Jimmy:"You want to save him?"

Mahong took a deep breath:"I haven't decided yet, we've been working well together these past few months, but should we go against headquarters for him..."

Jimmy:"Did you contact Peter? He's in Washington, D.C now, and he has a great relationship with Neil; they seem more like father and son than friends. Peter has been cleaning up Neil's messes constantly."

Mahong:"Not yet. If I contact him, he'll definitely choose to fight back."

Jimmy:"Seems like you really understand Peter's personality. So what now? We can't delay this, the longer we drag it out, the more prepared headquarters will be, and the harder it'll be to handle later."

Mahong:"I'll take care of it. You look for a replacement, Neil definitely won't do. He has something more important to handle."

Jimmy:"Got it. Be careful, no matter the outcome, don't get yourself caught up in this. Going against headquarters isn't something people at our level can do."

Peter put in a lot of effort to protect Neil back then, and since everyone acknowledged Peter as Hughes' successor, he often got some leeway.

Mahong was originally transferred from Chicago by Hughes, who just wanted to put a leash on Jimmy to suppress him, but due to the chain reactions from incidents on Peter's side, Mahong became the head of the White Collar Division. With Hughes retired, Mahong's connections in Manhattan's upper circles have basically disappeared. If he were to get involved against headquarters now, no one would back him, and he'd have to bear all the consequences himself.

Mahong had excellent facial control; when smoking, he was worried, but by the time he tossed away the cigarette butt and returned to the office, his expression had reverted to his signature poker face.

Jimmy tossed away his cigarette butt, pulled out his phone, and called Neil, arranging to meet him in the evening, then returned to the office. He had no other choice. He arranged to meet Mark at a bar in the evening; Mark didn't object, as a single guy, if he didn't go to the gym after work, he liked hanging out at the bar, after all, he had certain needs.

Jimmy drove Mark to the bar, and Woody poured them drinks, then busied himself at the side. Jimmy preferred sitting at the bar.

Jimmy:"Mark, I need your help with something."

Mark signaled with his glass:"Of course, go ahead."

Jimmy:"You know, I'm getting married soon, but there's a slight problem. I need one more best man... Nia has picked two bridesmaids, I can't have just one on my side."

Mark clinked his glass with Jimmy's:"Say no more, I'm in."

Jimmy raised his glass, downed his whiskey in one go,"Meet Woody, he's my other best man. Woody, over here."

Woody came over,"Another drink?"

Jimmy:"Hold on, introductions! Mark, my colleague, also your co-best man."

Woody extended his hand to shake hands with Mark, exchanging names. Jimmy:"Get acquainted beforehand, I need to head off. It's on me. Mark, have fun."

Jimmy left the bar and headed to Neil's place. Even though he had a drink, Jimmy still drove over, his tolerance was good, or perhaps with his growing strength, a small amount of alcohol barely affected him.

There was no one else in Neil's room this time. Neil was about to grab a drink for Jimmy, but Jimmy declined,"I drove, forget it."

Neil:"OK, have a seat. What's up?"

Jimmy nodded:"There's something I need to tell you. Earlier I invited you to be a best man at my wedding, but now there's a small problem."

Neil:"Really? No worries, I'm not fond of big crowds anyway."

Jimmy:"Thanks. That's all about it, I'm heading back."

Neil saw Jimmy to the door, was about to close it, but Jimmy held the door,"Take care, look out for yourself." Then he released the door, hands in pockets, and walked down the stairs to leave.

Neil agreed to be his best man before, so he owed him a bit. Now giving him a little heads-up was a way to return the favor.

During the day, Mahong called him over alone to discuss this matter, seemingly intending to have him cancel Neil's best man invitation, but his words hinted at uncertainty. Mahong wasn't the type to waste effort, so naturally, he implied that Jimmy should inform Neil, albeit without saying it outright.

Ultimately, it was Neil's matter to address. Mahong's relationship with Neil wasn't as deep as Peter's, so he couldn't do too much for Neil. For this to be handled well, Neil had to take the lead while Mahong could only offer some support from the sidelines, without drawing attention.

Jimmy had said his part; whether Neil could decipher the situation was up to him, now it depended on his ability. If he couldn't resolve it, given the habits of those at FBI headquarters, he might end up being their exclusive tool in the future.

It wasn't that Jimmy didn't trust in the humanity of those at headquarters; the problem was their track record. Plus, the allure of a perfect tool was substantial. Neil's skills were top-notch across the board, especially in forgery... For capable upper-level individuals, having Neil's help meant achieving more, legally or otherwise...

Now it's up to Neil and Mahong, perhaps with Peter's backing too, since he's also at the DC headquarters and already an Assistant Agent Supervisor, almost a senior position, which should afford some influence.

Jimmy couldn't interfere, nor would he, right now the most crucial thing was his wedding a month later; nothing should disrupt this major event.

Back at the apartment, Jimmy and Nia checked again to make sure the invitations they'd listed and mailed were complete, ensuring nothing was missed. Additionally, they reviewed their previous arrangements, as Father White provided St. Andrew's Church for the ceremony only; the subsequent dinner and activities would still take place at the previously booked hotel.

They needed to gather at St. Andrew's Church on Staten Island and have everyone return to Manhattan after the ceremony. The route was rather troublesome, but thankfully, Kevin's connections secured a few ferry trips, albeit for a cost.

These were matters Kevin discussed with Nia, and today Jimmy joined to review as well. Plans always needed revisiting after a time, to prevent any oversight that could affect many people. The guests invited by Nia were manageable, but among those invited by Kevin and Jimmy, many held significant positions, and if things weren't organized well, it could greatly impact their image.

After verifying the plan, Nia looked at Jimmy:"Has the flower girl been confirmed? If not, I can ask my classmate's daughter."

Jimmy:"I've already spoken to Elliot; he agreed to be our flower boy, and Mr. Green also agreed. Plus, he received Kevin's invitation, so he'll come along."

Nia:"Seems like you and Elliot have a good relationship."

Jimmy:"It's alright, the little guy is quite sensible, and lately, he seems to be coming out of his shell. He can engage normally with classmates at school now, much better than before. I reckon he'll be completely back to normal soon."

Nia:"I rarely see you pay this much attention to a child. Is he special?"

Jimmy:"No, he's not particularly special. I saved him before, so naturally, I need to handle the follow-up. Saving him only for him to live in the shadow of that kidnapping his whole life, or turn into a criminal out of psychological trauma, would be too tragic. Let's just say it's a bit of aftercare for a rescue."

Nia:"What aftercare? That sounds awful."

Jimmy:"It's the truth though. To separate him from the kidnapping case, I've done a lot. Now I still accompany him to practice shooting on weekends. It's exhausting, I think his dad should give me additional compensation. Hahaha."

Nia:"Enough already, why does it sound so awkward coming from you when it's a good deed?"

Jimmy:"Alright, alright, I won't say any more. I'm going to shower."

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