Capítulo 174: **Chapter 174: Annoying Kids**
"Luca, pass the ball!"
"OK! Here it comes!"
It was summer at Zuma Beach in Malibu, Southern California, with the sun shining brightly.
Under the clear blue sky and the vast expanse of ocean, golden sands stretched out, while tall coconut palms swayed their frizzy tops in the sea breeze like a group of rock stars on something.
In the afternoon, the beach was bustling. Some people were strolling, some were running into the sea, and others were sunbathing on towels.
In the middle of a flat area of the beach, eight young people were playing beach volleyball. The guys were shirtless in swim trunks, and most of the girls wore bikinis, full of youthful energy.
Among them, one guy stood out the most. He was tall and muscular, with a strong, V-shaped body that made the men envious and the women stare. His tanned, bronzed skin shimmered like metal, making him even more attractive.
"Luca, it's up to you!"
"Got it, Todd! Watch me!"
With a shout, the strong Luca leaped into the air, swinging his right arm and hitting the volleyball with precision.
*Bam!*
The volleyball shot out like a cannonball, landing hard on the sand.
"Yeah!"
"We scored again!"
"Luca, you're amazing!"
Two girls and a guy shouted excitedly.
Luca laughed loudly, raising his arm to high-five his three teammates in celebration.
"This time it was our defense that slipped up, but next time we won't!"
"Yeah, don't get too excited yet!"
"Luca, this time I'm keeping my eye on you."
The four guys on the other team shouted back.
"Haha, alright, let's keep going!"
Luca tossed the volleyball into the air and slammed it down with force.
"Ah, sneak attack! Miller, catch it!"
"Haha, got it! Way to go, Miller!"
Another round of the volleyball battle began. The two teams of eight, with four substitutes, battled on the sand for over three hours until the sun began to set. Finally, the group dragged their tired bodies off the beach.
"Hey, Luca! Come to the bar with us."
"Yeah, Luca, your girlfriend's not around, now's the perfect time to cheat!"
"Come on, Luca!"
As they hit the street, the group of young people called out.
"No, I've got to head to a film shoot tomorrow. I need to rest. See you later!"
Luca waved and rode off on his bike.
"Luca's such a weird guy."
Watching him leave, a guy with messy hair said.
"What's weird about him?"
"Well, he's been coming to play beach volleyball every day lately, but after that, he just goes home. He doesn't join us for anything else."
"I know why. Luca said he got a role as a beach diver and needs to tan his skin."
"He's just here to get a tan? That's such a waste! If I were him, I'd be dating the hottest girl on the beach."
"Pfft, his girlfriend is supermodel Lima. His rumored fling is Britney. Do you really think he needs to ogle other girls?"
"It's not just Lima and Britney, okay? There's also Bündchen, Rachel. Wow, all the girls he dates are big stars."
"Yeah, amazing! If I could date Britney, Rachel, Bündchen, or Lima, I wouldn't look at anyone else either."
"Haha, dream on. You don't stand a chance."
"True, Luca's not just handsome and fit, he's rich too. He just bought a multimillion-dollar house in Malibu."
"Just being rich won't get you with big stars like Britney and Rachel. They're worth billions!"
"Then how did Luca get them?"
"Luca's nickname is Mr. Big. Haven't you heard? Rumor has it he's packing half a meter."
"Half a meter?!"
---
"Hey, Kate, just finished volleyball. I'm almost home."
On the main road to Malibu's 117th villa district, Luca pedaled his bike while talking on the phone.
"How's the new house?"
Kate asked over the phone.
"Not bad, but it's a bit big. It feels too quiet living here alone."
Luca shrugged.
"How could it feel quiet with so many celebrities living around, and the beach so close? You could bring girls home anytime. Don't tell me you can't get a date."
"Kate, stop joking. I wouldn't just bring anyone home."
"Haha, alright. How about this: when I'm done with things here, I'll come keep you company."
"Sure! Has the design competition started?"
"Yeah, the initial designs have been submitted, and the preliminaries have begun. Oh, and Luca, I called to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"It's about the copyright application for that cartoon set. Twelve of them didn't pass review because they're too similar to others. Only seventy-four are considered original and can apply for copyright."
"I see. Well, seventy-four is still a lot. Leave it to you."
"OK!"
After hanging up, Luca pedaled harder and soon entered a lush forest where a large white building appeared.
This was the new property Kate had bought, a two-story villa.
It had a large lawn, driveway, tennis court, swimming pool, gazebo, and fruit trees. The entire estate covered 0.6 acres.
The interior was 4,174 square feet, with 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and a 2-car garage. The total value was $5.5 million.
