There was something about this whole situation that felt off to Beckett, but in the end, she was worn down by her husband—and by Gianna, who was far more persuasive than Castle.
Ultimately, she agreed to this childish revenge scheme.
What surprised her the most was that no one in the group seemed to question whether the treasure was real.
Had they all been so thoroughly convinced by Castle's uncanny ability to unearth valuable intelligence that they never even considered the possibility that he might be wrong?
The next morning, after Beckett left for work, Castle and Gianna locked themselves in the study, carefully selecting which of Castle's allies would be invited to join the treasure hunt in South Asia.
Moz and President Benjamin definitely needed to be informed.
Benjamin had already earned a seat at the table, so he had to be included.
Then there were the three major aircraft manufacturers. Northrop Grumman had to be invited—they were the ones who had provided Jason and his SEAL team.
What about Boeing?
Sure, their modified A-10 Warthogs hadn't actually seen combat, but they had shown support.
And Lockheed Martin?
They had offered to deploy an AC-130 gunship to Hawaii. That counted for something.
That meant the high-ranking general from NORAD who had personally called Castle couldn't be left out either.
Once Castle laid everything out, he realized that this couldn't just be a private discussion between him, Gianna, and a handful of allies.
They needed a real meeting.
Even Beckett wanted nothing to do with it.
To her, no treasure—no matter how many billions it was worth—was more important than her job as a police officer.
Castle had half-joked that he should ask the mayor to give her an award for being too dedicated to law enforcement.
John, on the other hand, had fully embraced his role as a stay-at-home dad.
He was currently pushing Castle's infant son in a stroller while herding his energetic daughter across the lawn, entirely uninterested in whatever his wife and best friend were scheming inside the study.
So, Castle and Gianna made their first move:
They called the White House.
Moz, who was drowning in work after the mass arrests of Indian, Japanese, and Turkish operatives, still immediately made time for the call.
As soon as Castle mentioned the treasure, Moz didn't hesitate for a second.
He had personally witnessed Castle's absurd luck when it came to finding real treasure—ever since they had looted Adam's hidden vault of priceless artifacts and antiques.
Moz had been part of every single one of Castle's "black-on-black" operations.
He didn't care how Castle found out about the Kerala temple treasure.
He just wanted in.
Using Castle's private satellite phone to avoid any leaks, Moz enthusiastically praised Castle for his newfound sense of diplomacy.
Instead of hoarding the treasure for himself, Castle had decided to share it with the right people.
Moz fully agreed with this approach.
Castle was already wealthy beyond belief.
The real prize here wasn't money—it was connections.
By sharing the treasure with America's top arms dealers, politicians, and military leaders, Castle would cement himself as someone who knew how to return favors.
This kind of loyalty was far more valuable than hoarding gold.
Moz immediately helped refine the invite list.
The CEOs of the three major aircraft manufacturers were a must. The high-ranking NORAD general was essential. Two key politicians—one Democrat and one Republican—had to be included to keep things balanced. President Benjamin and Moz would benefit regardless, so they didn't need to attend.
Once the list was finalized, Castle and Moz made their calls.
The responses were immediate.
The CEOs, the general, and the politicians were stunned when Castle told them to fly to New York immediately.
Why?
Because Castle had a "business opportunity" worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
In a capitalist society, nothing was more important than making money.
Even national security came second to profit.
Every single invitee immediately rearranged their schedule and confirmed their attendance.
Even the politicians—who were normally very selective about their travel plans—agreed without hesitation.
None of them knew exactly what Castle had planned, but when that much money was involved, they had to show up.
By the next morning, Castle's Long Island estate became the center of attention.
None of the invitees wasted time on commercial flights.
Every single one of them arrived via private jet or helicopter.
Even the general had used a military transport to get to New York before switching to a private chopper.
Moz and President Benjamin were the only ones missing.
They trusted Castle enough to know that they would get their share without needing to be present.
In Castle's massive conference room, the six most powerful figures sat together, staring at the giant screen as Castle began his presentation.
The moment Castle revealed the details of the legendary treasure, the entire room fell silent.
Even the seasoned businessmen and hardened military officers were momentarily stunned.
The three aircraft CEOs—who were used to billions in defense contracts—were shocked.
The politicians—who regularly handled trillion-dollar budgets—were dumbfounded.
The general—a man who had seen it all—actually gasped.
The sheer scale of the treasure was mind-boggling.
Gold chains, statues, ancient artifacts—hundreds of tons of gold.
No one had ever encountered a single haul worth this much.
Their first reaction?
"Where is it?"
"Who do we have to kill to take it?"
The aircraft CEOs were ruthless businessmen.
Sure, they were worth billions, but an opportunity like this?
It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to double their wealth instantly.
And as for the general?
He might have power, but his personal wealth was nothing compared to the CEOs.
Even with his high rank, he had at most a few million in assets.
This treasure was his ticket to financial freedom.
And then there were the politicians—men who were used to manipulating the economy for their own gain.
Castle had barely finished his explanation before the room erupted into discussion.
There was no backstabbing.
No hidden agendas.
Everyone in the room immediately realized that their only option was to work together.
If anyone tried to take the treasure alone, the rest would crush them.
It wasn't just about greed—it was about survival.
Because in that room sat military power, corporate power, and political power.
Any one of them alone might have been tempted to betray the others.
But together?
They owned America.
And now, they were about to own a piece of India too.
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