Jack laughed heartily, spreading his arms wide as if to hug Hannah, intending to scare her with his stinky appearance. As long as he didn't feel embarrassed, the awkwardness would be on the other person.
Unexpectedly, the sweet girl didn't dodge but instead willingly snuggled into his arms, her sparkling eyes full of affection. She even reached out to touch his cheek, which was smeared with dust from the wall.
"Looks like you'll still be handsome even when you're old."
Passersby cast curious glances, unable to figure out why such a well-dressed beauty was hugging a homeless man.
But after all, this was the streets of New York, where anything could happen. People in a hurry merely gave them a curious look, not stopping long enough to cause a scene.
Jack was deeply touched. Any hint of jealousy he'd felt toward Charlie disappeared in an instant. Being beautiful and kind-hearted wasn't such a big deal—he knew four such girls, after all! He felt quite proud.
After buying a fresh set of clothes and changing, Jack and Hannah drove up Fifth Avenue and checked into the Plaza Hotel, the same hotel where Charlie and Yvonne had been spotted by reporters.
"The Plaza Hotel, a luxury landmark in New York, was completed in 1907. It's a castle-like structure in the typical French Renaissance style. The current blond-haired President once bought this hotel and married Ivana, the hotel's CEO at the time.
"This hotel is also a famous filming location, most notably featured in Sleepless in Seattle and Home Alone 2.
"Another historical event tied to the hotel is the signing of the Plaza Accord, which famously burst Japan's economic bubble that once threatened to buy half of the USA.
"As one of New York's top luxury hotels, even the smallest single room here costs over a thousand dollars per night. The suite that Jack and Hannah booked costs just under $4,000 a night."
Jack wasn't particularly impressed by the hotel's excessive gold decor, nor was he interested in the famous Palm Court afternoon tea, especially since he was still stuffed.
After taking a bath together, Jack spent half an hour giving Hannah a relaxing foot massage. Then he opened his laptop and started searching for media coverage of Charlie Lan over the past month.
Hannah had found Jack through the Hunter family, claiming to repay the favor for when Hunter and Didi helped in Magrev. Jack knew what she was really after but didn't mind exposing her little scheme. He had already been selfish enough and had to learn to be content.
Hannah, unaware of Jack's deal with the journalist Dupri, curiously leaned over his back, watching him work. Jack explained the whole situation while browsing through the reports.
After hearing the story, Hannah opened her own laptop and used her FBI credentials to access relevant personnel files.
As a Senior Special Agent, her clearance was higher than Jack's, so she easily pulled up information on an ordinary NYPD officer.
"It seems the journalist was probably right. After winning the lottery, Charlie's biggest expense was renting out a baseball field to play with a group of kids from Queens for an afternoon. Oh, and he also bought 500 one-way subway tickets and handed them out to commuters after work."
Jack found the related reports too, although they were small, barely noticeable pieces in the papers.
Almost every lottery winner gets treated like a celebrity by the paparazzi for a while, as the media follows them, documenting their extravagant spending and luxurious new lifestyles.
But the reports on Charlie were different, and his actions seemed entirely out of step with the indulgent, hedonistic atmosphere of the city.
"Oh, look at this! Charlie just received a bravery award from the NYPD last week," Hannah said excitedly, her tone betraying a hint of admiration.
This made Jack a little jealous again, and he mumbled quietly, "I've won a Police Star too, you know."
Hannah giggled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as consolation.
"This guy is really something. A convenience store in his patrol area got robbed, and instead of shooting, he threw a perfect pitch from six yards away with a can of tuna and knocked the armed robber out cold. He got shot in the arm for his trouble."
Jack was impressed. If it were him, he would've fired his gun, though his marksmanship would've ensured no innocent bystanders got hurt.
Here was an ordinary man who had won $4 million, yet he kept his promise to give half to a stranger—the waitress Yvonne.
And after that, instead of quitting to enjoy a life of luxury, he continued doing good deeds within his means and remained a street cop, doing a damn good job of it.
"This guy's practically a saint. His wife, on the other hand, seems much more... 'normal,'" Jack remarked, feeling a bit humbled.
Charlie's wife, Muriel Lan, had fully embraced her newfound wealth, playing the part of a nouveau riche perfectly.
Hannah looked into their bank statements, noting that over half of the $2 million was already spent. Apart from some poor investments that were bound to fail, most of the money had gone toward luxury goods.
"It seems that's why she's suing for divorce and trying to get back the portion of the lottery given to that waitress. In just over a month, $2 million is down to less than $200,000.
"In contrast, Yvonne has been much more frugal with her $2 million. Aside from spending $600,000 to buy the coffee shop, her biggest splurge was a $3,000 necklace."
While Hannah marveled at the contrast, Jack pieced everything together, creating a timeline from the reports.
"It seems our 'saint' isn't completely without flaws. At least in terms of his private life, he's made some questionable choices. Yvonne, the waitress, is still married."
Hearing gossip, Hannah's eyes lit up, and she once again pressed her body against Jack's back, resting her head on his shoulder. The soft sensation was enough to stir certain thoughts.
Yvonne had moved to New York five years ago from a small town in Pennsylvania, hoping to become an actress. She met her current husband, Eddie Biasi, and quickly fell for his charm, marrying him within months. But soon after, she realized he was a good-for-nothing.
After draining Yvonne's savings, Eddie took her credit card and continued to squander it on his escapades, rarely coming home.
Coincidentally, just one day before Yvonne received that $2 million "tip," she had been declared bankrupt due to her $12,000 credit card debt.
Annoyed, Hannah playfully bit Jack's earlobe, her warm breath sending a shiver down his spine. "Who are you to judge other people's personal lives?"
"This is a super romantic love story!" she exclaimed.
Hannah closed Jack's laptop, turned around, and nestled into his arms, smiling sweetly as she counted on her fingers.
"First, they really didn't know each other before. I checked, and that coffee shop is just outside Charlie's usual patrol route. So, the day he promised to give the lottery winnings as a tip was probably the first time they met.
"Second, Yvonne and her husband Eddie have been separated for over a year. I think the only reason she hasn't divorced him yet is because she's too poor to afford a lawyer.
"Third, this is a perfect 'prince saves the damsel in distress' story! I declare that Charlie and Yvonne are soulmates. They should live happily ever after!"
Jack laughed, amused by her adorable excitement, but he couldn't resist bursting her bubble with a dose of reality.
"Too bad your declaration won't help. The verdict for their case is likely to be announced tomorrow, and your 'prince and princess' will probably lose, becoming broke lovebirds."
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