In 2003, Malibu's real estate hadn't yet exploded, so a five-million-dollar villa was considered a luxury home. If it hadn't been burned down in the fire, it would be worth over ten million in a few years.
The villa was under Luca's name, with an initial payment of $2.2 million.
That year, Luca's net income from ads, acting, and writing was less than two million. After buying the house, he was officially in the red.
Once again, he found himself living the busy life of paying off a mortgage.
In the garage, he hung his bike on the wall.
There were two other vehicles in the garage: a brand-new BMW X5, a gift from Kate, and a red Dodge W250, an old pickup from 1989, thrown in with the house purchase.
The truck was so old that when Luca bumped it while putting away his bike, the door fell off.
He grabbed some tools and reattached the door, making a mental note to take it to the shop for a full repair. Driving a pickup truck on the beach could be fun.
*Clunk!*
While fixing his old pickup truck in the garage, Luca suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering from upstairs. He immediately rushed out and saw that the decorative glass window in the storage room on the east side of the second floor had broken again.
Yes, again.
The day before yesterday, after returning from sunbathing at the beach, that same window had shattered into pieces. Thinking there was a burglar in the house, he grabbed his gun and searched twice, but found no one. Instead, in the corner of the room, he discovered two pebbles. It was clear the glass had been deliberately smashed.
Today, he finally caught them in the act.
With a wrench in hand, he bypassed the pavilion and the swimming pool, heading into a grove of trees.
It was summertime, and the forest was lush with greenery. There were a few palm trees, thick walnut trees, and dozens of neatly arranged pyramid-like pine trees inside the fence.
Amidst these trees stood a giant pear tree, towering at 124.684 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 11.2 feet, casting a vast shadow over everything. Compared to it, the surrounding trees looked like mere saplings.
Under the pear tree's shade, two kids around six or seven years old were leaning against it, whispering while pointing at the broken window on the second floor.
"Theodore, see? I told you no one's home. We broke his window, and no one came out."
"There must be someone. George and I smashed that window the day before yesterday, and it's been replaced. That means new neighbors moved in. We should leave before we get caught."
"Scaredy-cat! What are you afraid of? We're just kids. Even if we get caught, nothing will happen. Look at that stained glass window! It's so pretty. How about we smash that one?"
"We've tried, but we can't hit it."
"Ha, you guys are just too weak. Watch me!"
At this point, Luca couldn't hold back any longer. These two brats were asking for it.
"What are you two doing?!"
"Ahhh!"
The two kids turned around, screaming.
The taller one was so scared he trembled, dropping the stone in his hand.
The smaller one froze for a moment, then plopped down on the ground and started crying.
At that moment, Luca, with his messy hair, cold expression smeared with black oil, was dressed in a tank top and shorts, his muscles bulging. Even more terrifying, he was holding a large wrench, looking just like a hitman from a movie.
"Waaaah, Mommy! There's a bad guy!"
The little boy on the ground began wiping his eyes, crying harder.
The taller one hesitated for a second, then took off, quickly scrambling through the wooden fence and disappearing in an instant.
With his friend gone, the small boy cried even louder.
Luca felt awkward.
He had only yelled once, and somehow made the kid cry. Maybe the little guy realized he was wrong and his conscience was getting to him. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to forgive him this time.
"Hey, little guy, stop crying. I'm not a bad guy!"
"Waaah, Mommy, Daddy, there's a bad guy!"
The kid cried with his eyes shut.
Luca was helpless. He forced a smile and tried to speak gently, "Hey there, cute little guy, look at me. How could someone as good-looking as me be a bad guy?"
The kid sniffled, slowly lowered one of his hands, and cautiously opened his eyes. When he looked up, he cried out again, "Don't eat me! I'm not tasty!"
Luca's face darkened. Do I really look that scary? And what's with this talk about eating people?
"Stop crying. I'll buy you a hamburger, KFC, and ice cream."
"Really?"
The kid immediately stopped crying, blinking as he asked.
Luca was speechless. This kid's dad must be an Oscar winner.
"Uncle Hanks, hurry! Theodore's been caught by the bad guy! Over there!"
Luca looked up and saw the kid who had run off earlier dragging a chubby middle-aged man to the fence. The man had messy hair, wore a T-shirt and baggy shorts, and looked like a homeless person. But this guy was none other than the world-famous actor, Tom Hanks.
"Hi, Mr. Hanks, good afternoon!"
He greeted him through the fence.
"Hi, hello!"
The celebrity blinked his small eyes and replied.
"Mr. Hanks, is this your kid?"
"Yes, it is!"
Great!
Now Luca faced a dilemma. The glass windows of his house had been smashed twice by Tom Hanks' kid. Should he ask for compensation or not? That was the question.
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