In the car, Eleanor called Ethan. After a few rings, he picked up.
"Is everything alright?" he asked, his voice filled with urgency.
Eleanor paused. She realized she only ever called Ethan when sothing serious had happened. Today was no different... though the reason wasn’t dramatic, she was emotional. Visiting her mother’s grave had stirred feelings she hadn’t anticipated. She wanted to talk to her daughter. And since Ethan was with Freya, she reached out.
"I’m fine," she finally said. "Is Freya behaving?"
"Yes. She’s been a good girl. You don’t have to worry. I’ll stay with her until you get back."
"Thank you. After yesterday’s incident, I just couldn’t relax knowing she was only with her nanny."
"Don’t ntion it. She’s my daughter too."
A lump rose in Eleanor’s throat. She had never asked Ethan to be involved, yet he had stepped up without question.
"I just visited my mother’s grave..." she whispered, her voice trailing off.
Sensing her shift in mood, Ethan responded gently, "Don’t be sad. Freya’s been asking for you. Talk to her. It’ll help."
He quickly handed the phone to their daughter, eager to lift Eleanor’s spirits.
"Hello, Mommy! When are you coming back?" Freya’s cheerful voice rang out.
"I need a little more ti, sweetheart. I’ll be back this evening."
"Okay! I’m playing with Daddy. But you should co back soon... I missed you."
"I miss you too. Be a good girl and don’t tire Daddy out. I’ll bring you a gift."
"I want ice cream!"
Eleanor laughed. "Then ice cream it is."
The mother and daughter talked for a few more minutes. anwhile, the convoy sped along the highway toward Edgbaston, the wind brushing against the tinted windows like a soft whisper.
***
At the Grand Birmingham Hotel, in the top-floor presidential suite, Brian Morgan paced anxiously with his phone in hand. His forehead was creased with frustration as he awaited a call confirming his ergency flight to Los Angeles.
Louis Turner watched him with a frown. "Mr. Morgan, I really don’t get it. Why is soone like you so rattled about a young woman? What’s her background?"
Brian sighed and finally stopped pacing. "It’s okay if you don’t understand. As your friend, I’m telling you her identity... but don’t share this with anyone. Now, listen carefully."
He paused, making sure Louis was paying attention.
"Her na is Eleanor Raynor. She’s not from a political family, but from a business family that remained at the top even before the First Industrial Revolution. As far as I know, the Raynor family began their business right here in Manchester. During the colonial era, they expanded across the globe alongside the Kingdom. They focused primarily on comrce and accumulated great wealth for the nation. In the post-colonial period, while most major players withdrew their investnts from forr colonies, the Raynors invested in the newly independent nations and rose to beco a major global financial power. Their family mbers are now spread across the world, each running independent ventures."
Louis blinked. "That sounds... impressive. But what does that have to do with you?"
Brian arched a brow. "Tell , who do you think is the most powerful person in the business world?"
Louis shrugged. "Warren Buffett? Jeff Bezos? Bill Gates?"
Brian cut him off. "Wrong. That’s what I used to think too, before I beca a core mber of the Chamber. I’m giving you a valuable lesson as a friend. You know those nas because they’re the richest people in the public eye. But behind the scenes, there are several powerful families with wealth equivalent to a hundred Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. They don’t seek the lilight... that’s why they divide their assets under different nas. Normally, they stay low-key. But when they act, the whole family moves as one."
Louis was astonished. "How?"
Brian said, "Let tell you about Eleanor Raynor. She suddenly arrived in San Francisco three years ago with a British passport. After her arrival, she registered an IT company in Silicon Valley. Can you guess what her initial investnt was?"
Louis pondered for a mont and said, "One... no, ten million dollars?"
Brian laughed, "You couldn’t even imagine it. One billion dollars! One billion! With that single investnt, she beca a VIP in all of California. The state beca her loyal supporter. Do you know how she established her business?"
Without waiting for Louis to answer, he continued, "She started roaming around Silicon Valley and Wall Street. She poached several highly skilled employees from other companies. Then, her people began visiting promising businesses and buying them out. Those who sold their companies at least got their money back. But those who didn’t sell found their companies going bankrupt, only to be acquired by Miss Raynor at a fraction of the price. In just two years, her company beca one of the largest IT companies in Silicon Valley."
Louis said, "Now I understand why you acted like this. You also helped avoid unknowingly pissing off soone powerful. Thank you."
Brian shook his head, "No. You still don’t get the point. I’ll tell you what I know for sure. When Miss Raynor moved to San Francisco, she rented a high-end apartnt and started living there. Opposite her apartnt lived one of the girlfriends of the owner of the apartnt complex. He was the wealthiest businessman in the housing sector in the region. Even the Governor of California had to show respect to him at social occasions."
He paused, then continued, "Miss Raynor asked his girlfriend to make less noise at night, but due to her connections, she behaved rudely with her. Miss Raynor then complained to the housing office. Instead of solving the problem, the housing office asked her to change apartnts. Can you guess what Miss Raynor did next?"
Louis gathered his courage and said, "She bought the whole building?"
Brian shook his head in resignation, "Within one week, that businessman was arrested for forgery of docunts, violating zoning laws and building codes, money laundering, tax evasion, and many other charges. His extramarital affairs made headlines in every newspaper. His unsightly nude videos with his lovers flooded online. In the second week, his wife filed for divorce. His company went bankrupt. He was socially and economically finished. Then Miss Raynor bought the Sky City... that was the na of the apartnt complex, which was built as an independent city. Now, that is the headquarters of Miss Raynor’s company. Only her employees currently live in that city."
Brian paused, then added, "That was not all. I heard that several directors of various companies have gone missing after opposing her. These days, she doesn’t move in business circles. But her secretary is doing her job. Do you know what her Asian secretary’s nickna is in the California business community?"
He paused dramatically and said, "The Harbinger of Death!"
The room fell into a heavy silence.
A few minutes later, Brian’s phone rang. He snatched it up.
"Sir," his assistant reported, "we’ve secured seven seats on a KLM Cityhopper flight in six hours. The company’s private jet is en route, but it’ll take ten hours to reach you. We tried chartering other jets capable of crossing the Atlantic, but they’re all unavailable right now."
He angrily threw the phone on the bed and cursed, "Fuck!" then asked Louis, who was sitting on the bed, "Do you have any other way to send out of the Kingdom?"
At that mont, he heard a deep voice from behind.
"Interesting!"
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