On the afternoon of December 24th.

Today, Christmas Eve, the streets and alleys of Los Angeles are filled with Christmas joy.

While driving, Linda asked her young son in the passenger seat, "Jack, haven't you always wanted to spend Christmas at Luke's house?"

Now your dream has come true, be happy."

"Mom, I'm very happy now." The little fat man replied.

Linda shook her head, "You don't look happy."

The little fat man didn't answer and turned to look out the window.

"Hey..." Linda sighed softly.

He knew very well the reason why his son was unhappy, probably because he missed someone, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Sometimes I think about it, their simple love is quite beautiful.

The two drove to the Palisades community.

Linda has always liked this community. It has a beautiful environment and every house is beautifully built.

Nowadays, there are Christmas decorations, which are even more beautiful. Every house is hung with colorful lights, and the festive atmosphere is strong.

The car drove into Luke's house and saw Luke and Robert decorating the yard.

Linda parked the car, opened the trunk, and shouted, "Jack, get out of the car and move your things."

The little fat man walked over obediently, moved the things from the trunk of the car and walked out of the garage. He saw Luke and Robert decorating a Christmas tree, "You planted a real Christmas tree in the yard?"

Luke smiled and asked, "Yes, do you like it?"

The little fat man walked over and touched the branch, "It feels great.

Where’s Uncle Val?”

Robert, who was hanging up the lanterns, said, "He works overtime in the supermarket, and he gets three times his salary today. He won't be able to come back until later."

The little fat man spread his hands and said, "This is not the Uncle Val I know."

Robert smiled and said, "People will always grow.

Val has gone through a lot of twists and turns in the past, but he's been doing pretty well recently."

Linda walked around the yard and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, you have decorated the yard beautifully. How about I have a dinner in the yard tonight?"

I'll go pack the ingredients."

Luke said, "Mom, I didn't prepare a complete turkey, I just bought some turkey meat so that it would be easier to bake."

Linda said, "Well done, we can't finish the whole turkey, and I don't want to have to eat turkey tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

Although it was unconventional, Robert was fine with it, preferring his grilled steak to turkey.

The three people chatted and worked at the same time. In a joyful atmosphere, they quickly decorated the yard.

Afterwards, they also went to the kitchen to help Linda prepare Christmas Eve dinner.

Because many ingredients are prepared in advance, dinner preparation is not complicated.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, everyone set up a table in the yard. Robert opened a bottle of red wine and drank it first.

The food for dinner is also coming out one after another.

Roast turkey, pie, prosciutto, vegetable salad, pan-fried salmon, oyster bisque, strawberries, pudding, Christmas cake.

Luke ate a piece of prosciutto and gave it a thumbs up, "It tastes great."

Linda clapped her hands and said, "OK, dinner is ready, why isn't Val back yet?"

"No need to wait for that guy." Robert shrugged, "I just called him. He said he was going to spend Christmas with his friends and wouldn't be back today."

"Friends?" Linda frowned, "He is associating with those gangster friends again?"

Robert shook his head, "I don't know either, but he has been doing quite well recently..."

Luke took a sip of red wine and smiled, "Maybe, things are not as bad as you think.

Uncle Val is an adult and needs some space and freedom."

Robert asked, "It sounds like you know something?"

Luke said, "No, we haven't contacted each other for a while."

The little fat man took a big bite of the pie and said vaguely, "Obviously, Val is in love."

"What did you say?" Robert thought he heard wrongly.

The little fat man swallowed the pie and said, "Val is looking for a girlfriend."

Linda asked curiously, "How did you know?"

"I saw it." The little fat man recalled, "Last month, Luke took me to a restaurant for dinner. He was dining with a lady at the time."

Robert said, "It's just eating together. That doesn't mean anything. I sometimes eat with female friends."

The little fat man continued, "We went to a couple-themed restaurant.

Except for me and Luke, almost all the people eating there were couples, and the cost of that restaurant was very high. If they weren’t lovers, no one would go to that restaurant to eat.”

Robert frowned, "How expensive is that restaurant?"

The little fat man said, "Luke and I spent two thousand dollars."

Luke smiled and said, "The two of us are relatively good eaters, and we cannot represent the average consumption level of that restaurant."

Linda stared at the two brothers and said with an unkind expression, "Why don't you ask me to come with you? What kind of romance can you two brats have?"

Luke explained, "At that time, Jack was in a lovelorn period and he always wanted to go to that restaurant with Maggie, so I took him to experience it."

Linda hummed, "Who wouldn't want to go to a restaurant where the per capita spending is one thousand dollars?"

Luke hurriedly said, "Mom, when it's your birthday, I'll ask you to go.

Only you are invited."

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"That's pretty much it." Linda nodded, looking at Robert who was a little dazed at the side, "Didn't Val talk about this new lady he met?"

"No." Robert shook his head. He was not opposed to Val having a girlfriend, but the level of consumption made him a little worried...

However, Val was not here, so it was useless to say anything. Robert smiled and said, "Don't worry about him, let's eat."

After dinner, the four of them watched TV and played cards.

At around ten o'clock in the evening, Christmas carols came from outside...

Luke and the four began to exchange gifts.

Luke bought Robert a watch, Linda a necklace, and Fatty a Lego brick.

At night, the three of them stayed at Luke's house. His house was large and had enough rooms.

For two consecutive days on the 25th and 26th, Luke spent time with his family, living a leisurely and relaxing life.

December 27, morning.

Luke received an invitation from Inoue Nami to go to Malibu beach for vacation.

Malibu Beach is located southwest of Los Angeles and is one of the most famous beaches in Los Angeles.

The weather is very good today, with blue sea and blue sky and gentle breeze, which is perfect for sunbathing on the beach.

There are many rocky landscapes on the beach, and Luke also saw a Chinese couple taking wedding photos, which gave it a more romantic atmosphere.

Luke was lying on the chair and saw Inoue Nami, who had just changed into a swimsuit and walked over. She was wearing a sky-blue swimsuit, with fair skin, full breasts, a slim waist, and long legs, and had the style of an oriental beauty.

Inoue Nami sat on the chair next to her and said, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas." Luke handed her the orange juice on the table, "I bought it for you."

"Thank you." Inoue Nami took the orange juice, took a sip, and asked, "How was your Christmas?"

“It’s rare to have time to spend with my family, so it’s not bad.

And you?"

"It was good at the beginning, but after a long time, it inevitably became boring."

Luke smiled and said, "So, you asked me to come to the beach today for excitement."

"To be precise, I want to dig out some news from you."

"You mean the kidnapping of Henry Lawley?"

"Yes, wasn't this case originally investigated by the Robbery and Murder Division? Why was it handed over to the Secret Service?"

"The matter is a bit complicated, and there is a gag order from above, so the case needs to be kept confidential."

Inoue Nami blinked her big black eyes, "Including me?"

Luke smiled, "I really can't say too much."
To be continued...