Castle only agreed to the interview out of respect for his friend, the mayor, and to address the ongoing unrest. His girlfriend, Beckett, had been away for days managing the chaos, leaving Castle to step up and pacify the angry public, particularly his fans. Additionally, his conversation with Benjamin confirmed that it would be best to wait until Benjamin took office to completely purge the "Roxette Organization" from within the CIA. For these reasons, Castle reluctantly agreed to the interview, despite his distaste for the media's deceitful tendencies.
However, Castle never imagined that this interview would bring him another massive headache.
Three days after the turmoil settled, an unexpected visitor arrived at Castle's doorstep. A "Black Transgender Lesbian" state representative from Connecticut had identified Castle's influence during the riots. This ambitious politician, who alternated between being referred to as "he" or "she," conducted a detailed investigation into Castle's activities over the past year. They discovered Castle had not only supported the next president's rise to power but also helped elect a historically unprecedented Democratic senator in New York. Confident and opportunistic, the politician sought to secure Castle's financial and network backing for their political advancement.
Castle was dumbfounded. He had never met this Connecticut representative. However, turning them away outright, as he had done with the CIA negotiator earlier, seemed overly harsh. So, after Big Ivan informed him of the visitor, Castle begrudgingly allowed the representative into his estate.
But the politician's opening remarks immediately sparked Castle's ire.
Castle harbored no racial prejudices. Despite his white exterior, he considered himself Asian at heart. He had no bias against people of color; if anything, he was more critical of white Americans. However, this representative was unlike anyone he had ever encountered. They embodied the worst of "political correctness," oblivious to reality.
This representative had spent the first three decades of their life as a man. Then, deciding that transitioning might further their career, they became a woman. They carried an attitude that the world owed something to the descendants of Black slaves and demanded compliance with their every whim, lest they accuse others of discrimination. Upon entering Castle's mansion, they barely sat down before declaring, in a tone of self-importance, that Castle needed to provide $30-50 million in campaign funds for their next congressional bid—without question or hesitation.
Even more absurdly, the representative spoke as if they were doing Castle a favor by seeking his support. Castle was left speechless by their audacity.
As the representative launched into a tirade about their plans to promote racial equity if elected to Congress, Castle grew increasingly uninterested. He had no intention of associating with someone so irrational. Once the representative finished their monologue, Castle politely explained that he would need to consult with his political advisors before responding to such a significant request for campaign funding. His intention was to politely show them the door.
But Castle's refusal to immediately comply infuriated the representative. They accused him of racism, claiming his hesitation stemmed from prejudice against Black people, transgender individuals, and lesbians. (Although, as Castle wryly noted, the representative was not truly a lesbian—they had been a man who liked women and were now a woman who liked women.) They threatened to expose Castle as a racist to the public.
Big Ivan and the others, who had been quietly observing, were stunned.
"Is this person on drugs?" one whispered. "What kind of logic is that?"
"Oh, so if Mr. Castle doesn't immediately agree to sponsor your campaign, he's a racist?" another quipped. "What a country."
Castle was unfazed. Having lived through enough absurdities in his past life and his current one, he was no stranger to such bizarre encounters. This representative's ability to deduce Castle's role in the recent chaos showed they had some intelligence. Their willingness to transition for political gain demonstrated an impressive drive. But their audacity to demand support, coupled with their explosive reaction to rejection, was beyond comprehension.
Was this another scheme by the Roxette Organization? Castle doubted the representative would approach him so boldly without encouragement. Perhaps they were being used to paint him as a racist, but would such a smear campaign even matter in a country where racial discrimination was so commonplace? Police officers routinely killed Black men without consequence; what would branding Castle as a racist accomplish?
Tired of the representative's antics, Castle instructed Big Ivan and the others to escort them off the property. He then tasked Jarvis with investigating the matter.
As always, Jarvis worked quickly. Within moments, he uncovered the truth. The representative was indeed a pawn of the Roxette Organization, which sought to discredit Castle. Following the recent turmoil, the CIA was in shambles, and the organization's highest-ranking member in the agency, the deputy director, had been forced to resign. However, the Roxette Organization had long since extended its roots beyond the CIA, with members spread across the U.S.
Realizing they couldn't confront Castle directly, especially with Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics backing him, the organization devised a plan to disrupt him. They manipulated the Connecticut representative—a well-known figure notorious for accusing others of racism—into targeting Castle. They hoped the representative's relentless accusations would distract Castle and prevent him from delving further into their operations.
Castle couldn't help but laugh when he reviewed Jarvis's findings.
"Are you guys serious?" he muttered. "Do you really think you're still hidden? Benjamin already has a list of every member of your organization within the CIA. If it weren't for this stunt, I wouldn't have discovered how widespread you've become. Now that you've revealed yourselves, I'll make sure none of you escape."
Yet Castle underestimated the representative's persistence. After being thrown out, they immediately contacted New York media outlets and launched a campaign accusing Castle of racism.
(End of Chapter)
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