hummer outside. After asking and learning Daniel worked as an IT staffer at a pharmaceutical company, they had a pretty good idea of what was going on. While Daniel was printing the theft list in the inner room, the two police officers carefully inspected the scene. They noticed all other furniture had been rummaged through, except the sofa—even the cushions on it were neatly arranged. After moving the sofa, they found a hidden space in the baseboard, basically confirming Daniel was involved in illegal drug trafficking. They quietly put the sofa back in place, then assured Daniel they would do their best to recover the stolen baseball cards. But to gather more information, they hoped Daniel could make time to go to the police station and answer a few questions from the detective in charge of the case.
Meanwhile, Jimmy, who had decided to quit being a lawyer, spent a few lazy days scamming free food and drinks at the Paradise Resort—until Kim came to find him. Kim couldn’t understand Jimmy’s current mindset and lifestyle. Over the years, Jimmy had denied his true self to do what Charles thought was right, yet he still hadn’t gained recognition. So Jimmy wanted Kim to understand his way of life. And in the resort’s bar, an arrogant stockbroker became his perfect target.
Jimmy portrayed himself and Kim as a brother and sister who disagreed over the investment of a huge inheritance, needing the stockbroker to judge who was right. The stockbroker, seeing “inexperienced” targets coming to him voluntarily, was naturally enthusiastic. To secure the “siblings’” investment, he even paid out of his own pocket to treat them to a meal. Kim was uncomfortable at first, but gradually got into the swing of things, teaming up with Jimmy to fool the stockbroker completely. After drinking expensive premium wine for free, Jimmy and Kim signed the investment contract with fake names, then hurried away.
It was Kim’s first time experiencing this feeling. The alcohol in her system mixed with adrenaline, making her think Jimmy was so lovely and smart. That night, Jimmy got the substantial progress he had long been looking forward to with Kim. But he also knew that for Kim’s sake, he couldn’t keep living this life of scamming for free meals and drinks. The next day, he put on a suit again, picked up his briefcase, and went to Davis & Main in Santa Fe. Clifford was delighted to see him—every time someone from the firm visited Sandpiper Crossing, the elderly clients would ask about Jimmy. Now that Jimmy had agreed to work at the firm, it would save a lot of trouble and win over more clients.
Jimmy got his own office, a rosewood desk, and a Mercedes provided by the firm. His life was getting back on track. But no one knew whether his inherent personality—unwilling to be bound by rules—would become his strength or obstacle.