Jimmy tossed and turned in bed. For some reason, this soft mattress just didn’t feel right. At 1 a.m., he finally got up to watch TV—but an ad popping up on the screen only made him feel worse. It was a reworked ad by Davis & Main and Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), still filled with dull text and voiceovers. What’s more, the elderly had long been in bed at this hour—no one would even notice the ad. A sense of loss and loneliness welled up in him. Jimmy drove back to the beauty salon, unfolded the sofa bed in the small warehouse. This was his real place; only here could he calm down and get a good night’s sleep.
Early in the morning, Kim finished washing up and got ready for work. Normally, Jimmy would call every morning to sing a wake-up song, but today there was no sound from the phone. “Maybe I was too harsh on him last time,” Kim to herself, making excuses as she walked toward the door. Just then, the bedside phone rang. After the answering machine’s prompt, Jimmy’s off-key singing filled the room. Kim walked back to the bed and sat down. She listened to the entire song, then smiled softly—suddenly, she felt motivated to go to work again.
Kim was back in her original office, thanks to Charles’ mediation. But she could clearly sense Howard’s dissatisfaction. On the way to the conference room, Howard kept a straight face and said not a word. Only when they reached the door did he put on a professional smile. Kevin and Paige—representatives from the bank—were sitting inside. Paige was also Kim’s old classmate, and it was through her connection that they’d secured this big deal.
After updating Kevin and Paige on the case’s progress and strategy, Kim went to the courthouse alone to face the Sandpiper Crossing legal team’s motion. Rich’s team demanded all plaintiffs’ medical records to determine if they had mental illnesses or dementia. Generally, such motions were always granted, so Howard didn’t bother to attend—he just told Kim to go through the motions. But Kim refused to give up easily. She argued vigorously in court: first, she emphasized that medical records contained personal privacy; then, she pointed out that the defendants should have considered this issue when signing contracts with the plaintiffs, and implied the defendants might have overcharged precisely because of this. Her fight in this seemingly unwinnable hearing caught Rich’s attention. After the hearing, Rich took the initiative to invite Kim to lunch. At an upscale restaurant, Rich enthusiastically recommended a wine, but Kim, fearing misunderstanding, only ordered iced tea. Rich got straight to the point: he’d noticed Kim on TV during the Kettlemans’ embezzlement case, and after interacting with her recently, he admired her professionalism and passion even more. So he offered Kim a job, and even volunteered to cover the tuition loans she owed HHM.
It was a great opportunity, and Kim was eager to take it—but her professional ethics held her back. After work, she returned to that upscale restaurant, ordered the cocktail Rich had recommended, and hesitated. Just then, the bartender approached and said a man at the next table wanted to buy her a drink. Kim looked over and saw a successful-looking man. She’d noticed him kissing his wife goodbye outside the restaurant earlier, and now he was trying to hit on her. Suddenly, she remembered the trick she’d played with Jimmy at Paradise Resort. She gave the fake name they’d used before, then called Jimmy over. The two “entrepreneurial siblings” then began looking for investors for their “social media site.” The man, blinded by attraction, wrote a $10,000 check—only to be stood up.
After the prank, Kim felt much better. She had no intention of cashing the check; she just tucked it into the edge of her mirror as a souvenir. But the question in her heart remained unresolved. When Jimmy heard about Kim’s job offer, he was thrilled—he couldn’t wait to see Howard’s face when he received her resignation letter.
Mike, who’d just finished his night shift, drove home after breakfast. A man with a hostile expression was sitting on his doorstep. He’d come for an answer. When Mike said no, the man stood up and left. He was one of Hector’s men—Tuco’s uncle. Mike knew trouble would follow, and he had to prepare. The next night, after finishing his day shift, Mike returned home. He lifted the doormat and found footprints on the white paper underneath it. He touched the keyhole and doorframe—there were faint scratches. Mike pulled out his gun and entered the house. He turned on the TV, then stood against the wall. The storage room door slowly opened, and two men with guns crept toward the sofa in front of the TV. Mike swung his gun and knocked them out cleanly with the butt. They were just two underlings following orders, sent only to scare Mike—but they’d ended up getting beaten instead.
But things weren’t over. While Mike was playing with Kaylee in the pool, he saw two men standing on the roof of a nearby building. They shaped their hands like guns and pointed at Kaylee. Mike knew he couldn’t fight a local power like Hector—only agreeing to Hector’s request would bring peace. That night, at a closed dessert shop, Mike met Hector. The man searching him before he entered was none other than Nacho. Mike knew well that in Hector’s eyes, nothing mattered except Tuco—not money, not even Mike’s life. If anything happened to Mike, Tuco would have to stay in jail for eight years. So Mike demanded $50,000 for the job—no less. Hector rarely met someone so bold; he sent Nacho to deliver the $50,000 that night. Mike took out $25,000 and handed it to Nacho—since the original plan fell through, he wouldn’t take Nacho’s money. And of course, the plot they’d hatched to frame Tuco was now treated as if it had never happened.